Jeremy

rrible Spartan composure, which was meant to show indifference and a sense of injustice. She had to the very last believed it incredible that she should really go. She had been in the old Orange Street house for eight years, and had intended to be there until she died. She was forced to admit that Master Jeremy

only a week before the date of her departure, came to her mistress and begged, with floods of tears, to be

n his famous masterpiece-but in this case there was very little sentiment and no tragedy at all. They did not think of the event beforehand, and then when it suddenly occurred there was all the excitement of being l

roval, they stood awkwardly beholding her, and aching for her to go. She was the more unapproachable in that she wore her Sunday silks and a heavy black bonnet with shiny rattling globes of some dark metal that nodded and becked and bowed like live things. Hamlet, who had, of course, always hated the Jampot, barked at this bonnet furiously, and would have bitten at it had it been within his reach. She had meant to leave them all with little sentences about life and morals;

King!" The Jampot as a power in

history of the Coles, there was to be a governess. The word "governess" had an awful sound, a

be like the Jampot-only, a lady, so she won'

he publication of "The Heavenly Twins," and Mr. Trollope's Lilys and Lucys were still considered the ideal of England's maidenhood. Mrs. Cole, therefore, had to choose between idiotic young women and crabbed old maids, and she finally chose an old maid. I don't think that Miss Jones was the very best choice that she could have made, but time was short. Jeremy, aided by Hamlet, was growing terribly independent, and Mr. Cole had neither th

ebeshire valley, found herself now, at the age of fifty, without friends, w

, education and sobriety, Mr. Cole liked the severity of

," said Mr. Cole. "It's no

at charge," said Uncle Samuel

life seriously. He put away his toy village, scolded Hamlet for eating Mar

hideous smudges of thumbs and tears that scored the

greatly excited at the thought of a

d Jeremy, who hate

f only the paper didn't

d a very hard life, and no one's ever been ki

hristmas, Mary," said Jeremy. "You don't mind, do you

retched out in quivering excitement, his short, "snappy" tail, as Uncle Samuel called it, sta

"that she lived with a brother w

es. This seemed to h

t very much. And I'll give her that chocolate that Mr. Jellybrand se

scornfully. "Of course, Mother w

"Perhaps she'll want more tha

u!" sai

hasn't had enough to eat, she'll want twice

ot to remember she's

" asked Jeremy, "betwee

len. "Why, Aunt Amy's

nicer," s

eing that on several occasions some little cousins had come to stay with herself and her brother. On these occasions the little cousins had been so para

e is doomed to invite the sco

h of mud and mist and all the pipes run water and the eaves drip and horses splash and only ducks are happy.

had to leave her little village early in the morning to catch the village bus; she had waited at wayside stations, as in Glebeshire only one can wait; the world had dripped upon her head and spattered upon her legs. She had neuralgia and a pain in her back; she had worn her older dress because, upon such a day, it would not d

it for a num

e and protruding ears. Her face had formed severe lines in self-defence against her brot

ht Mrs. Cole, as she looked

hey said that perhaps they would find it for me, but there was a man in my carriage, I re

sery-or the schoolroom I suppose we must call it now; there's a lovely fire there, and we'll bo

onquer her neuralgia. The thought of a lighted nursery filled her with disma

ly on the strawberry jam that they were allowed to-day as a treat in the new governess's honour. Hamlet, his eyes

'Do take off your things. You must be wet,' and now she's s

here followed a dismal pause. The children had not expected anyone so

nd say, 'How do you do?' to Miss Jones. This i

n, before anyone could stop her, kissed Jeremy. He took it like a man, never turning his head nor wiping hi

