al William's eloquence availed nothing.

Several people came to tea that afternoon, and there was a sudden
silence when Mrs. Clive, Joan, and Cuthbert entered. Cuthbert was in a
white silk tunic embroidered with blue, he wore white shoes and white
silk socks. His golden curls shone. He looked angelic.

"Oh, the darling!"

"Isn't he adorable?"

"What a _picture_!"

"Come here, sweetheart."

Cuthbert was quite used to this sort of thing.

They were more delighted than ever with him when they discovered his
lisp.

His manners were perfect. He raised his face, with a charming smile,
to be kissed, then sat down on the sofa between Joan and Mrs. Clive,
swinging long bare legs.

William, sitting, an unwilling victim, on a small chair in a corner of
the room, brushed and washed till he shone again, was conscious of a
feeling of fury quite apart from the usual sense of outrage that he
always felt upon such an occasion. It was bad enough to be washed till
the soap went into his eyes and down his ears despite all his
protests. It was bad enough to have had his hair brushed till his head
smarted. It was bad enough to be hustled out of his comfortable jersey
into his Eton suit which he loathed. But to see Joan, _his_ Joan,
sitting next the strange, dressed-up, lisping boy, smiling and talking
to him, that was almost more than he could bear with calmness.
Previously, as has been said, he had received Joan's adoration with
coldness, but previously there had been no rival.

"William," said his mother, "take Joan and Cuthbert and show them your
engine and books and things. Remember you're the _host_, dear," she
murmured as he passed. "Try to make them happy."

He turned upon her a glance that would have made a stronger woman
quail.

Silently he led them up to his play-room.

"There's my engine, an' my books. You can play with them," he said
coldly to Cuthbert. "Let's go and play in the garden, you and me,
Joan." But Joan shook her head.

"I don't thuppoth the'd care to go out without me," said Cuthbert
airily. "_I'll_ go with you. Thith boy can play here if he liketh."

And William, artist in vituperation as he was, could think of no
response.

He followed them into the garden, and there came upon him a wild
determination to show his superiority.

"You can't climb that tree," he began.

"I can," said Cuthbert sweetly.

"Well, _climb_ it then," grimly.

"No, I don't want to get my thingth all methed. I _can_ c