The Making of a Prig

imly cut grass. It was a glorious day in May, and spring in its fulness was come. The white fruit blossoms had given place to crumpled green leaves, and the early summer flowers were in b

ut her favourite poets, for the book on her lap was only a pretence to which neither of them paid the least attention, and their conversatio

such a lot about them," observed Katharine, half closing her eyes and making a picture of

be told by this child of Nature tha

" was all he

rior, in a sort of way. Oh, bother! I never can explain things. But don't you see, if you were a p

Paul, and laughed gently

t me," she said in an injured tone. "You

y serious about everything. I have never had so much serious conversation since I was ni

protested. "You know you are no

ou. It is not my fault if yo

one of her long critical looks. "Perhaps you are right, and I don't understand you a bit. H

almly. "You will understand better when you are older-and

her hands folded under her

e to be a barrister?

ged his

er opportunities for idleness than

und on her low stool, and

h all your brains and your talents?" she cried i

ad and sinking down on them again. "I hope I shall always be comfort

you had b

d Paul; and her puzzled fea

ve a face like that, then

possibilities? To think that I might have been

an amused look on his face. He recalled some casual words of Heaton's which had annoyed him very much at the time,-"If I'm not in love with a woman,

ng about?" she asked

t his feet lightly to the ground

me?" she ask

, and slid slowly along the chair until he sat behind her, where he co

h you were not going!" She was look

I shall never forget your sweet care of me. But you wi

t to do with it?"

was merely an inconsequen

pause for a

y against her cheek. It warmed under his touch,

talk. Oh, p

t you

ly, and let them go, and walked away to the house without looking at her again. His countenance was as unmoved as if he had just been talking arch?ology to the

'm awfully sorry; I d

Katharine's in the summer house," he added, in answer to Ted's disconsolate look. "We've been reading Browning. At least,

it was not so easy to disapprove of Pau

heap, sometimes, doesn't she? Browning is enough to give y

not feel the same necessity in your case. You would have greater

, but lingered as though the inv

all the same to you. May I try that

sides of the little porch,

er much, lately," ob

n, but was disarmed by

last week, but I never got a look in with Kitty. I

differently; "that

n, feeling a desire for a confidant to be stronger than his distrust of Paul, "there's someth

of himself at the very

ith an effort, "she has be

er?" quest

no

or something beastly. It's the poorest thing I ever heard. And I've got to start on Thu

," said Pa

ears of such rotten jobs. Said it would be the making of me, or some rot. I've heard that before; the men who never did a st

boy as he sat opposite and stretched his long legs out to their full

to keep me any longer. She ought never to have had a son like me;

are never selected," said Paul,

ntleman? They should have sent me to a board school, and then I should have been a bounder myself, and nothing would have mattered. What's

moment he felt almost anxious that the boy should not spoil his career by a false start. There was something novel, too, in his playing the part of cou

e said with his placid smile, "but I should li

ed than before, but he

t. People have always given me advice, ever since I w

ays spent on trifles; "but I've seen so many nice chaps ruined through a mistake in early life, and I know one or t

star

his lower lip was twitching nerv

u, and a young, impetuous fellow like yourself, going to say good-bye to her for an indefinite perio

e tesselated floor. The elder man rose to his

yself once," he sa

m thoughtfull

eet, and stood on the doorstep for a moment, with his hands in his pockets. "I think you're a co

hrubbery with the air of a man on whos

ply, and then threw off his preoccupation with a laugh. Even whe

ous set of infants?" he muttered. "Hey-day! here's for Londo

e seen that Katharine was sitting with an absent look in her eyes, while the book she held in her hand was open at the index-page. But Ted only saw in her the woman he had jus

learing his throat, "I've c

face, and looked away again. She

uld have aroused the suspicions of a more observant person. But Ted was still absorbed

d, not I! It would cure this hump, anyhow. Perhaps some one would be sorry, then;

d Katharine, in a dreamy voice that she strove to m

y city place; a pound a week; soap, or wholesale clothing, or something poor. Says I ought to be thankful to g

nvoluntarily. But he was still too full of his own troubles to notice anythi

a week. Oh, yes, you will! I ought never to have been born. They're sure to be rank outsiders, too; and I can stand anything sooner than bounders.

ed when he was agitated; but on this occasi

nelessly, and continued to

ght to expect you to care a hang about me; I won't even ask you to write to me, when I'm gone," cried Ted, making des

en she said nothing, and only went on staring in the opposite direction, he felt that there was something u

out a single-" He stopped abruptly; for she was looking up at him piteously, and his high-souled resolutions suddenly melted into oblivion. "Kitty, old chum, d

rs would have disarmed him, even if he had not been in love with her; and Katharine, the tomboyish companion of years, appeared to him in a strangely lovable light as she sobbed into her ha

ou know, I was half afraid you were going to like him, one time; wasn't I a rotten ass? But, you see, you're so bally clever, and all that; and I supposed he was, too, and so I thought,-don't yo

eks. She pushed back the basket chair into the corner of the summer-house, a

can't let you kiss me like that. Has the world gone suddenly mad, this afternoon? I don't understand what

ere she left him, and watched her stumble through the doorway and disappear among the laurel bush

e been born," he said