’No, sir, but you worry me so, I don’t know half the time what I’m a-saying.’ ’Well, I’m a-saying now,’ said his autocratic master, ’that it’s time the tea was here, and bring three cups. I want to talk about the Hickley Woods. You’ve got a rotten temper, Sam.’ ’Yes, sir, you can’t touch pitch,’ said Sam, firing the last shot. So victory is not always to the strong. ’Oh, what a chap,’ said Ross. We spent a warm and pleasant hour talking birds, and fish, and rabbits, and the years slipped away and we were back again in the Hickley Woods—Ross, Miss Meg, and Sam. After Brown had departed with the tea-cups, Ross said, ’Meg, do you think I’m weak?’ ’Well, darling,’ I replied, ’you are sure to feel so after fainting, but if you take care, you——’ ’But I don’t mean my body, Meg.’ ’We are all sinners,’ I said, ’but if you would like to see a clergyman in the morning, I’ll——’ ’How can you be so aggravating; I don’t mean my soul, either. I want to talk about my Will.’ ’I thought you had made it ages ago, but I’ll wire for the lawyer in the morning.’ ’Oh, Meg, how you do exasperate a chap.’ ’Well, what do you mean?’ I giggled. ’I mean my will power. Do you think I’m weak?’ ’About as weak as Michael,’ I replied. ’Why?’ ’Because,’ said my brother seriously, ’doesn’t it seem an awful thing that a chap my size can’t manage a chap his.’ ’But there’s only three inches between you, and he is six months older.’ ’Yes, but three inches is three inches, and what’s six months, Meg?’ ’You say forty minutes is enough when you boss me.’ ’Oh, twins are different, but with Brown I get along all right when I take my stand on the King’s Regulations. But when he brings in the Hickley Woods I go to water.’ ’No, to brandy.’ ’Oh, rub it in,’ said Ross, and then because he was so quaint and sweet and I loved him, and he had fainted, and because the lion seemed very tame, I forebore to tease him further and was really nice, kissed him once and petted him a little, and then when I got up to go he said,— ’Pity you aren’t always as dutiful as that.’ ’Dutiful!’ I shrieked. ’Oh, what a word,’ and so we parted coldly after all. *CHAPTER IX* And the doctor’s verdict is ’Two days in bed and bromide. First dose now.’ ’I’ll stay in bed,’ said Ross, with the air of a man conferring a great favour, ’I’ll not take drugs.’ ’I’ll get it down,’ said Brown to the doctor, as he saw him to the car, ’somehow,’ he added grimly. ’Sam,’ I inquired, ’how are you going to get it down?’ ’Can’t imagine, miss. After last night he won’t stand much. Well, it was a bit thick.’ ’Sam, do you think if your knee gave out and it hurt you to keep standing when you argued, that it might have weight?’ ’Can but try, miss.’