soon as he thought he might venture to do so without
being in the way--and he freely expressed his opinion upon the subject
of the new member.

"It's all very fine," he said, "for Herbert to come tacking himself on
to my friends. I wasn't good enough for him before. He only makes an ass
of himself, and I'm sure Maud laughs at him. It all happened through him
going to the party. He said afterwards that she was ripping, and licked
all the others into fits; and now it's a new tie every day, and a polish
on his boots fit to dazzle you, so that he hates to get 'em muddy, and
always wants to go the easiest way everywhere. Rot, I call it. He asked
Maud yesterday if she liked his tie--silly booby!--and she said it was
useful as a danger-signal, cos you could see it a long way off. Crikey!
how red he got; and to-day he put on a very sad-looking gray one." And
Master Alan went off into fits of laughter at the recollection of his
brother's discomfiture.

"Oh, well," replied Marjory, always sorry for the man who is down, so
to speak, "he can see that Maud likes pretty things, and I suppose he
thought he was pleasing her."

"But that is just what I think is such rot," replied Alan emphatically.
"Why should a fellow try to please with his _ties_?" in a tone of
disgust. "He ought to _do_ things, and not be such a muff. Herbert
didn't use to be like that; he's got it from those beastly sixth
fellows. Course I know he's a good-looking chap. I don't mind saying so
to you, though I wouldn't to any of the fellows; 'tisn't the thing. I
shall never be like him; and of course the mater's awful proud of him."

There was just a suspicion of brightness in Alan's eyes just then which
Marjory did not fail to see, and she said quickly,--

"O Alan, I'm sure she's just as proud of you. Mothers are always proud
of their children."

"But I'm so short. She's always telling me I shall never be tall, like
Herbert," ruefully.

"But that doesn't matter a bit. Lots of little men get to be quite
famous. Think of Napoleon, and Moltke, and that dear German Emperor
Wilhelm--the old one, I mean. Miss Waspe said she saw the Kaiser Wilhelm
and General Moltke once when she was in Germany, and her recollection of
them is that neither of them was big; and anyway," she added
consolingly, "you're only fourteen, and you may grow a bit yet."

So Alan took comfort, for he had a high opinion of Marjory's wisdom.

"I say," he remarked, "I do think you know a lot,