"I am jealous," said John, slowly.
The School broke up on the following Tuesday, and Desmond went home with John.
This happened to be the first time that the friends had spent Easter together. John wondered whether Cæsar would take the Sacrament with his mother and him. He and Cæsar had been confirmed side by side in the Chapel at Harrow. He felt sure that Desmond would not refuse if he were asked. On Easter Eve, Mrs. Verney said, in her quiet, persuasive voice—
"You will join us to-morrow morning, Harry?"
Desmond flushed, and said, "Yes."
Not remembering his own mother, who had died when he was a child, he often told John that he felt like a son to Mrs. Verney. Upon Easter morning, the three met in the hall, and Desmond asked for a Prayer-book.
"I've lost mine," he murmured.
That afternoon, when they were alone upon the splendid moor above Stoneycross, Desmond said suddenly—
"Religion means a lot to you, Jonathan, doesn't it?"