ouse to
avoid further inquiries. He was becoming afraid of everyone! As he
passed the garden he thought of the gardener, and wondered if he would
help him. He was very young and very good-natured; he had taken of
late to coming to see Bessy, and Bill had his own ideas upon that
point; finally, he had a small class at the night-school. Bill
wondered whether if he screwed up his courage to-night to go, John
Gardener would walk back with him for the pleasure of hearing the
latest accounts of Bessy. But all hopes of this sort were cut off by
Master Arthur's voice shouting to him from the garden--

"Hi, there! I want you, Willie! Come here, I say."

Bill ran through the evergreens, and there among the flower-beds in
the sunshine he saw--first, John Gardener driving a mowing-machine
over the velvety grass under Master Arthur's very nose, so there was
no getting a private interview with him. Secondly, Master Arthur
himself, sitting on the ground with his terrier in his lap, directing
the proceedings by means of a donkey-headed stick with elaborately
carved ears; and thirdly, Master Arthur's friend.

Now little bits of gossip will fly; and it had been heard in the
dining-room, and conveyed by the parlour-maid to the kitchen, and
passed from the kitchen into the village, that Master Arthur's friend
was a very clever young gentleman; consequently Beauty Bill had been
very anxious to see him. As, however, the clever young gentleman was
lying on his back on the grass, with his hat flattened over his face
to keep out the sun, and an open book lying on its face upon his
waistcoat to keep the place, and otherwise quite immovable, and very
like other young gentlemen, Bill did not feel much the wiser for
looking at him. He had a better view of him soon, however, for Master
Arthur began to poke his friend's legs with the donkey-headed stick,
and to exhort him to get up.

"Hi! Bartram, get up! Here's my prime pupil. See what we can turn out.
You may examine him if you like. Willie: this gentleman is a very
clever gentleman, so you must keep your wits about you. _He'll_ put
questions to you, I can tell you! There's as much difference between
his head and mine, as between mine and the head of this stick." And
Master Arthur flourished his "one-legged donkey," as he called it, in
the air, and added, "Bartram! you lazy lout! _will_ you get up and
take an interest in my humble efforts for the good of my
fellow-creatures?"

Thus adjured,