find outexcept asking,and he wasnt prepared to be so bold.Henryturned to Martin and said, Same goes for you. Whatever youdlike.Ithink Ill have what you had last time, Sirthe roast chicken.Itwasgood, Henry said by way of agreement. Ill get somethingdifferent this time and we can share.Eliseemed tense and Owen kept quiet, both perusing their menus.Thewaiter came with water for the table.Mightwe order some wine? Jesse asked. A carafe of the house redshould be sufficient.Thewaiter frowned and looked doubtfully at Jesse, and then at the rest.May I ask how old you gentlemen are, sir?Jessegave a very arch laugh and said, Oh, were certainly old enoughto drink!Thewaiter shook his head and said firmly, Im afraid not, sir.Would you care to order now?Jessepouted a long moment. Very well, he said at last. Illhave the veal.Therest ordered, Henry choosing roast beef with horseradish and potatoesand Martin getting the roast chicken with the exotically-spicedcouscous. Henry wondered if he could get away with feeding Martin abite of the roast beef from his own fork and colored pleasurably atthe thought; Jesse would certainly do as much, and much worse, andwould deflect all attention from Henry.Jessewas interrogating Eli. Why are you so uncomfortable? he asked.Ive seen you eat with him plenty of times at my house.Thatssnacks in your room, Eli said. Its not a meal in public.Butyou careabout him, Jesse said urgently, his voice lowered fractionally forthe sake of propriety. Why arent you happy to do it?Dontpush, Jesse, Eli said, warning in his tone. Everyone isntlike you, all right? And Im doing what you want, anyway, so leaveoff, will you?Henrycleared his throat. Please, Jesse. Dont make Eliuncomfortable. He felt responsible, it being his supposed examplethat had put Eli in this predicament.Jesseput his hand on Henrys arm and squeezed. I want to shareeverything with Russ, he offered by way of explanation. Imcloser with him than anybody. Dont you feel the same aboutMartin? He did not wait for an answer, saying, I think you do.Henryfelt his face grow hot and red. Y-yes, he admitted.Imsorry, Eli, Jesse said. I have a habit of bossing you, dontI? He gave Eli an especially winning smile, and Eli smiled back alittle unwillingly. To Henry, Jesse said, Ive talked Eli intoall sorts of things over the years. Its astonishing, actually,that hell spend any time with me at all.Youhave your charms, Eli said dryly. Besides, I cant avoid you.Were in the same class. I see you practically every day.Henryscousins were both twelfth-year students at the prestigious LawtonSchool.Iwish you went to Lawton, too, Jesse said, touching Henrys armagain. I know youre a year behind us, but it would still begood to see you at lunch every day.Henryblushed and shook his head. Im not smart enough to go toLawton, he said.Idoubt thats true, Jesse said charitably. Imnot all that smart, either.Henryfrowned, doubting Jesses self-assessment. Jesse was very clever.He might not be the smartest boy at Lawton, but he was surely smarterthan the highest-achieving Algonquin student. Henry was not Lawtonmaterial, and he knew it.Jesselooked around the table. When you eat with Henry, do you alwayskeep so quiet? he asked Martin. He did