s worth five pounds to him. Accordingly
he offered it, indifferent as to the result, but rather anticipating
its acceptance.

It was accepted. The Captain was mortified and disappointed, but five
pounds is five pounds. It even seems a good deal more when your income
is very small and the part of it which you handle yourself so much
smaller as to amount to nothing worth mentioning. It was September
now, and already the mornings and evenings were cold, foretaste of the
winter which was coming, which would hold the exposed land in its
grip for months. Five pounds would buy things which would make the
winter more tolerable; small comforts and luxuries meant a great deal
to real poverty in cold weather and feeble health. Of course to Johnny
and Julia too; they were all going to benefit. Captain Polkington
packed the bulb in a small box and posted it when he went to Halgrave
to have his hair cut.

By return he received a five pound note--a convenient handy form of
money, easy to send, easy to change. Halgrave might not perhaps be
able to give change for it without inconvenience, but Julia could get
it changed next time she went into town. That would not be just yet,
but a note will keep; it would perhaps be better to keep it for the
present. The Captain folded it in his pocket-book and kept it.

CHAPTER XX

THE BENEFACTOR

It was not till October that Captain Polkington was able to change the
five pound note. This was really Julia's fault, she went so seldom
into the town; he had once or twice suggested her doing so when she
said they wanted this or that, but she never took the hint, and the
note was still in his pocket-book. At last, however, the opportunity
came.

A keeper's wife with whom Julia had got acquainted had promised her a
pair of lop-eared rabbits if she could come and fetch them. She was
not very anxious to have them, but Mr. Gillat was; he said they would
be very profitable. Julia doubted this; but, since he wanted them, she
said they would have them, and accordingly, one morning, they started
together with a basket for the rabbits. They started directly after
breakfast for they had to go a long way across the heath and could not
at the best be back before two o'clock. Captain Polkington watched
them go, standing at the cottage door until their figures were small
on the great expanse of heather. Then he went in and, sitting down,
wrote a hasty note to Julia; it was to the effect that he had been