n the long grass, and the gossamer cobwebs spun in a
single night from twig to twig of the rose-trees, glittered in the
sunshine.

The autumn roses bloomed cheerfully in the long border, and the robins
were singing loudly on the terrace above. The heavy heads of the
dahlias drooped beneath their weight of moisture, in these last days
of their existence, before the frost would bring them to a sudden end.
Capucines, in every shade of brown and crimson and gold, ran riot over
the ground.

Peter drew a pipe from his pocket, put it in his mouth, took out his
tobacco-pouch, and filled the pipe with his left hand.

John watched him with interest. "That was dexterously done."

"I'm getting pretty handy," said the hero, with satisfaction, striking
a match; "but"--his face fell anew--"no more football; one feels that
sort of thing just at the beginning of the season. No more games.
It wouldn't tell so much on a fellow like you, Cousin John, who's
perfectly happy with a book, and who--"

"Who's too old for games," suggested John.

"Oh, there's always golf," said Peter.

"A refuge for the aged, eh?" said John, and his eyes twinkled. "But
Miss Sarah says you bid fair to beat her at croquet."

"Oh, she was--just rotting," said Peter; and the tone touched John,
though he detested slang. "And what's croquet, after all, to a fellow
that's used to exercise? I suppose I shall be all right again hunting,
when I've got my nerve back a bit. At present it's rotten. A fellow
feels so beastly helpless and one-sided. However, that'll wear off, I
expect."

"I hope so," said John.

They reached the end of the long walk, and stood for a moment beneath
the eastern turret, watching the sparkles on the brown surface of the
river below, and the white mist floating away down the valley.

"Talking of advice," said Peter, abruptly--"if I wanted _that_, I'd
rather come to you than to old Crawley. After all, though you won't be
my guardian much longer, you're still my mother's trustee."

"Yes," said John, smiling; "the law still entitles me to take an
interest in--in your mother."

"Of course I shouldn't dream of mentioning her affairs, or mine
either, for that matter, to any one else," said Peter.

He made an exception in his own mind, but decided that it was not
necessary to explain this to John, for the moment.

"Thank you, Peter," said John.

"My mother--seems to me," said Peter, slowly, "to have changed very
much since I went to So