on't
tell her I wrote it. Don't you let on."

I promised I wouldn't and Peter went off with a light heart. He said he
meant to write two lines every day till he got it done.

Cupid was playing his world-old tricks with others than poor Peter that
spring. Allusion has been made in these chronicles to one, Cyrus Brisk,
and to the fact that our brown-haired, soft-voiced Cecily had found
favour in the eyes of the said Cyrus. Cecily did not regard her conquest
with any pride. On the contrary, it annoyed her terribly to be teased
about Cyrus. She declared she hated both him and his name. She was as
uncivil to him as sweet Cecily could be to anyone, but the gallant Cyrus
was nothing daunted. He laid determined siege to Cecily's young heart by
all the methods known to love-lorn swains. He placed delicate tributes
of spruce gum, molasses taffy, "conversation" candies and decorated
slate pencils on her desk; he persistently "chose" her in all school
games calling for a partner; he entreated to be allowed to carry her
basket from school; he offered to work her sums for her; and rumour had
it that he had made a wild statement to the effect that he meant to
ask if he might see her home some night from prayer meeting. Cecily was
quite frightened that he would; she confided to me that she would rather
die than walk home with him, but that if he asked her she would be too
bashful to say no. So far, however, Cyrus had not molested her out of
school, nor had he as yet thumped Willy Fraser--who was reported to be
very low in his spirits over the whole affair.

And now Cyrus had written Cecily a letter--a love letter, mark you.
Moreover, he had sent it through the post-office, with a real stamp
on it. Its arrival made a sensation among us. Dan brought it from the
office and, recognizing the handwriting of Cyrus, gave Cecily no peace
until she showed us the letter. It was a very sentimental and rather
ill-spelled epistle in which the inflammable Cyrus reproached her in
heart-rending words for her coldness, and begged her to answer his
letter, saying that if she did he would keep the secret "in violets."
Cyrus probably meant "inviolate" but Cecily thought it was intended for
a poetical touch. He signed himself "your troo lover, Cyrus Brisk" and
added in a postcript that he couldn't eat or sleep for thinking of her.

"Are you going to answer it?" asked Dan.

"Certainly not," said Cecily with dignity.

"Cyrus Brisk wants to be kicked," g