"Ted will go to school some day, Percy," he said half questioningly.
"Of course you will. I hope you'll come to my school if I've not left by then. I could look after you, you know, and see that they didn't bully you."
"What's 'bully'?" asked Ted.
"Oh, teasing, you know. Setting you down because you're a little chap, and all that. Knocking you about if you don't look sharp. All those kinds of things that big fellows do to small ones."
Ted opened his eyes. It was not very clear to him what Percy meant—it was a new idea, and would have distressed him greatly had he quite taken it in that big boys could be anything but good to little ones.
"Thoo doesn't knock Ted about, and thoo is big, Percy," he said, remonstratingly.
"No, of course I don't, but that's different. You're like my brother, you know."
"And bruvvers couldn't knock theirselves about," said Ted with an air of satisfaction.
"N-no, I suppose not," said Percy. Boy as he was, he felt somehow that he could not bear to destroy little Ted's beautiful faith. "But never mind about that just now," he added; "let's run down the bank and see how the cabbages and cauliflowers are getting on. They were just put in when I was here last;" and for some time both boys were intensely interested in examining the state of the vegetable beds.
"Ted likes f'owers best," said the child, after a few moments' silence. "When Ted——"