He spoke with a touch of the drawl which is currently supposed to belong only to the half-educated classes of England.
She turned to the boy who sat on the other side of her.

The young gentleman--his name was Arthur and, apparently, nothing else--was only too ready to talk.

He proceeded to explain, compendiously, his doings of the past week, to which the girl listened politely.

Then anxiety got the upper hand, and she asked in a whisper, _a propos_ of nothing in particular, the name of her left-hand neighbour.
"They call him Stocks," said the boy, delighted at the tone of confidence, and was going on to sketch the character of the gentleman in question when Alice cut him short.
"Will you take me to fish some day ?" she asked.
"Any day," gasped the hilarious Arthur.

"I'm ready, and I'll tell you what, I know the very burn--" and he babbled on happily till he saw that Miss Wishart had ceased to listen.