Jeremy

y at Cow Farm it was announced that very sho

ent. Until now Jeremy had never taken the slightest interest in girls. Mary and Helen, being his sisters, were necessities and inevitabilities, but that did not mean that he could not get along very easily without them, and indeed Mary with her jealousies, her strange sulky temper and sudden sentimental repentances was certainly a burden and restraint. As to the little girls in Polchester, he had frankly found them tiresome and stupid, thinking

owner, who always spent his holidays in Rafiel. She and her very beautiful, very superior mother had been seen on many occasions by the Coles driving about the Glebeshire roads in a fine and languid manner, a manner to which the Coles knew, very well, they themselves could nev

ctly in its place that it seemed to the rough and ready Jeremy quite unearthly. Of course she had to be very careful how she walked, when she sat down, in what way she moved her hands and feet, and how she blew her nose. It was wonderful to see her do these things, she did them so naturally and yet always with a sense of an effort overcome for the good of humanity. Her mother never ceased to empty praises at her feet, appealing to visitors with: "Isn't Charlotte too lovely to-d

, fantastic, wonderfully coloured, whom it would be interesting to see again. He wondered why Mary and Helen could not be like that, instead of running about and screaming and becomin

ock and soil her blue ribbons. Charlotte screamed exactly as a doll screams when you press it in the stomach, and Hamlet was so deeply astonished at the unexpected noise that he stopped his bad behaviour, sat on his hind legs, and gazed up at her with an anxious wondering expression. In spite of this unfortunate incident, the visit went off well, and Mrs. Cole

in the ordinary way, a picnic, which depended so entirely for its success on the weather, was no great risk, because the Coles were indifferent to rain, as all true Glebeshire people must be. But that the Le Pages should be wet was quite another affair; the thought of a dripping Mrs. Le Page was intolerable, but of a dripping Charlot

ge shoes which banged after her as she walked. She leant on a cane with a silver knob to it, and she wore a huge cameo brooch on her breast with a miniature of herself inside it. She was what is called in novels "a character." There was no one who knew so much about Rafiel and its neighbourhood; she had lived here for ever, her father had been a friend of Wellington's and had known members of the local Press Gang intimately. I

golden ship a boat pushed out, cutting its way through the glassy sea-and there landed on the beach a young man, very beautiful, in a suit of blue and gold, and he, without a glance at the waiting sailors, also slowly climbed the sea-path, and at last he too reached Farmer Ede's turnip field. Then he and the Scarlet Admiral bowed to one another, very beautifully, very sadly, and very, very fiercely. As the sun rose high in the sky, as the cows passed clumsily down the lane behind the field so the fool, with eyes staring and heart thumping, saw these two fight a duel to the death. There could be no question, from the first, how it would end. The beautiful young man in his fine blue suit and his white cambric shirt had despair upon his face. He knew that his hour had come. And the eyes of the Scarlet Admiral were ever sadder and ever fiercer. Then, with a sudden move, a little turn of his agile body, the Scarlet Admiral had the young man through the breast. The young man threw up his arms and

ack clothes. When she had finished it seemed to Jeremy that it must have been just so. She told him that now on a summer morning or evening the Scarlet Admiral might still be seen, climbing the cliff-path, wiping his s

why he had looked forward s

I

and still, but has in the very strength of its possession some scent of the decay and chill of autumn that is to follow so

as though she should be ashamed to be alive. The Coles had provided a small plump "jingle" with a small plump pony, their regular conveyance; the pony was Bob, and he would not go up hills unless persuaded with sugar, but Jeremy loved him and woul

t morning, isn't it? Lovel

rriage will never get down the Rafiel Lane, Mrs. Le Page

shion in which Mrs. Le P

rs. Cole, I scarcely thin

white, a little white cloud that had settled for a moment upon the seat of the carriage to allow the sun to dance upon it, to caress it with finge

ped his boots the o

e as though she said: "And this is whe

id Jeremy

know Jeremy. You

Mr. Le Page who, arrayed as he was in a very smart suit of the whitest flannels, l

id Mr. Le Page in

thank you,"

