Suddenly she turned to him.
"You'll be friends with Charley, won't you? Real friends, I mean? You won't let what—what's happened stand in the way? You see, he'll be awfully sensitive about it, and if he fancies you're hanging back, or anything of that kind——"
Her eyes were very urgent in their appeal.
"Of course I shall be friends with him; I shouldn't dream of——"
"I'm sure you'll like him for his own sake, when you know him. And till then, for mother's sake, for our sake, you'll be nice to him, won't you?"
"Do you care particularly about my being nice to him?"
"Of course I do! We're friends, you see."
Jeremy's fear wore off; excitement began to rise in him; the spirit of the game came upon him. He turned to his work.
"Are we friends?" he asked. "You've not been very friendly lately."
"Never mind me. Be friendly with Charley."