eenhouses and came upon Kedgers entranced with business,
but enraptured at being called upon to show his treasures. His eyes,
turning magnetised upon Betty, revealed the story of his soul. Mount
Dunstan remarked that when he spoke to her of his flowers it was as
if there existed between them the sympathy which might be engendered
between two who had sat up together night after night with delicate
children.

"He's stronger to-day, miss," he said, as they paused before a new
wonderful bloom. "What he's getting now is good for him. I had to change
his food, miss, but this seems all right. His colour's better."

Betty herself bent over the flower as she might have bent over a child.
Her eyes softened, she touched a leaf with a slim finger, as delicately
as if it had been a new-born baby's cheek. As Mount Dunstan watched her
he drew a step nearer to her side. For the first time in his life
he felt the glow of a normal and simple pleasure untouched by any
bitterness.

CHAPTER XXVIII

SETTING THEM THINKING

Old Doby, sitting at his open window, with his pipe and illustrated
papers on the table by his side, began to find life a series of thrills.
The advantage of a window giving upon the village street unspeakably
increased. For many years he had preferred the chimney corner greatly,
and had rejoiced at the drawing in of winter days when a fire must be
well kept up, and a man might bend over it, and rub his hands slowly
gazing into the red coals or little pointed flames which seemed the only
things alive and worthy the watching. The flames were blue at the base
and yellow at the top, and jumped looking merry, and caught at bits of
black coal, and set them crackling and throwing off splinters till they
were ablaze and as much alive as the rest. A man could get comfort and
entertainment therefrom. There was naught else so good to live with.
Nothing happened in the street, and every dull face that passed was an
old story, and told an old tale of stupefying hard labour and hard days.

But now the window was a better place to sit near. Carts went by with
men whistling as they walked by the horses heads. Loads of things wanted
for work at the Court. New faces passed faces of workmen--sometimes
grinning, "impident youngsters," who larked with the young women, and
called out to them as they passed their cottages, if a good-looking
one was loitering about her garden gate. Old Doby chuckled at their
love-making chaff, remember