“All right. Now leth play fairieth. I’ll thow you how.”
On the way home Mrs. Brown, who always hoped vaguely that little girls would have a civilizing effect on William, asked William if he had enjoyed it. William had spent most of the afternoon in the character of a gnome attending upon Violet Elizabeth in the character of the fairy queen. Any attempt at rebellion had been met with tear-filled eyes and trembling lips. He was feeling embittered with life.
“If all girls are like that——” said William, “well, when you think of all the hundreds of girls there must be in the world—well, it makes you feel sick.”
Never had liberty and the comradeship of his own sex seemed sweeter to William than it did the next day when he set off whistling carelessly, his hands in his pockets, Jumble at his heels, to meet Ginger and Douglas across the fields.
“You didn’t come yesterday,” they said when they met. They had missed William, the leader.
“No,” he said shortly, “went out to tea.”
“Where?” they said with interest.
“Nowhere in particular,” said William inaccurately.
A feeling of horror overcame him at the memory. If they knew—if they’d seen.... He blushed with shame at the very thought. To regain his self-respect he punched Ginger and knocked off Douglas’ cap. After the slight scuffle that ensued they set off down the road.
“What’ll we do this morning?” said Ginger.