"It is a privilege to come down upon this glowing summer day, from the smoke and noise and crowd of London streets." "Ay, sir, it must be," said the old man. "I often pity you as lives there. I was never there but once and never want to go again." "And I envy you, gardener," said the speaker with a sigh, and raising his book he opened it, smiled sadly, nodded, and walked on. "And he might do that in London town," muttered the old man. "Looks well! of course it does; but what's the use of looking at all my bedding plants through a book?" "Ah!" he said as he went on, "it's all very tine, but where would the niceness be if we didn't kill the snails? Master don't buy coke to heat the greenhouse to breed green fly and thrip, and as to the worms, and slugs, and grubs, there's room enough in the whole wide world without their coming here, he's a very nice smooth-spoken gent he is, and can't have ever cut a worm in two with digging in his blessed life; but somehow he's too fine for me. I wonder what his mother were like now, to have such a son. Let's see, master's mother's sister I think she were. Ah! people's like plants, they've sports and wariations from the payrent stock; but if I wanted to produce the finest specimen of human kind I wouldn't graft on he." Volume 1, Chapter II. DOWN FROM TOWN. Little more than an hour before his words with the old gardener, Sir James was in his dingy office in Leadenhall Street, where, young as he was, through succession to his father, he stood head of a large shipping business. He had been waiting for his cousin, Arthur Prayle, who was invited to spend a few days with him in the country. Then a cab was taken, the train caught, and in an hour they were whirled down to a station in Berkshire, where, in light, simple, summer dress, looking bright and attractive as the country round, sat Lady Scarlett, eagerly watching the platform from her seat in the little phaeton drawn by two handsome cobs, who tossed their heads impatiently, and threw the white foam from their well-champed, brightly polished bits, to the bespecklement of the smart groom's hat and coat. Her face brightened as she caught sight of her husband, and fell a little as she saw that he was followed by his cousin, Arthur Prayle; but she smiled sweetly at their visitor, and held out her hand to him as he came up and raised his hat. "I've brought Arthur down to get rid of the soot, Kitty," cried Scarlett heartily. "See how solemn he looks." "I am very glad to see him," said Kate Scarlett, smiling, and colouring slightly. "There, jump up beside Kitty, old man," continued Scarlett. "She'll soon rattle us home." "No, no, dear; you'll drive." "What! In these lavender kids, and in this coat!" cried Scarlett laughingly. "No, thanks.--Jump in, Arthur. That's right. I'm up.--Let 'em go, Tom.--Now, my beauties."