ffron buns and the ginger beer; she looked around her at the very plain but useful garments worn by her family, her husband in faded grey flannel trousers and a cricketing shirt, Helen and Mary in the simplest blue cotton, and Jeremy

d not intend to come one step farth

l the heat? No? Hold your sun-shade a little more to the right, love. That's right. She was not quite the thing last night, Mrs. Cole. I had some doubts about bringing her, but I knew

hated Mrs. Le Page, forgot his

g. Hamlet always goes

r. Le Page in hi

dog!" said Mrs. Le Page i

e confessed, so plain and shabby by the side of her. Indeed, to any observer with a heart it must have been touching to see Mary driven away in that magnificent black carriage, staring with agonised hostility in front of her through her large spectacles, compelled to balance herself exactly between the magnific

anged her Mary for a wa

Miss Jones's birthday, and in preparation for this he had bought for her in Polchester a silver thimble. He wondered whether he would not give Charlotte this thimble instead of Miss Jones. He could give Miss Jones some old thing he would find somewhere, or he would go out and pick for her some flowers. She would be pleased with anything. He wondered what Charlotte would say when he gave her

risoned Mary. A strange sensation of relief instantly settled upon the Coles. For a moment they were alone; they began slowly to walk up the hill, dragging with them the reluctant Bob. About them was peace, absolute and unstained. The hard glitter of the day shone upon the white r

shadow where he might lie down and pant. They would not confess to themselves tha

ole had foreseen had in truth occurred. The Le Page carriage would not

Page to her stout an

ma'am,"

"Well then, we must walk," said the d

lk the

fect crease of his white trousers vanished, his collar was no longer spotless, little beads of perspiration appeared almost at once on his forehead, and his black beard dripped moisture. Mrs. Le Page, with her skirts raised, walked as though she were passing through the V

down in the lane where the ground was never

sodden. Mrs. Le Page, struggling to avoid an overhanging branch, stepped into the m

Cole! Mr. Cole! I charge you-my child!" Charlotte was conveyed across, but t

e rocks. On the hill to the right was the Rafiel Old Church, with its graveyard that ran to the very edge of the cliff, and behind the Cove was a stream and a green orchard and a little wood. The sand of the Cove was bright gold, and the low rocks to either side of it were a dark red-the handsomest place in the world, with the water so

of the lovely Charlotte, was convulsed with shyness, the more that he knew that the unhappy Mary was listening with jealous ear

"We always come here every

he said

and bathe. Do y

into th

es

n't, because it'll hurt my

shing at so direct an i

very careful of my hair be

said

rushes a whole hour every mornin

tired?" asked Jeremy

tiful hair you must take trouble w

hat it didn't seem as though a human being was speaking at all. They were near the beach n

my frock?" sa

said

don. All my clothes a

with some faint idea of protecting his

at if you're not pretty it doesn't

not sit on the sand which looked damp, nor equally, of course, on a rock that was spiky and hard. What to do with her? She stood i

e enough that no member of the Cole family would have minded banishing Mrs. Le Page into the farmhouse, but it would have

periences, that when he lost his temper he was capable of anything. That does not mean, of course, that he ever was angry to the extent of swearing or striking out with

h now?" cried Mrs. Cole cheerfully. "It's

tablecloth was laid on the sand and the provisions spread out-pasties for everybody, egg-sandwiches, seed-cake, and jam-puffs-and ginger beer. It looked a fine feast when it was all there, and Mrs. Cole, as she gave the final t

