“I should know, and feel as if I had disgraced myself,” replied Andrew haughtily. “Besides, I wanted to see a gentleman.”
“What, up that court?” said Frank, looking curiously at his companion.
“Yes, a gentleman up that court. There are plenty of gentlemen, and noblemen, too, driven nowadays to live in worse places than that, and hide about in holes and corners.”
“Oh, I say, don’t be so cross because a lot of idlers would not make way.”
“It isn’t that,” said the youth. “It half maddens me sometimes.”
“Then don’t think about it. You are always talking about politics. I don’t understand much about them, but it seems to me that if people obey the laws they can live happily enough.”
“Poor Frank!” said Andrew mockingly. “But never mind. You have got everything to learn. This way.”
The boy was thinking that he did not want to learn “everything” if the studies were to make him as irritable and peppery as his companion, when the imperative order to turn came upon him by surprise, and he followed Andrew, who had suddenly turned into a narrower court than the one for which he had first made, and out of the roaring street into comparative silence.
“Where are you going?”
“This way. We can get round by the back. I want to see my friend.”