Love and Mr. Lewisham

bsence of a clause forbidding study out of doors. It was the day after the trivial window peeping of the last chapter that this gap in the time-table became appar

rtley domain. He dismissed a suspicion of his motive with perfect success. In the avenue--for the path is but little frequented--one might expect to read undi

s a perpetual rustling, a going

n sunlight, and all the lower branches were

nisi

dibrium,

once, at the text, the notes, and the literal translation, while he turned up the vocabulary for _ludibrium_, when his attentio

ancing towards him. Her occupation, too, was literary. Indeed,

looked up, and watched her over it. _Ludibrium_ passed out of his universe. She was clearly unaware of his nearness, he thought, intent upon her writing, whatever that might be. He wondered what it might be. Her face, foreshortened by her downward regard, seemed infanti

here was to expect--! He thought of what she would see when she discovered him, and wondered where the tassel of his cap might be hanging--it sometimes occluded one eye. It was of course quite impossible to put up a hand and investigate. He was near

heir e

She looked demurely into his face. She seemed to find nothing there. She glanced away from him among th

ident w

aking with a gust of wind. It seemed to urge him away from her. The faded dead leaves that had once been green and young sprang up, raced one anot

heet of paper--the sheet upo

urned towards her, flushed with triumph, the quarry in his hand. He had as he picked it up seen what was written, but the situation dominated him for the instant. He made a stride towards her, and only then understood what he h

harp's th

hen a

harp's th

th

harp's th

harp's th

e, in a boyish hand uncomm

tion quite well:--Frobisher ii. had repeated the exhortation just a little too loudly--had brought the thing upon himself. To find her doing this jarr

. She was a couple of inches less in height than he. Do you observe her half-open lips? said Mother Nature i

rotest still uppermost,

wh

sitions. Fo

and looked at him. "Are _you_ Mr. Lewisham?" she asked

son why she was writing the imposition, but pr

wisham

"--frankly--"you hav

id Lewisham. "I am afrai

for the next move. She deci

seemed to have such a lot to do and to be in _such_ trouble.

t him. She seemed to con

e tried to keep to the business of the imposition. "You ought

ace again. "No," she said. "I suppo

sing something quite other than the topic of their conversation; a persuasion patently absurd and only to be ac

detected the wr

me to persuade him. But I did--I assure you

r cheeks. Suddenly, stupidly, his own adolescent cheeks began to glow.

a punishment, never, unless it is merited. I make that a rule

terrupted with frank contri

the reddening of his face. "I don't think _that_," he said with a sort of belated alacrity. "Really, it was kin

r little Teddy will get into w

o smile his appreciation of what he was saying. "I had no business to

e any notice o

not," said

's relaxed in sympathy. "It is nothing--it'

do it. Schoolmasters are n

rase acted like a spur. H

like--"

ha

. The Impot., I mea

all

c

ully kind

. "It's nothing much. I

lause for this scandalo

y kind of yo

eally," he expla

ople wou

kno

us

ght," he sai

mething more to say, something wi

series of things unsaid was coming to an end! She looked at him hesitatingly and smiled again. She held out

of you," she said a

y remark into new topics. Her hand was cool and soft and firm, the most delightful thing to gras

manner of quite intimate friends, and snatched their hands away awkwardly. She turned, glanced timi

tury sweep with his college cap, and then some hither

six paces when he wa

, and raising his mortar-board awkwardly as though he

d surprised--q

I hav

hy

ke that of sliding down a slope o

too great for smiling. "Look here!" she said, and displayed the

too. He captured the paper by an insistent gestur

't mind?

d wh

keep

shoul

s an odd constraint about both of the

he turned about and left him with the crumpled piece of paper in the fist that he

kes of sunlight raced down her as she went. She walked fast, then slowly, looking sideways once or twice, but not back, until she

h. He stared for a long time at the vacant end of the avenue. Then he turned hi