isy since the boy's arrival he
was released from innumerable lesser hypocrisies. His life at present
was what it seemed to be to the little world on the Bosporus.

Just at first he did not realize that though Mrs. Clarke genuinely loved
her son she was not too scrupulous to press his unconscious services in
aid of her hypocrisy.

The holiday tutor whom she ought to have got out from England to improve
the shining hour on Jimmy's behalf was replaced by Dion in the eyes of
Mrs. Clarke's world.

One day she said to Dion:

"Will you do me a good turn?"

"Yes, if I can."

"It may bore you."

"What is it?"

"Read a little bit with Jimmy sometimes, will you? He's abominably
ignorant, and will never be a scholar, but I should like him just to
keep up his end at school."

"But I haven't got any school-books."

"I have. He's specially behindhand with his Greek. His report tells me
that. If you'll do a little Greek grammar and construing with him in the
mornings now and them, I shall be tremendously grateful. You see,
owing to my miserable domestic circumstances, Jimmy is practically
fatherless."

"And you ask me to take his father's place!" was in Dion's mind.

But she met his eyes so earnestly and with such sincerity that he only
said:

"Of course I'll read with him in the mornings."

Despite the ardent protests to Jimmy Dion kept his promise. Soon Mrs.
Clarke's numerous acquaintances knew of the morning hours of study. She
had happened to tell Sir Carey Ingleton about Jimmy's backwardness in
book-learning and Mr. Leith's kind efforts to "get him on during the
holidays." Sir Carey had spoken of it to Cyril Vane. The thing "got
about." The name of Dion Leith began to be connected rather with Jimmy
Clarke than with Mrs. Clarke. Continually Dion and Jimmy were seen about
together. Mrs. Clarke, meanwhile, often went among her friends alone,
and when they asked about Jimmy she would say:

"Oh, he's gone off somewhere with Mr. Leith. I don't know where. Mr.
Leith's a regular boy's man and was a great chum of Jimmy's in London;
used to show him how to box and that sort of thing. It's partly for
Jimmy that he came to Buyukderer. They read together in the mornings.
Mr. Leith's getting Jimmy on in Greek."

Sometimes she would add:

"Mr. Leith loves boys, and since his own child died so sadly I think
he's taken to Jimmy more than ever."

Soon people began to talk of Dion Leith as "Jimmy Clarke's holiday
tutor." On