from him.

He also contrived to enrage the less genteel boys of Monypenny. Their
leader was Corp Shiach, three years Tommy's senior, who had never been
inside a school except once, when he broke hopefully into Ballingall's
because of a stirring rumor (nothing in it) that the dominie had hangit
himself with his remaining brace; then in order of merit came Birkie
Fleemister; then, perhaps, the smith's family, called the
Haggerty-Taggertys, they were such slovens. When school was over Tommy
frequently stepped out of his boots and stockings, so that he no longer
looked offensively genteel, and then Monypenny was willing to let him
join in spyo, smuggle bools, kickbonnety, peeries, the preens, suckers
pilly, or whatever game was in season, even to the baiting of the
Painted Lady, but they would not have Elspeth, who should have been
content to play dumps with the female Haggerty-Taggertys, but could
enjoy no game of which Tommy was not the larger half. Many times he
deserted her for manlier joys, but though she was out of sight he could
not forget her longing face, and soon he sneaked off to her; he
upbraided her, but he stayed with her. They bore with him for a time,
but when they discovered that she had persuaded him (after prayer) to
put back the spug's eggs which he had brought home in triumph, then they
drove him from their company, and for a long time afterwards his deadly
enemy was the hard-hitting Corp Shiach.

Elspeth was not invited to attend the readings of "I Love My Love with
an A," perhaps because there were so many words in it that she had no
concern with, but she knew they ended as the eight-o'clock bell began to
ring, and it was her custom to meet Tommy a few yards from Aaron's door.
Farther she durst not venture in the gloaming through fear of the
Painted Lady, for Aaron's house was not far from the fearsome lane that
led to Double Dykes, and even the big boys who made faces at this woman
by day ran from her in the dusk. Creepy tales were told of what happened
to those on whom she cast a blighting eye before they could touch cold
iron, and Tommy was one of many who kept a bit of cold iron from the
smithy handy in his pocket. On his way home from the readings he never
had occasion to use it, but at these times he sometimes met Grizel, who
liked to do her shopping in the evenings when her persecutors were more
easily eluded, and he forced her to speak to him. Not her loneliness
appealed to him, but that look