VI + 

тАЬWeтАСell,тАЭ said Joe, fanning herself with a very dirty linen hat. тАЬThat was an adventure.тАЭ + 

тАЬMy frockтАЩs all torn,тАЭ said Nell. тАЬWhat shall I do?тАЭ + 

тАЬI hate that boy,тАЭ said Vernon. тАЬHeтАЩs a beast.тАЭ + 

тАЬHeтАЩs a beastly beast,тАЭ agreed Joe. тАЬWeтАЩll declare war on him. Shall we?тАЭ + 

тАЬRather!тАЭ + 

тАЬWhat shall I do about my frock?тАЭ + 

тАЬItтАЩs very awkward their having a rhinoceros,тАЭ said Joe thoughtfully. тАЬDo you think Tom Boy would go for it if we trained him to?тАЭ + 

тАЬI shouldnтАЩt like Tom Boy to be hurt,тАЭ said Vernon. + 

Tom Boy was the stable dog, a great favourite of his. His mother had always vetoed a dog in the house, so Tom Boy was the nearest Vernon had got to having a dog of his own. + 

тАЬI donтАЩt know what Mother will say about my frock.тАЭ + 

тАЬOh, bother your frock, Nell! ItтАЩs not the sort of frock for playing in the garden, anyway.тАЭ + 

тАЬIтАЩll tell your mother itтАЩs my fault,тАЭ said Vernon impatiently. тАЬDonтАЩt be so like a girl.тАЭ + 

тАЬI am a girl,тАЭ said Nell. + 

тАЬWell, so is Joe a girl. But she doesnтАЩt go on like you do. SheтАЩs as good as a boy any day.тАЭ + 

Nell looked ready to cry, but at that minute they were called from the house. + 

тАЬIтАЩm sorry, Mrs.┬аVereker,тАЭ said Vernon. тАЬIтАЩm afraid IтАЩve torn NellтАЩs frock.тАЭ + 

There were reproaches from Myra, civil disclaimers from Mrs.┬аVereker. When Nell and her mother had gone, Myra said: + 

тАЬYou must not be so rough, Vernon darling. When a little girl friend comes to tea, you must take great care of her.тАЭ + 

тАЬWhy have we got to have her to tea? We donтАЩt like her. She spoils everything.тАЭ + 

тАЬVernon! Nell is such a dear little girl.тАЭ + 

тАЬShe isnтАЩt, Mother. SheтАЩs awful.тАЭ + 

тАЬVernon!тАЭ + 

тАЬWell, she is. I donтАЩt like her mother either.тАЭ + 

тАЬI donтАЩt like Mrs.┬аVereker much,тАЭ said Myra. тАЬI always think sheтАЩs a very hard woman. But I canтАЩt think why you children donтАЩt like Nell. Mrs.┬аVereker tells me sheтАЩs absolutely devoted to you, Vernon.тАЭ + 

тАЬWell, I donтАЩt want her to be.тАЭ + 

He escaped with Joe. + 

тАЬWar,тАЭ he said. тАЬThatтАЩs what it isтБатАФwar! I dare say that Levinne boy is really a Boer in disguise. We must plan out our campaign. Why should he come and live next door to us and spoil everything?тАЭ + 

The kind of guerilla warfare that followed occupied Vernon and Joe in a most pleasurable fashion. They invented all kinds of methods of harassing the enemy. Concealed in trees, they pelted him with chestnuts. They stalked him with pea-shooters. They outlined a hand in red paint and crept secretly up to the house one night after dark, and left it on the doorstep with the word тАЬRevengeтАЭ printed at the bottom of the sheet of paper. + 

Sometimes their enemy retaliated in kind. He, too, had a pea-shooter and it was he who laid in wait for them one day with a garden hose. + 

Hostilities had been going on for nearly ten days when Vernon came upon Joe sitting on a tree stump looking unusually despondent. + 

тАЬHullo! WhatтАЩs up? I thought you were going to stalk the enemy with those squashy tomatoes Cook gave us.тАЭ + 

тАЬI was. I mean I did.тАЭ + 

тАЬWhatтАЩs the matter, Joe?тАЭ + 

тАЬI was up a tree and he came right by underneath. I could have got him beautifully.тАЭ + 

тАЬDo you mean to say you didnтАЩt?тАЭ + 

тАЬNo.тАЭ + 

тАЬWhy ever not?тАЭ + 

JoeтАЩs face became very red, and she began to speak very fast. + 

тАЬI couldnтАЩt. You see, he didnтАЩt know I was there, and he lookedтБатАФoh! Vernon, he looked so awfully lonelyтБатАФas though he were simply hating things. You know, it must be pretty beastly having no one to do things with.тАЭ + 

тАЬYes, butтБатАФтАЭ + 

Vernon paused to adjust his ideas. + 

тАЬDonтАЩt you remember how we said it was all rotten?тАЭ went on Joe. тАЬPeople being so beastly about the Levinnes, and now weтАЩre being as beastly as anyone.тАЭ + 

тАЬYes, but he was beastly to us!тАЭ + 

тАЬPerhaps he didnтАЩt mean to be.тАЭ + 

тАЬThatтАЩs nonsense.тАЭ + 

тАЬNo, it isnтАЩt. Look at the way dogs bite you if theyтАЩre afraid or suspicious. I expect he just expected us to be beastly to him, and wanted to start first. LetтАЩs be friends.тАЭ + 

тАЬYou canтАЩt be in the middle of a war.тАЭ + 

тАЬYes, you can. WeтАЩll make a white flag, and then you march with it and demand a parley, and see if you canтАЩt agree upon honourable terms of peace.тАЭ + 

тАЬWell,тАЭ said Vernon, тАЬI donтАЩt mind if we do. It would be a change, anyway. What shall we use for a flag of truceтБатАФmy handkerchief or your pinafore?тАЭ + 

Marching with the flag of truce was rather exciting. It was not long before they encountered the enemy. He stared in complete surprise. + 

тАЬWhatтАЩs up?тАЭ he said. + 

тАЬWe want a parley,тАЭ said Vernon. + 

тАЬWell, IтАЩm agreeable,тАЭ said the other boy, after a momentтАЩs pause. + 

тАЬWhat we want to say is this,тАЭ said Joe. тАЬIf youтАЩll agree, weтАЩd like to be friends.тАЭ + 

They looked from one to the other. + 

тАЬWhy do you want to be friends?тАЭ he asked suspiciously. + 

тАЬIt seems a bit silly,тАЭ said Vernon. тАЬLiving next door and not being friends, doesnтАЩt it?тАЭ + 

тАЬWhich of you thought of that first?тАЭ + 

тАЬI did,тАЭ said Joe. + 

She felt those small jet black eyes boring into her. What a queer boy he was. His ears seemed to stick out more than ever. + 

тАЬAll right,тАЭ said the boy. тАЬIтАЩd like to.тАЭ + 

There was a minuteтАЩs embarrassed pause. + 

тАЬWhatтАЩs your name?тАЭ said Joe. + 

тАЬSebastian.тАЭ + 

There was just the faintest lisp, so little as hardly to be noticed. + 

тАЬWhat a funny name. MineтАЩs Joe and this is Vernon. HeтАЩs at school. Do you go to school?тАЭ + 

тАЬYes. IтАЩm going to Eton later.тАЭ + 

тАЬSo am I,тАЭ said Vernon. + 

Again a faint tide of hostility rose between them. Then it ebbed awayтБатАФnever to return. + 

тАЬCome and see our swimming pool,тАЭ said Sebastian. тАЬItтАЩs rather jolly.тАЭ + 