too little for "society"
novels to listen to them even now. There was the prettiest part of all
down below, the bit of sandy cliff riddled with nest holes by the sand
martins; here they discovered a little spring, the natural basin scooped
out in the rock, festooned with ivy and thickly coated with the pretty
green liverwort. Never surely was water so cold and clear as that which
flowed into the basin with its ground of white sand, and overflowed into
a little trickling stream; while in the distance was heard the roar of
the river as it fell into a small waterfall. There was the ford from
which the place was named and which Erica associated with a long happy
day when Brian had come down to see her father. She remembered how they
had watched the carts and horses splashing though the clear water, going
in muddy on one side and coming out clean on the other. She had just
listened in silence to the talk between Brian and her father which
happened to turn on Donovan Farrant.

They discussed the effect of early education and surroundings upon
the generality of men, and Raeburn, while prophesying great things for
Donovan's future and hoping that he might live to see his first
Budget, rather surprised them both by what he said about his tolerable
well-known early life. He was a man who found it very difficult to make
allowances for temptations he had never felt, he was convinced that
under Donovan's circumstances he should have acted very differently, and
he made the common mistake of judging others by himself. His ruggedly
honest nature and stern sense of justice could not get over those past
failings. However, this opinion about the past did not interfere with
his present liking of the man. He liked him much; and when, toward
the end of their six weeks' stay at Milford, Donovan invited them to
Oakdene, he was really pleased to accept the invitation. He hoped to
be well enough to speak at an important political meeting at Ashborough
about the middle of October, and as Ashborough was not far from Oakdene,
Donovan wrote to propose a visit there en route.

At length the last evening came. Raeburn and Erica climbed Rocksbury for
the last time, and in the cool of the evening walked slowly home.

"I have always dreaded old age," he said. "But I shall dread it no more.
This has been a foretaste of the autumn of life, and it has been very
peaceful. I don't see why the winter should not be the same if I have
you with me, little one.