His eyes, unaccustomed to the gloom, were blind for a moment, but he heard movement of some kind behind the counter. "I want an atlas of the British Isles," he said, feeling his way across the shop. "A school atlas, I mean. Cheap, rather, you know--about a shilling or one-and-sixpence." He heard Clare's voice reply: "Yes, Mr. Speed, I know what you want. Hot weather, isn't it?" "Very." She went on, searching meanwhile along some shelves: "Nice of you not to bother about seeing me home the other night, Mr. Speed." He said, with a touch of embarrassment: "Well, you see, you told me. About--about Miss Ervine getting jealous, you know." "It was nice of you to take my information without doubting it." He said, rather to his own surprise: "As a matter of fact, I'm not sure that I don't doubt it. Miss Ervine seems to me a perfectly delightful and natural girl, far too unsophisticated to be jealous of anybody. The more I see of her the more I like her." After a pause she answered quietly: "Well, I'm not surprised at that." "I suppose," he went on, "with her it's rather the opposite. I mean, the more she sees of me the less she likes me. Isn't that it?" "I shouldn't think she likes you any less than she did at first.... Here's the atlas. It's one and three--I'd better put it on your account, eh?" "Yes, yes, of course.... So you think--" She interrupted him quickly with: "Mr. Speed, you'd better not ask me what I think. You're far more subtle in understanding people than I am, and it won't take you long to discover what Helen thinks of you if you set about with the intention.... Those sketch-blocks you ordered haven't come in yet.... Well, good afternoon!" Another customer had entered the shop, so that all he could do was to return a rather dazed "Good afternoon" and emerge into the blazing High Street. He walked back to the school in a state of not unpleasant puzzlement. II The term progressed, and towards the end of May occurred the death of Sir Huntly Polk, Bart., Chairman of the Governors of Millstead School. This would not have in any way affected Speed (who had never even met Sir Huntly) had not a Memorial Service been arranged at which he was to play Chopin's Funeral March on the chapel organ. It was a decent modern instrument, operated usually by Raggs, the visiting organist, who combined a past reputation of great splendour with a present passion for the _vox humana_ stop; but Speed sometimes took the place of Raggs when Raggs wanted time off. And at the time fixed for the Sir Huntly Polk Memorial Service Raggs was adjudicating with great solemnity at a Northern musical festival.