that I went without vigorous protests. I said
that I had never tutored anybody in my life, and was met by the answer
that everything had to have a beginning, which is such an appalling
truism that it ought never to be uttered. I then stated that I was
sorry for the boy who had me as a tutor, though I meant, of course,
that I was sorry for myself, and my mother replied that she should miss
me very much, but that she had talked the whole thing over with my
father, and they both thought the experience would be good for me.
What could I say to that? Besides, it was too late to back out. The
people, I was told, were charming, and I was to take charge of a boy
aged twelve, who was home from school because he had been having
measles. The boy was also charming, everybody and everything seemed to
be exactly right; but I thought I saw the Bishop peeping through all
these descriptions, and charming is a word which has no great
attractions for me, it is so comprehensive and can mean such a
multitude of things.

But as I had to go I went cheerfully, and I should not think that any
one ever started on a tutorship knowing less than I did about the
people to whom I was going. My whole stock of knowledge consisted of
their name, which was Leigh-Tompkinson, of the place where they lived,
and of the fact that the boy had been ill. I had, however, no doubt
that I should be able to get on with them if they could only put up
with me; they were, I was assured, friends of the Bishop, and I did not
think that he would urge me to go to any people whom I should not like.

When I arrived at the house I was shown into a drawing-room in which
there were at least eight ladies and not a single man. My reception
was almost effusive. Mrs. Leigh-Tompkinson insisted that I was cold,
tired, and dying of hunger, but I had only travelled forty miles, and
the day was warm. I wanted nothing except a sight of Mr.
Leigh-Tompkinson, and I had an awful feeling that there was not such a
man. It struck me suddenly that no one had ever spoken of him to me,
and my courage decreased.

"You would like to see Dick," one lady said to me, and everybody asked
where he was, and nobody knew or seemed to care very much. The desire
for him passed off as quickly as it had come, and in half-an-hour I was
playing a four-handed game at billiards with Mrs. Leigh-Tompkinson as a
partner, and two ladies as our opponents. My partner played better
than I did, and we won