you haven't forg

self standing there in Mrs. Monk's kitchen forgetting it. How could s

y. "Oh, no! I'm sure I c

er hat on one side, her hands searching everywhere, under t

ven't droppe

n, mum, the basket was close

that she had

, Mrs. Le Pag

his heat it's impossible to feel hungry, isn't it? I assure you I don't feel

o easily have done so, and she had never thought about

e no fruit, but

t so that you shouldn't think me fussy. Really, dear Mrs. Cole, I never fel

my dear, do you? It's only a step. Just take this sixpence, dear, a

as gazing at Charlotte, and he was teasing Hamlet with

shut off from him, and he was climbing the little gr

ternoon kind of manner of Charlotte, Hamlet, Mrs. Le Page and himself. "Shall I give her the thimble or shan't I? I could take her to the pools where the little crabs are. She'd like them. I wonder whether we're going to bathe. Mrs. Le Page will look funny bathing..." Then he was in the green lane again, and at once his discomfort returned to him, and he looked around his shoulder and into the hedges, and stopped once and again to listen. There was no sound. The birds, it seemed, had all fallen to sleep. The hedges, he thought, were closer about him. It was very hot here, with no breeze and no comforting sound of the sea. "I wonder whether he really does come," he thought. "It must be horrid to see him-coming quite close." And the thought of the Fool also frightened him. The Fool with his tongue out and his shaking legs, like the idiot who lived near the Cathedral at home. At the though

u, Jeremy dear?

e answered

And one day you'

eptem

l you be when

ow. I'll be a s

ldn't like to be a so

re's lots of peopl

rew her skirts

re your mother wouldn

he last words of the dial

lls? What can be finer, I say, than to die for Queen and country? Would not every mother have her son shed his blood for liberty and freedom?... No, Jeremy, not ano

d by a shrill cry

All the left side of your face is exposed. Th

Cole was

ever show himself a faint he

Mr. Le Page's black beard was enough. Even Jeremy felt that things were wrong. Then he looked at Charlotte and was satisfied. There she sat, straight and stiff, her hands on her lap, her hair falling in lovely golden ripples down her

ou don't disturb anyone, run off to the farther beach and pla

nd for a moment at the sleepers in the greatest anxiety. But no, they had not been disturbed. If only Mr. Le Page could ha

hat he did not quite know what he was going to do with her, and that even now, in the height of his admiration, he did wish that she would not walk

he's rather silly in some ways. Perhaps

finger of rock, and a new little beach,

y, "here we are. W

as dead

rate, and Mary can sit on that rock until the water co

no kind of assistance, and he then from that deduced the simple fact that his sisters hated Charlotte and were not going

id Helen loftily. "I'm goi

I," sai

eads in the air and thei

ike that, but it was also very silly of Charlotte to stand there so helplessly. He w

see the pool where the l

lip trembling as though she were going

irmly, "and you can't see your

d, looking down at her feet, "and I

ation. "I think it's a silly thing. I'm glad I'm not

ining. Then I h

see the crabs," he settled. "

antly, looking back continually

yourself?" Jerem

out any hesitation,

o himself. "We're giving the party, and she

asked, with another eff

, with a little sh

st breed, but Uncle Samuel says that that doesn't matter if he's clever. He

e with a kind of wail.

e answered her fiercely. "So

m, now clear as crystal, blue on their surf

eerfully. "No one will touch yo

d landed with his men. It was out there beyond that bend of rock that the wonderful ship had rode, with its gold and silk, its jewelled masts a

m and watching how quickly the August afternoon was losing its heat and colour, so that already a little cold autumnal wi

at last, to Charlotte, "

she said. "I w

s the good of saying that over and over again? You

oy," she brought out with

s hair when you come to think of it? Mary got on quite well with hers, ugly though it was. She was stupid, stupid, stupid! She was like someone dead. As he

t the climax of

still dazzled perhaps by the reflection of the water in his eyes, and yet it was not alto

er from rock to rock, the green light that pushed up from the horizon into the faint blue, the grey web of the sea, the

n with terror, an expression new to her, that her face had never known before, stealing into her eyes. He told her how the Fool had seen the ship, how the Admiral had landed, then left his men on the beach

and then, running as indeed she had never run before, she stumbled, half fell, stumbled, finally ran as though the whole

as not with her. Was he going to se

ing and fell straight into a pool. Jeremy, Mary and Helen were upon her almost as she fell. They dragged her out, but alas

and lifeless doll, there was at la

confidently be said that those two gentlemen would never speak to one another again. Mrs. Cole, dismayed though she was, had some fatalistic consol

m, Charlotte behaving most strangely, even striking her mother and crying: "Le

im? Why did he suddenly feel no longer afraid, but only reassured and with the strangest certainty that the lane, the beach, the field belonged to him

after all, been no

een made fre

ad been woken up, and neve