His days were mixed of honey and wormwood; sweet because of Amaryllis, absinthe because of his weakness. A voice came from the summer-house; Flamma was shouting an old song, with heavy emphasis here and there, with big capital letters:-- The jolly old Sun, where goes he at night? And what does he Do, when he's out of Sight? All Insinuation Scorning; I don't mean to Say that he Tipples apace, I only Know he's a very Red Face When he gets up in the Morning! "Haw! Haw! Haw!" laughed Bill Nye, with his mouth full. "Th' zun do look main red in the marning, surely." They heard the front door open and shut; Iden had come in for his lunch, and, by the sound of the footsteps, had brought one of his gossips with him. At this Mrs. Iden began to ruffle up her feathers for battle. Iden came through into the dairy. "Now, you ain't wanted here," she said. "Poking your nose into everything. Wonder you don't help Luce make the beds and sweep the floor!" "Can I help'ee?" said Iden, soothingly. "Want any wood for the fire--or anything?" "As if Luce couldn't fetch the wood--and chop it, as well as you. Why can't you mind your business? Here's Bill Nye been waiting these two hours to see you"--following Iden towards the sitting-room. "Who have you brought in with you now? Of course, everybody comes in of a butter-making morning, just the busiest time! Oh! it's you! Sit still, Mr. Duck; I don't mind _you_. What will you take?" More ale and cheese here, too; Iden and Jack Duck sat in the bow-window and went at their lunch. So soon as they were settled, out flounced Mrs. Iden into the dairy: "The lazy lot of people in this house--I never saw anything like it!" It was true. There was Alere Flamma singing in the summer-house; Amadis Iden resting on the form; Amaryllis standing by him; Bill Nye munching; Jearje indolently rotating the churn with one hand, and feeding himself with the other; Luce sitting down to her lunch in the kitchen; Iden lifting his mug in the bow-window; Jack Duck with his great mouth full; eight people--and four little children trotting down the road with baskets of food. "The lazy lot of people in this house; I never saw anything like it." And that was the beauty of the place, the "Let us not trouble ourselves;" "a handful in Peace and Quiet" is better than set banquets; crumbs for everybody, and for the robin too; "God listens to those who pray to him. Let us eat, and drink, and think of nothing;" believe me, the plain plenty, and the rest, and peace, and sunshine of an old farmhouse, there is nothing like it in this world! "I never saw anything like it. Nothing done; nothing done; the morning gone and nothing done; and the butter's not come yet!"