the young people had become known to each other at picnics and the
like in the neighbourhood, but the acquaintance, instead of
ripening on frequent meeting into a frank, pleasant friendship,
had taken the turn of secrecy and silly playing at love. James
Graham was in a lawyer's office, a young articled cleric of
seventeen in undue haste to be that delightful thing, a man.
He carried a cane, and was very particular about his hat and
necktie and his boots, which generally were tan. And he had
the faintest possible moustache, that he caressed with great
frequency; and that privately Aldith thought adorable. Aldith's
pert, sprightly manner pleased him, and in a very short time
they had got to the period of passing notes into each other's
hands and sighing sentimentally. Not that the notes contained
much harm, they were generally of rather a formal character.

"My dear' Miss MacCarthy," one would run--

"Why were you not on the boat yesterday? I looked for you till
it was no use looking longer, and then the journey was blank.
How charmingly that big hat suits you, and those jonquils at
your neck. Might l beg one of the flowers? just one, please,
Aldith.

Your devoted friend,
James Graham."

And Aldith's, written on a sheet of her note-book with a pink
programme pencil that she always kept in her purse, might be
no worse than: