The school to-day was like a ballroom the "morning after." The bairns sat and talked about Dorothy, and they talked in hushed tones as about one who is dead.
"Please, sir," asked Violet, "will she come back again?"
"I'm afraid not," I answered.
"Please, sir, you should marry her, and then she'll always be here."
"She loves another man, Vi," I said ruefully, and when Vi whispered to Katie Farmer, "What a shame!" I felt very sad. For the moment I loved Dorothy, but it was mere sentimentalism, Dorothy and I could never love, we are too much of the pal to each other for emotion to enter.
"She is very pretty," said Peggy Smith.
"Very," I assented.
"P—please, sir, you—you could marry her if you really tried?" said Violet. She had been thinking hard for a bit.
"And break the other man's heart!" I laughed.
Violet wrinkled her brows.