Ginger advanced to the small boy and smiled his anxious, fatuous, mirthless smile.
“Like to come an’ play with me?” he said.
“Yeth, pleath,” said the boy, returning the friendly smile.
“Well, you can come with me,” said Ginger, ingratiatingly.
He followed Ginger through the stile, and gave a shout of derision when he saw William crouching behind the hedge. “Oh! Look at ’im,” he said, “dressed up funny.”
A masterly plan had come into William’s head. He led the party to the next field, to the disused barn which, in their normal happy life that now seemed to him so far away, served as castle or pirate ship.
“Now,” he said, “we’re goin’ to play at soldiers, an’ you come an’ say you wanter join the army——”
“But I don’t,” said the small boy solemnly. “That would be a thtory.”
“Never mind,” said William patiently. “You must pretend you want to join the army. Then you must take off your clothes and leave ’em with me, and this boy will pretend to be the doctor, an’ he’ll tell you if you’re strong enough, you know; he’ll look at your lungs and things and then—and then—well, that’s all. Now I’ll give you the half-crown jus’ for a present if you play it prop’ly.”
“All right,” said the boy brightly, beginning to take off his coat.