But it soon came out that Phil’s books were not neglected, either.  The speed with which his candles burnt down, and required renewal, told of nocturnal studies in his garret.  As these did not perceptibly interfere with his activity the next day, they were viewed by Mr. Faringfield rather with commendation than otherwise, and so were allowed to continue.  My mother thought it a sin that no one interfered to prevent the boy’s injuring his health; but when she said this to Phil himself, he only smiled and answered that if his reading did cost him anything of health, ’twas only fair a man should pay something for his pleasures.

My mother’s interest in the matter arose from a real liking.  She saw much of Philip, for he and the three younger Faringfields were as often about our house as about their own.  Ours was not nearly as fine; ’twas a white-painted wooden house, like those in New England, but roomy enough for its three only occupants, my mother and me and the maid.  We were not rich, but neither were we of the poorest.  My father, the predecessor of Mr. Aitken in the customs office, had left sufficient money in the English funds at his death, to keep us in the decent circumstances we enjoyed, and there was yet a special fund reserved for my education.  So we could be neighbourly with the Faringfields, and were so; and so all of us children, including Philip, were as much at home in the one house as in the other.

One day, in the Fall of that year of Philip’s arrival, we young ones were playing puss-in-a-corner in the large garden—­half orchard, half vegetable plantation—­that formed the rear of the Faringfields’ grounds.  It was after Phil’s working hours, and a pleasant, cool, windy evening.  The maple leaves were yellowing, the oak leaves turning red.  I remember how the wind moved the apple-tree boughs, and the yellow corn-stalks waiting to be cut and stacked as fodder. (When I speak of corn, I do not use the word in the English sense, of grain in general, but in the American sense, meaning maize, of which there are two kinds, the sweet kind being most delicious to eat, as either kind is a beautiful sight when standing in the field, the tall stalks waving their many arms in the breeze.) We were all laughing, and running from tree to tree, when in from the front garden came Ned, his face wearing its familiar cruel, bullying, spoil-sport smile.

The wind blowing out Madge’s brown hair as she ran, I suppose put him in mind of what to do.  For all at once, clapping his hand to his mouth, and imitating the bellowing war-whoop of an Indian, he rushed upon us in that character, caught hold of Madge’s hair, and made off as if to drag her away by it.  She, screaming, tried to resist, but of course could not get into an attitude for doing so while he pulled her so fast.  The end of it was, that she lost her balance and fell, thus tearing her hair from his grasp.

I, being some distance away, picked up an apple and flung it at the persecutor’s head, which I missed by half an inch.  Before I could follow the apple, Philip had taken the work out of my hands.