an artist, Tommy had kept his best for the end (and made it up
first). "And lastly," he said, "I thank this boy for thrashing me--I
mean this here laddie. Oh, may he allus be near to thrash me when I
strike this other lassie again. Amen."

When it was all over Tommy looked around triumphantly, and though he
liked the expression on several faces, Grizel's pleased him best. "It
ain't no wonder you would like to be me, lassie!" he said, in an
ecstasy.

"I don't want to be you, you conceited boy," retorted the Painted Lady's
child hotly, and her heat was the greater because the clever little
wretch had read her thoughts aright. But it was her sweet voice that
surprised him.

"You're English!" he cried.

"So are you," broke in a boy offensively, and then Tommy said to Grizel
loftily, "Run away; I'll not let none on them touch you."

"I am not afraid of them," she rejoined, with scorn, "and I shall not
let you help me, and I won't run." And run she did not; she walked off
leisurely with her head in the air, and her dignity was beautiful,
except once when she made the mistake of turning round to put out her
tongue.

But, alas! in the end someone ran. If only they had not called him
"English." In vain he fired a volley of Scotch; they pretended not to
understand it. Then he screamed that he and Shovel could fight the lot
of them. Who was Shovel? they asked derisively. He replied that Shovel
was a bloke who could lick any two of them--and with one hand tied
behind his back.

No sooner had he made this proud boast than he went white, and soon two
disgraceful tears rolled down his cheeks. The boys saw that for some
reason unknown his courage was gone, and even Francie Crabb began to
turn up his sleeves and spit upon his hands.

Elspeth was as bewildered as the others, but she slipped her hand into
his and away they ran ingloriously, the foe too much astounded to jeer.
She sought to comfort him by saying (and it brought her a step nearer
womanhood), "You wasn't feared for yourself, you wasn't; you was just
feared they would hurt me."

But Tommy sobbed in reply, "That ain't it. I bounced so much about the
Thrums folk to Shovel, and now the first day I'm here I heard myself
bouncing about Shovel to Thrums folk, and it were that what made me
cry. Oh, Elspeth, it's--it's not the same what I thought it would be!"

Nor was it the same to Elspeth, so they sat down by the roadside and
cried with their arms round each other, an