because no one who has never known that blazing
clanging life can really understand the peace and blessedness of a place
like this. No, because there are some things which are to be found only
there. There are the galleries and the opera. I need a breath of them
both."

"You're right," nodded the major. "Birds are birds, and Melba is Melba.
But a sward like this in the early morning, with the dew on the grass,
is the best opera for a steady diet."

"I called them only side-trips," said John Valiant.

"And semi-occasional longer flights, too," the major reflected. "A
look-see abroad once in a blue moon. Why not?"

"Yes. For mental photographs--impressions one can't get from between
book-covers. There's an old cloister garden I know in Italy and a
particular river-bank in Japan in the cherry-blossom season, and a tiny
island with a Greek castle on it in the AEgean. Little colored memories
for me to bring away to dream over. But always I come back here to
Damory Court. For this is--home!"

They walked beneath the pergola to the lake, where Shirley gave a cry of
delight at sight of its feathered population. "Where _did_ you get them
from?" she asked.

"Washington. In crates."

"That explains it," she exclaimed. "One day last week the little darkies
in the village all insisted a circus was coming. They must have seen
these being hauled here. They watched the whole afternoon for the
elephants."

"Poor youngsters!" he said. "It's a shame to fool them. But I've had all
the circus I want getting the live stock installed."

"They won't suffer," said the major. "Rickey Snyder'll get them up a
three-ringed show at the drop of a hat and drop it herself. Besides,
there's tournament day coming, and they can live on that. I see you've
dredged out some of the lilies."

"Yes. I take my dip here every morning."

"We used to have a diving-board when we were little shavers," pursued
the major. "I remember once, your father--"

He cleared his throat and stopped dead.

"Please," said John Valiant, "I--I like to hear about him."

"It was only that I struck my head on a rock on the bottom and--stayed
down. The others were frightened, but he--he dove down again and again
till he brought me out. It was a narrow squeak, I reckon."

A silence fell. Looking at the tall muscular form beside her, Shirley
had a sudden vision of a determined little body cleaving the dark water,
over and over, now rising panting for breath, now plungi