" He turned to Vandy. "May I ask you to let us
out? I am reluctant to trouble you, but to scale those gates twice in
one morning is rather more than I care about."
Fearful lest our surprise at our reception should become crystallized
into an undesirable suspicion, short of pressing us to remain, our
cousins did everything to smooth our ruffled plumage.
Vandy threw down the sickle and advanced with an apologetic leer. Emma
and May, wreathed in smiles, protested nervously that they had known the
work was too much for Vandy, and begged us to think no more of it. As we
followed the latter round to the quondam drive, they waved a cordial
farewell.
The sight of the four-wheeled dogcart, standing with upturned shafts, a
pickaxe, three shovels, a rake, two forks, a number of sacks, and a
sieve piled anyhow by its side, was most engaging; but, after bestowing
a casual glance upon the paraphernalia, Berry passed by without a word.
Vandy went a rich plum colour, hesitated, and then plunged on
desperately. Tethered by a halter to a tree, a partially harnessed bay
mare suspended the process of mastication to fix us with a suspicious
stare. Her also we passed in silence.
After a blasphemous struggle with the gates, whose objection to opening
was literally rooted and based upon custom, our host succeeded in
forcing them apart sufficiently to permit our egress, and we gave him
"Good day.
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