we shall be happ

ing, and presently the

er brother's memory led her to resolve on what she called "firmness." Mrs. Cole had told her that Jeremy was "getting too much" for his nurse; she approached Jeremy with exactly the tremors and quaking boldness that she would have summoned to her aid before a bull loose in a field. She really did look frightening with her large spectacles on the end of her large nose, her mouth firmly set, and a ruler in her hand. "I insist on absolute obedience," was her motto. Jeremy looked at her but said no word. It was made clear to them all that the new regime was to be far other than the earlier nursery one. There were to be regular lesson hours-nine to twelve and four to five. A neat piece of white paper was fastened to the wall with "Monday: Geography 9-10, Arithmetic 10-11," and so on. A careful graduation of punishments was instituted, copies to be written so many times, standing on a chair, three strokes on the hand with a ruler, and, worst of all, standing in the corner wearing a paper Dunce's cap. (This last she had read of in books.) At first Jeremy had every intention of behaving well, in spite of that unfortunate embrace. He was proud of his advance in life; he was no lon

it that wa

Jeremy," remarked Miss Jone

eagerly, "there is; I

ly meant that you must behave as though there isn't,

aid Jeremy politely. "I think I

ng anything," said Miss Jone

ight way for m

t's not the

ggles," cr

s interrupted by

mlet's got your spectacle-ca

of distress, pursued Hamlet, who hastened into his favourite corner and began

amlet, naughty dog, naughty dog," and Mar

escued her property and returned to the table, Hamlet meanwh

es, "allow that dog in here durin

ss Jones-"

t us have no more of this. Le

e as good as anything, really he will. He's so intelligent. He really thought

"I will listen to no more.

promise-"

argument, wishing to continue the lesson, and hopin

really is g

ly perhaps, of a kindly and even sentimental nature at the sight of something helpless and in its power? Is there any cruelty in after life like the cruelty of a small boy, and is there an

elonging, had he known it, to that world of which afterwards he was often to catch glimpses, that world of shining white faces in dark streets, of muffled cries from shuttered windows, of mutte

te simple; he had been rebellious, naughty, disobedient, and had been punished, and there was

made her jump and turn white and put her hand to her heart. He discovered that she would punish him and then try to please him by saying he need not finish his punishment. He discovered that she would lose things, like her spectacles, her handkerchief, or her purse, and then be

despised by the servants, w

upon which he could exercise his ingenuity and cleverness. Mary followed him in whatever he did; Helen pretended

in their behaviour was as unconscious as their daily speech or fashion of eating their food-some instinct inherited, perhaps, from the da

a fine show of authority, accumulated, perhaps, during hours of Spartan resolution whi

ead and large spectacles would disappear inside the schoolroom cupboard. Soon Jeremy would say very politely: "Miss Jones, I think I know where it is. May I help her to find it?" Then Jeremy's head would disappear. There would follow giggles, w

: "I didn't; it was you!" M

my, very

more whispers and giggles. Miss Jones, her voice trembling: "Children, I really insist-" And more books dropp

nes would say: "And twice two are four." Mary

r, M

ught you s

cond later Je

four or five,

Mary I s

d now it's all wrong. Did

e. You did say four, d

And thre

say made five?

five. I said f

ss Jones? I've got twice two, and t

as only tell

es, would you min

easant game for a l

ere very, very quiet, learning the first verse of "Tiger, Tiger, burning bright-" A very gentle creaking sound would break the stillness-a creaking sound that can

making

long pause, and then

ase, I say. Jeremy,

r then eyes full of

g, Miss

s Jones would be silent this t

y not to rub his boots toget

now I was,"

begin again. J

y I take my

r boots o

stop them, because I don't know whe

such a thing! Next time you do

with a terrible crash to the ground, and five million pins stab M

er, Jeremy! I shall have

agony lest Mrs. Cole should suddenly come in and inquire what Jeremy had done, and that so the

