smiled on one side of his mouth.

"Go on, mater!"

"But having Mr. Leith here I thought I wouldn't do that. Mr. Leith's
awfully fond of boys, and it seemed to me you might do him more good
than any one else could."

"Well, I'm blowed! D'you really think so?"

Jimmy came over and sat on the arm of her chair, blowing rings of smoke
cleverly over her lovely little head.

"Put me up to it, mater, there's a good girl. I'm awfully keen on Mr.
Leith, as you know. He's got the biggest biceps I ever saw, and I'm
jolly sorry for him. What can I do? Put me up to it."

And Mrs. Clarke proceeded to put Jimmy up to it. She had told Dion that
Jimmy wouldn't see the difference in him. Now she carefully prepared
Jimmy to face that difference, and gave him his cue for the part she
wished him to play. Jimmy felt very important as he listened to her
explanations, trifling seriously with his cigarette, and looking very
worldly-wise.

"I twig!" he interrupted occasionally, nodding his round young head,
which was covered with densely thick, rather coarse hair. "I've got it."

And he went off to bed very seriously, resolved to take Mr. Leith in
hand and to do his level best for him.

So it was that when Dion and he met next day he was not surprised at
the change in Dion's appearance and manner. Nor were his young eyes
merciless in their scrutiny. Just at first, perhaps, they stared with
the unthinking observation of boyhood, but almost immediately Jimmy had
taken the cue his mother had given him, and had entered into his part of
a driver-away of trouble.

He played it well, with a tact that was almost remarkable in so young
a boy; and Dion, ignorant of what Mrs. Clarke had done on the night of
Jimmy's arrival, was at first surprised at the ease with which they
got on together. He had dreaded Jimmy's coming, partly because of the
secrets he must keep from the boy, but partly also because of Robin.
A boy's hands would surely tear at the wound which was always open.
Sometimes Dion felt horribly sad when he was in contact with Jimmy's
light-hearted and careless gaiety; sometimes he felt the gnawing
discomfort of one not by nature a hypocrite forced into a passive
hypocrisy; nevertheless there were moments when the burden of his life
was made a little lighter on his shoulders by the confidence his young
companion had in him, by the admiration for him showed plainly by Jimmy,
by the leaping spirits which ardently summoned a reply in kin