. From the
little valley through which the stream meandered, rose a curdled mist,
fraying now beneath the warming sun. The tall tangled grass through
which he passed was beaded with dew like diamonds and hung with a
thousand fairy jeweled webs. The wild honeysuckle was alive with quick
whirrings of hummingbirds, and he hung his pocket-mirror from a twig and
shaved with a woodsy chorus in his ears.

He came up the trail again to find the reading-stand transferred to the
porch and laid with a white cloth on which was set a steaming
coffee-pot, with fresh cream, saltless butter and crisp hot biscuit; and
as he sat down, with a sigh of pure delight, in his dressing-gown--a
crepy Japanese thing redeemed from womanishness by the bold green bamboo
of its design--Uncle Jefferson planted before him a generous platter of
bacon, eggs and potatoes. These he attacked with a surprising keenness.
As he buttered his fifth biscuit he looked at the dog, rolling on his
back in morning ecstasy, with a look of humorous surprise.

"Chum," he said, "what do you think of that? All my life a single roll
and a cup of coffee have been the most I could ever negotiate for
breakfast, and then it was apt to taste like chips and whetstones. And
now look at this plate!" The dog ceased winnowing his ear with a hind
foot and looked back at his master with much the same expression.
Clearly his own needs had not been forgotten.

"Reck'n Ah bettah go ter git dat ar machine thing," said Uncle
Jefferson behind him. "Ol' 'ooman, heah, she 'low ter fix up de kitchen
dis mawnin' en we begin on de house dis evenin'."

"Right-o," said Valiant. "It's all up-hill, so the motor won't run away
with you. Aunt Daphne, can you get some help with the cleaning?"

"He'p?" that worthy responded with fine scorn. "_No_, suh. Moughty few,
in de town 'cep'n low-down yaller new-issue trash det ain' wu'f killin'!
Ah gwineter go fo' dat house mahse'f 'fo' long, hammah en tongs, en git
it fix' up!"

"Splendid! My destiny is in your hands. You might take the dog with you,
Uncle Jefferson; the run will do him good."

When the latter had disappeared and truculent sounds from the kitchen
indicated that the era of strenuous cleaning had begun, he reentered the
library, changed the water in the rose-glass and set it on the edge of
the shady front porch, where its flaunting blossom made a dash of bright
crimson against the grayed weather-beaten brick. This done, he opened
the one l