to have you in charge of the
buying side of the work, here. Besides, you know you have now a
wife and children and, even if you could make yourself comfortable
in England, they would never be able to do so; and the bitter cold
that we sometimes have, in winter, would try them terribly, and
might even carry them all off."

To these arguments Meinik had reluctantly yielded. He was somewhat
proud of the position that he occupied, as one of some authority in
the establishment of the principal merchants on the coast. He was
fond of his wife and little children; and felt that to be
established among strangers, of different habits and race, would be
very terrible for them. Stanley bought him a nice house at Rangoon
and, as his rate of pay, which had been gradually increased, was
now sufficient to cause him to rank high among the native
population, he himself came to feel that he had done wisely in
accepting Stanley's advice.

The voyage to England was an uneventful one; and to Stanley, after
the active life he had had for ten years, the five months spent at
sea seemed almost interminable.

"I should not have known you, in the least," his mother said, after
the first joyful greetings were over. "How much you have gone
through, since we parted at Calcutta."

"I had a pretty rough time of it for two years, mother, during the
war but, with that exception, my life has been a very pleasant one;
and I have had nothing, whatever, to grumble about.

"This is a pretty house that you have chosen, mother, and the
garden is charming. How I have longed, sometimes, for the sight of
an English garden. Of course I have never seen one before, but I
have heard you talk of them, and thought how delightful the green
grass must be. Of course we had flowers in Burma--plenty of
them--and shrubs; but it was not green, like this. It is charming."

"Yes, it is a pretty house, Stanley. We moved in here five years
ago--thanks to you, dear boy--and it has been a very quiet, happy
time. We have a good many friends now, among our neighbours; and
have quite as much society as I care for.

"I suppose you have not yet decided whether you will live here,
with us," she said, a little anxiously, "or set up an establishment
of your own."

"Of course I shall stay here, mother. I never thought of anything
else. I see that you have some stables. I shall get a couple of
horses, and drive into town, in the mornings. I have got out of the
way of walking, alto