? No one told him; but he knew, and, as the days pass

ong as this calamity was possible they were not complete masters of the poor lady. Then came a morning when they had been extremely naughty, when every game had

en been this morning? If they've been

er hands worked together. She struggled. Why not call in Mrs. Cole's authority to her aid? No; sh

hroat

ry good this mor

nd of Jeremy were

n their fin

I

ly hate her. She could not have seen it as anything but hatred, being entirely ignorant of children and the strange forces to whose power they are subject, and she must have shivered in her bedroom a

ough, nor were those people themselves perceptive enoug

he children, Miss Jones," o

k you," sai

, of course. Jeremy is a little difficult perhaps. It's so hard to tell

said Mis

, he will come out. Only you have to let him

aid Mis

d not touch them anywhere. And she saw Jeremy as a real child of Evil in the very baldest sense. She could not imagine how anyone so young could be so cruel, so heartless, so maliciously clever in his elaborate machinations. She regarded him with real horror, and on the occasions when she found him acting kindly towards his sisters or a servant, or when she watched him discoursing solemnly to Hamlet, she

othing in front

ome, but not as

ad had a wakeful night struggling with neuralgia and her own hesitating spirit. The children had lost even their customary half-humourou

e Torture of Expressed Contempt. When twelve struck and the children were free, Miss Jones was not far from a nervous panic that can be called, without any exaggeration, incipient madness. The neuralgia tore at her brain, her own self-contempt tore at her heart, her baffled imp

d might even extend to Martins', the pastrycook, who made lemon biscuits next door to the Cathedral. He was, therefore, in a very bad temper indeed when he returned sulkily to the schoolroom. He stood for a momen

young life. He had never seen a grown-up person cry before; he had no idea that they ever did cry. He had, indeed, never realised that grown-up persons had any active histories at all, any histories in the sense in which he and Mary had them. They were all a background, simply a background that

, and this sudden horrible jumping-to-life of a grown-up human being. She, meanwhile, was too deeply involved now in the waters of her affliction to care very deeply who saw her or what anyone said to her. She did

he could understand. He also had pains in his head. He drew closer to her, f

ake them attend; they learn nothing. They're not afraid of

r Helen the formula would have been simple. He

ones w

up and suddenly realised that it was truly Jeremy. "You're only a little boy, but you know very well th

him like Uncle Samuel, or talking down to him like Aunt Amy, or despising him like Mr. Jellybrand. But Miss Jones appealed to him simply as one grown-up to another. Un

his college boat when he was at Cambridge, but that, of course, was forty years ago. He could keep children

s come often?

ey're ve

e I eat too much-at least, the Jampot used to say so. They're in m

rself together. She wiped h

said again. "It's from

ick," continued Jere

rate look, as though she w

to. I've no friends, nor relations, and no one will take m

ays used to say, that one day she'd end in the workhouse; and that's a horrible place, SHE said, where there was nothing but porri

ide with the ho

es, you mustn

getting me some water from the jug

d beyond any words as to this new realisation of Miss Jones, he

stay with

him, and they e

dren than she had ever learnt before-more, indeed,

nd she even smiled a little

"It was great fun, of course, but we won'

knew I

you had a headache when you were very yellow in the morning, but I said it

won't always be, I suppose; and I'm going to school in September, and it w

the last quarter of an hour would have been undone. He was aware of her tempta

way, will you?"

u're good,

d Helen returned from their walk

me all about it, just as though I'd been Aunt Amy or Mother. And she says that if we go on being naughty she'll go away, and no one else will have her, because they'll hear about our ha

," sai

e a little house, like Miss Dobell, and have tea-

told me she hadn't, and no friends, nor nobody, and she cried like anything-" He paused for breath, then

o make so much noise," said Helen in a

babies," sh

you

we're

onger the subject o

Mrs. Cole through Rose, the housemaid, or some other

bedtime in his mother's room happily in a corner with his

ging the children, but now I hear that she can't keep o

r, startling the ladies, who h

ther. We're going to be as good as anything, re

forgotten you were there. Rose says you

oesn't know anything about it. But y

-if she can't

good as anything, I promise. You

"to bother your mother so! And

. "You will keep her

" said Mrs. Cole,

he cried. "We will, really-everyone el

d, dear," she said. "I'd no

ed; he couldn't explain-especially with that idiot Aunt Amy there,

or a moment in the dark passage thinking. The whole h

h Miss Jones. At the same time, the renewed consciousness of her personal drama most strangely moved him-her brother

led with pressing, thronging figure

s ver

oolroom door and blink