r Wemyss and his
bride, perhaps because of the reasonable way the duchess came around
when she found her daughter bent upon marrying Sir Wemyss, were so
good-humoured and so plainly determined to see naught but good in
America and naught but fun in Americans that they took everything in
good part.

Aubrey, Jimmie, and Sir Wemyss got on capitally from the start, for
before they came Aubrey said:

"What shall I say to them at first--when they come aboard of us, and
before I have got my sea legs on?"

"Why," said Jimmie, "that's dead easy. Say to Lady Mary, 'Let my wife
give you some tea,' and to Sir Wemyss say, 'Old man, how would a
whiskey and soda go?' and there you are right off the bat."

Aubrey said precisely these words, with the most satisfactory result,
for over her third cup of tea I felt very friendly with the beautiful
English woman, and after four whiskies the men were almost sociable.

To our delight, Sir Wemyss was enchanted with Peach Orchard. He
visited the uttermost corners of it. He was charmed with the cows,
admired their breed, almost raved over Jack, the bulldog, whose
pedigree was nearly as long as that of Lady Mary, who was the daughter
of a hundred earls. He gave me many hints about my fine poultry, and
wrote that first night for a pair of his very finest buff cochins to be
sent over from his place in England, which he had just inherited from
his uncle. He showed us where the apple-trees needed pruning, and was
so interested in my attempts at an old-fashioned garden, which Bee had
hidden behind a tall hedge, that he went to fetch Lady Mary to look at
it, and they both volunteered to send me some plants and shrubs from
England, which they declared I needed to complete it.

Bee's face was a study during those few hours. She had honestly tried
to have everything as English as possible for them, and had trained my
poor servants almost to death, with instructions as to what they were
to do during this week. They were outwardly obedient, but inwardly
disrespectful, as I overheard Norah, the housemaid, say to the cook:

"Katie, oh, Katie! We're wor-rkin' for the Four Hundhred now!"

"How do you know we ar-re?" asked Katie.

"The ladies all shtrip fur dinner!"

Jimmie simply shrieked when I told him, but Bee failed to see anything
in it but an excellent reason why Norah should be discharged. Poor Bee!

She had given me specific directions about serving the meals, and had
made me lay i