"Qu'elle est mignonne, cette petite, n'est ce pas, Mam'selle?" said Jimmy, after a story which had been greeted with approving laughter. "If she heard you calling her 'petite' she would smack your 'ead, vieux grandpere," said Mademoiselle. "I know her. And I have told you that you need not speak French. You are not so ready with it when you don't want to make a show off." "I'd offer you a cigarette in the governor's room," said Jimmy after lunch, "but Mam'selle would be quite likely to come in and kick up a fuss. They're very trying, these foreign women. But she's been with us so long one's got to humour her. We might go and sit by the tennis lawn till the girls come out. We can smoke there. It's away from the house." "The Governor asked me not to smoke till I'm a bit older," said Young George, "but I'll watch you if you like." "If you don't I won't," said Jimmy, putting his cigarette case back into his pocket. "I won't tell anybody," said Young George. "It isn't that," said Jimmy. "As a matter of fact I've been overdoing it a bit lately. Do me good to pull up a bit. I only suggested it to keep you company." They sat on a garden-seat facing the tennis lawn, and talked for some time about school affairs, Jimmy showing himself less burdened by the weight of maturity as they did so. He reverted, however, to his air of experienced middle age when the talk veered round to the coming holidays, and home surroundings, and Young George said to him: "You know all the people living about here better than I do! What do you think of the Manserghs?" "Old Mansergh's a grumpy old varmint," said Jimmy. "Bit of a flyer in his youth. Of course _she_ isn't out of the top drawer, as anybody can see. She's a good-natured old thing though, wherever he picked her up. She always wants to stuff my pockets with chocolate creams, even now. I like the old thing." "So do I," said Young George. "She isn't Dick's or Geoffrey's mother, though. What do you think of Dick?" "Not a bad sort of fellow by any means," said Jimmy, "though a bit off-hand in his ways. Doesn't take much notice of chaps younger than himself. Still, he's a good sportsman, and they say he's a jolly good sailor too. Bound to go up the ladder if he sticks to it." "He's always been very decent to me." "Ah, that's because he's after B. You feel like that, you know, towards the brother of a girl you've taken a fancy to. I was always particularly careful to make myself pleasant to Bertie Pemberton. I shan't take so much trouble about it now, though he's not a bad chap either." "You've spotted it, then!" said Young George in some surprise. "My dear fellow, it's as plain as the nose on your face," said Jimmy. "Well, I only did yesterday. How can you have spotted it? You've hardly ever seen them together." "I saw quite enough, last holidays. The first thing I asked Vera when I came home this time was: 'How's that little affair between Dick Mansergh and B Grafton going?'"