Love and Mr. Lewisham

ntil his dinner was ready--Well?... It seems hardly fair, perhaps, to Lewisham to tell this; it is doubtful, indeed, whether a male novelist's duty

kerchief, changed his trousers because the week-day pair was minutely frayed at the heels, and inked the elbows of his coat where the stitches were a little white. And, to b

ed to do, but he was quite clear that he meant to see the girl he had met in the avenue. He knew he should see her. A sense of obstacles merely braced him and was pleasurable. He went up the stone s

d been thrust into his waistcoat pocket--where they remained throughout the afternoon--and his cap was tilted a little back from his forehead and exposed a wisp of hair. One or two people had gone down the lane, and he had pretended not to see

nk of people seeing him in this position. His once eminent discretion, though overthrown, still

hen began mysterious noises, a violent rustle of hed

round, and there she was, her back to him, reaching after the spiky blossoming bla

s in the bank with such impetus that it carried him up into the prickly bushe

ned surprise, and stood away to

" he cried, overjoyed. "The

phazard, "with the black s

ggling for it--it was by no means the most accessible--saw with fantasti

riumphant and breathless, "there is blackth

In church, in the gallery, with his face foreshortened, he had been effective in a way, but this was differen

said, by way of answer, "I fel

swered with as frank a quality of avowa

in triumph. "To C

lerk and typewriter, did you? I am. I have just left the school, the Gr

ccounts for the stylographic pen. Those l

brows. "Here," said Mr. Lewis

ong this lane, over the hill and down, there is a gate, and that goes--I m

she

. It brings you out upon Immering

said with her

y n

her I should be bac

alk not t

ell," s

he edge of the river there are millions of little white flowers floating on the water, _I

momentarily ... and there came a

g the remark he had been about to make and waving the whit

fine weather the best has been kept f

plendid for their entertainment. The things they discovered and told each other that afternoon down by the river!--that spring was wonderful, young leaves beautiful, bud scales astonishing things, and clouds dazzling and st

r one, the towing path, before they had gone three hundred yards. So Lewisham had to find a place fit for her descent, wh

r her a marsh mallow at the peril, as it was judged, of his life, and gained it together with a bootful of water. And at the gate by the black and shiny lock, where the path breaks aw

he mill, and up a steep path to Immering Common. Across the meadows Lewisham had broached the subject of her occupation. "And are you really going away from here to be an amanuensis?" he said, and started her upon the theme of

through the hedge by both hands, and released her skirt from an amorous bramble, and so they came into a little black

e sincerity of her curls--not that he had ever doubted them. She stooped over her hat, pocket-handkerchief in hand, daintily wiping off the sil

r two on this ha

almost touching her. He felt a fantastic desire to take her in his arms and kiss her, and overcame the madness

son," s

_ Hend

ace--hesitated. "Ye

f tears. He was for demanding her Christian name. For calling her "dear" and seeing what she would say. He plunged headlong into a rambling

oods beyond Immering. Just then they had fallen on a silence again that was full of daring thoughts for M

she said abruptly. "

s straight to Immerin

four o

eyebrows went up. It was alre

ham had to take "duty" at half-past five seemed a thing utterly trivial. "Surely," he said

u been talk

that. Be

mised to be home by four," she s

a chance to see o

el

denly turned

a sudden stress in his voice. "Don't leave me. Stop with me

forcing a laugh, "that I live

you.... At first I dared not.... I did not know you would

t. "No," she said, tracing a curve with th

he began to tell her with simple frankness how he cared for her company, "I would not change this," he said, casting about for an offer to rej

," she

t, and so they went on hand in hand until the village street was reached. Their high resolve to play truant at all costs had begotten a wo

" she t

did so. "Ethel," he repeated. "It is a pretty name. But no

points conceded she gave them an admirable tea of astonishing cheapness. Lewisham did not like the second condition very much, because it seemed to touch a little on his latest enterprise. But the tea and the bread and butt

ur two young people into little figures of flame--and yet, instead of going homeward, they took the Wentworth road that plunges into the Forshaw woods. Behind them the

the future. And for the very young lover t

him she wrote such _silly_ letters. "But I s

cle between them. It would never do to write home--never. She was sure

inous letter-writer. Yet it was only what one might expect. The whole wo

where letters might be sent to her

never passed their lips that day. Yet as they talked on, and the kindly dusk gathered about them, their speech and their hearts came very clo

ried the blackthorn from which most of the blossoms had fallen. The fragrant wallflowers were fragrant still. And far away, softened by the distance, the Whortley band, performing publicly o

aces, passing to a

em'ry days of l

ically cheerful that pum, pum, hopelessly cheerful indeed against the dirge of the air, a

music,"

I," s

what the boys and girls were coming to nowadays, and one eye-witness even subsequently described their carriage as "brazen." Mr. Lewisham was wearing his mortarboard cap of office--there was no mistaking h

for the third time

pon his cheek, and before he could take hold of her she had eluded him, and had flitted into the shadow of the hous

t words, and then the door closed and he was alone in

ewisham's firs