“But you must. I’ve been and put away my specimens, and that settled it. Come along.”
“But why must I come out? I don’t want to play, and the other fellows will only laugh at us.”
“No, they will not. They’re not going to see us. Come along. Revenge!”
I got up and took my cap unwillingly, but, as we got out in the soft evening air, I began to think that perhaps I could keep him back if he were going to do anything wrong, so I walked on by his side with more alacrity.
“Going for a walk?” I said, as I found that he avoided the play-field.
“No. You wait and you’ll see.”
“Well, you needn’t be so disagreeable with me,” I said gruffly.
“I’m not, only I ache and burn, and I’m full of it. Come on.”
To my surprise, he led me down to the lodge cottage, where the big, soldierly-looking fellow was enjoying his evening pipe in his neatly-kept little garden.
“Evening, young gents,” he said, saluting us. “When do you two begin your drill?”