plants and cut off dead
marigold blooms.

"'That's a pretty garden you've got there, Bob,' ses Joe, grinning.

"I've seen wuss,' ses Bob.

"'Going in for the Flower Show, Bob?' ses Henery, with a wink at us.

"'O' course I am,' ses Bob 'olding 'is' ead up; 'my marigolds ought to
pull me through,' he ses.

"Henery wouldn't believe it at first, but when he saw Bob show 'is
missus 'ow to pat the path down with the back o' the spade and hold the
nails for 'er while she nailed a climbing nasturtium to the fence, he
went off and fetched Bill Chambers and one or two others, and they all
leaned over the fence breathing their 'ardest and a-saying of all the
nasty things to Bob they could think of.

"'It's the best-kep' garden in the place,' ses Bob. 'I ain't afraid o'
your new way o' cultivating flowers, Bill Chambers. Old-fashioned ways
suit me best; I learnt 'ow to grow flowers from my father.'

"'You ain't 'ad the cheek to give your name in, Bob?' ses Sam Jones,
staring.

"Bob didn't answer 'im. Tick those bits o' grass out o' the path, old
gal,' he ses to 'is wife; 'they look untidy, and untidiness I can't
abear.'

"He walked up and down smoking 'is pipe and pretending not to notice
Henery Walker, wot 'ad moved farther along the fence, and was staring
at some drabble-tailed-looking geraniums as if 'e'd seen 'em afore but
wasn't quite sure where.

"'Admiring my geraniums, Henery?' ses Bob at last.

"'Where'd you get 'em?' ses Henery, 'ardly able to speak.

"'My florist's,' ses Bob, in a off-hand manner.

"'Your _wot?_ asks Henery.

"'My florist,' ses Bob.

"'And who might 'e be when 'e's at home?' asked Henery.

"''Tain't so likely I'm going to tell you that,' ses Bob. 'Be
reasonable, Henery, and ask yourself whether it's likely I should tell
you 'is name. Why, I've never seen sich fine geraniums afore. I've been
nursing 'em inside all the summer, and just planted 'em out.'

"'About two days arter I threw mine over my back fence,' ses Henery
Walker, speaking very slowly.

"'Ho,' ses Bob, surprised. 'I didn't know you 'ad any geraniums, Henery.
I thought you was digging for gravel this year.'

"Henery didn't answer 'im. Not because 'e didn't want to, mind you, but
because he couldn't.

"'That one,' ses Bob, pointing at a broken geranium with the stem of 'is
pipe, 'is a "Dook o' Wellington," and that white one there is wot I'm
going to call "Pretty's Pride." That fine marigold over there, wot looks
l