Tom dropped behind his friends.
"Bill wants you to walk with him," he said to Peggy.
"Sure I do, but Tom said it first," Bill grinned, "he wants to walk with you, Elizabeth."
"I'll beat you climbing up the bank," Peggy cried, making for the sheer wall of soil and roots ahead of them.
"You won't beat me," Elizabeth said, "I'll go round by the road, thank you."
"Some people have a great amount of superfluous energy," Tom said, "Bill and Peggy are pretty well matched for that."
"Peggy is only a tomboy at times," Elizabeth said, "she really has quite an old mind, when you get to know her as well as I do."
"I'd rather get to know you as well as she does."
"Well, she sees me every day, almost."
"I wish it hadn't been almost halfway through the summer before you and I met. I've got to go home Monday," Tom said, mournfully.