"What would you like to be?"
"I can't make up my mind. When I was quite a little boy I wanted to be something grand—a knight-errant. Don't laugh!"
Peter was not laughing; on the contrary, he was very serious. "A knight-errant?" he said questioningly, his face full of interest.
"Yes. Mother used to tell me about knights-errant when I was a little chap. They were knights who travelled about in search of adventures, and they were always very brave men who were kind to people in trouble, and gentle with women and children, and they weren't afraid of anything. Of course there aren't any knights-errant nowadays."
"What a pity!" exclaimed Peter regretfully.
"Yes, it's a great pity," he went on; "for you would have made a very good knight-errant."
"Oh, I don't know about that!" Tom replied modestly, though secretly flattered.
"Oh, yes, you would!" Peter persisted, "for you are very brave, you don't seem afraid of anything or any one, and you'd always be kind to people in trouble if you could. You'd give a lot, I know, to be able to help poor little Grace Lee, wouldn't you?"
"It makes me furious to think of that great fat Mrs. Sordello, with her ugly purple face, hitting her about and swearing at her!" cried Tom. "Of course I'd help her if I could!"
Peter nodded. "Yes," he said, "of course you would. But a great many people wouldn't bother about her at all. Oh, I consider it was splendid of you to speak to Max Sordello in the way you did! 'Don't you dare be rough with her!' you said, and you can't think how awfully stern your voice sounded."