by Henry James

“ He thought it the oddest thing to have a struggle with the child about. He wondered he didn’t hate the hope of the Moreens for bringing the struggle on. But by the time it began any such sentiment for that scion was closed to him. Morgan was a special case, and to know him was to accept him on his own odd terms. Pemberton had spent his aversion to special cases before arriving at knowledge. When at last he did arrive his quandary was great. Against every interest he had attached himself. They would have to meet things together. ”

“ Morgan went on, turning to him again.
“Oh yes, compared with you!”
“Therefore it won’t matter so much if you do lose a lot of time.”
“That’s the way to look at it,” said Pemberton accommodatingly.
They were silent a minute; after which the boy asked: “Do you like my father and my mother very much?”
“Dear me, yes. They’re charming people.”
Morgan received this with another silence; then unexpectedly, familiarly, but at the same time affectionately, he remarked: “You’re a jolly old humbug!”
For a particular reason the words made our young man change colour. ”

“ The boy noticed in an instant that he had turned red, whereupon he turned red himself and pupil and master exchanged a longish glance in which there was a consciousness of many more things than are usually touched upon, even tacitly, in such a relation. ”