hav-ing taken their leave a mile away, they were turning in at the
rectory gate. Flora then said, "Rosalie, darling, don't tell mother
or father or any one that we met any one." And Hilda said, "Yes,
remember, Rosalie, you're not to say anything about that."

After that, the young men were met, and the four walked, and Rosalie
trailed, nearly every day.

One of these young men was called Mr. Chalton and the other Mr. Ricks.
Like all men, and even more so, they were splendid and wonderful.
They had silver cigarette cases and smoked a lot, and they wore
most handsome waistcoats and ties, and some of their conversation
that came back to Rosalie, trailing behind, was of very wonderful
and exciting things they had done or were going to do. Mr. Holland,
the headmaster of the Grammar School, was the terror of Robert's
life, but it appeared that Mr. Chalton and Mr. Ricks were not in
the least afraid of Mr. Holland, and they talked a great deal of
what they would do to him if he ever tried to interfere with them
and a great deal of what they did do in the way of utterly disregarding
him. They were undeniably splendid and wonderful, but they utterly
ruined Rosalie's walks and they greatly intensified Rosalie's new
feelings towards men and boys,--that men and boys were a great
nuisance and spoilt things.

Time went along. Other young men were met. In the holidays, quite
a number of young men came for their vacations to their homes in
Ibbotsfield and the surrounding district. Certain of these, unlike
the Grammar School private pupils, called openly at the rectory on
one pretext or another, but they were nevertheless also met secretly
by Flora and Hilda, ruined the walks precisely as Messrs. Chalton