But it all ended
with an adventure that years afterwards used to make her cheeks
tingle painfully at the thought.
After the bi-weekly French lesson, as I have said, the two friends
used to come back together in the river-boat at five o'clock.
And by this boat there always came two boys by the name of Courtney,
and a third boy, Aldith's particular property, James Graham. Now
the young people had become known to each other at picnics and the
like in the neighbourhood, but the acquaintance, instead of
ripening on frequent meeting into a frank, pleasant friendship,
had taken the turn of secrecy and silly playing at love. James
Graham was in a lawyer's office, a young articled cleric of
seventeen in undue haste to be that delightful thing, a man.
He carried a cane, and was very particular about his hat and
necktie and his boots, which generally were tan. And he had
the faintest possible moustache, that he caressed with great
frequency; and that privately Aldith thought adorable. Aldith's
pert, sprightly manner pleased him, and in a very short time
they had got to the period of passing notes into each other's
hands and sighing sentimentally. Not that the notes contained
much harm, they were generally of rather a formal character.
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