“Oh, William!” she said. “You are priceless. I’d just love to walk through the village with you like that. Will you come with us, Robert?”
“No,” said Robert wildly. “At every crisis of my life that boy turns up and always in something ridiculous. He’s—he’s more like a nightmare than a boy.”
*****
William faced a family council consisting of his father and mother, and Robert and Ethel.
William was still attired as a Fairy Queen.
“Well,” said William, in a tone of disgust. “You said to-day was extra. I thought it didn’t count. I thought nothin’ anyone did to-day counted. I thought it was an extra day. An’ there’s Robert takin’ a half-crown off me an’ no one seems to mind that. An’ Robert tellin’ Miss Flower, on the seat, how he’d wanted to live a better life since he met her.”
Robert’s face went scarlet.
“An’ then takin’ a half-crown off me,” William continued. “I don’ call that livin’ a better life. She gave it me an’ he took it off me. I don’ call that being noble like what he said she made him want to be. I don’——”
“Shut up,” said Robert desperately. “Shut up and I’ll give you the wretched thing back.”
“All right,” said William, receiving the half-crown.