The Boys Meet the Men

It was a hot May day, and everyone was too busy anyway to care where the boys went. Even Steven, who was his uncle the storekeeper's apprentice, was let out to go play. So the four boys found themselves at Keenan Pond, exuberant and free. It was lovely to be swimming, and lovelier still to be unfettered by adults.
An hour later, Steven was clambering up the bank for the hundreth time when he discovered that they were, in fact, being beset by grown-ups again.
A moment later a a figure darted out from behind the hill, and Steven realized the men had brought a boy with them. The boy noticed the swimmers almost immediately and seemed surprised for some reason, but the two men were in deep conversation and did not even glance their way. They seemed to be rather dignified and grand to Steven. He had come to Cennanceaster only two weeks ago and didn't think he had ever seen them in his uncle's store. "That's the Earl and Sir Frederick." Jemmy said behind him.
"Who are they?"
"They're gentlemen," explained Jemmy confidently. "They own everything, see. The Earl owns this pond. I hope he doesn't tell us to leave."
But neither of the men seemed interested in them. The dark-haired one had turned to the boy and was lauging and saying something that sounded like, "What did you think they would be wearing?"
"Harry!" cried Jemmy to his brother. "The Earl's over there!"
Harry spun around to look. "He's a man, so I guess it don't matter about our clothes. You let me do the talking if he asks us to leave."
"Fine."
They did approach and the red-haired man asked,"What are you boys doing swimming on a Wednesday? Do your fathers know where you are?"
"Yes, sir." said Harry. "He knows where we are. He said we might go."
"And would he say the same thing if he knew you were running around without a stitch of clothing?"
"He's proud that we're boys, sir," said Harry.
Behind Steven, Jemmy laughed, but Steven swallowed to stop himself from crying. His own father had been dead six months.
"What about you?" asked the man Steven now assumed was Sir Arnold. "I haven't seen you anywhere before, have I?"
"My uncle's Horace Heathrow," explained Steven for the perhaps the hundreth time in the last two weeks. "I'm come to be his new apprentice."
"Horace Heathrow let his apprentice free on a Wednesday?" asked the other man. The Earl, Steven thought.
"Well, the shop's closed down because everyone went to talk about the proclamation at the Herald's Hoof, so he didn't need me,"
The Earl and Sir Frederick looked at one another.
"The proclamation?" asked the Earl.
"Of war, your Lordship."
"Hell! Damn!---boys, don't use foul language." said the Earl.He turned to Sir Frederick. "I've got to get home and then to town," said the Earl.
"I've got to get to Henrietta," said Sir. Frederick. "Before Joan gets back from shopping with the news." And with that he turned and walked towards the house behind Steven. Steven remembered Matthew saying that a Knight lived in it, and now he realized it was Sir Frederick's own house.
"We can stay?" laughed Jemmy, who was too young to understand.
"Yes, boys. But Drake will come mind you if Charlie here stays," said the Earl.
"Can I swim with you?" asked Charlie.
"Well, I guess the lake's your father's," said Harry. "Do you know how to swim?"
"No..."
"We'll teach you, won't we, Steven?"
"Of course," said Steven. He looked back to watch the Earl and Sir Fredrick leave, but they were already gone.