an education to recommend in advance,
but its results with so special a subject were as appreciable as the
marks on a piece of fine porcelain. There was at the same time in him a
small strain of stoicism, doubtless the fruit of having had to begin
early to bear pain, which counted for pluck and made it of less
consequence that he might have been thought at school rather a polyglot
little beast. Pemberton indeed quickly found himself rejoicing that
school was out of the question: in any million of boys it was probably
good for all but one, and Morgan was that millionth. It would have made
him comparative and superior--it might have made him really require
kicking. Pemberton would try to be school himself--a bigger seminary
than five hundred grazing donkeys, so that, winning no prizes, the boy
would remain unconscious and irresponsible and amusing--amusing, because,
though life was already intense in his childish nature, freshness still
made there a strong draught for jokes. It turned out that even in the
still air of Morgan's various disabilities jokes flourished greatly. He
was a pale lean acute undeveloped little cosmopolite, who liked
intellectual gymnastics and who also, as regards the behaviour of
mankind, had noticed more things than you might suppose, but who
nevertheless had his proper playroom of superstitions, where he smashed a
dozen toys a day.

CHAPTER III

At Nice once, toward evening, as the pair rested in the open air after a
walk, and looked over the sea at the pink western lights, he said
suddenly to his comrade: "Do you like it, you know--being with us all in
this intimate way?"

"My dear fellow, why should I stay if I didn't?"

"How do I know you'll stay? I'm almost sure you won't, very long."

"I hope you don't mean to dismiss me," said Pemberton.

Morgan debated, looking at the sunset. "I think if I did right I ought
to."

"Well, I know I'm supposed to instruct you in virtue; but in that case
don't do right."

"'You're very young--fortunately," Morgan went on, turning to him again.

"Oh yes, compared with you!"

"Therefore it won't matter so much if you do lose a lot of time."

"That's the way to look at it," said Pemberton accommodatingly.

They were silent a minute; after which the boy asked: "Do you like my
father and my mother very much?"

"Dear me, yes. They're charming people."

Morgan received this with another silence; then unexpectedly, familiarly,
but at