He did so until they were tired. Then he walked round the flower borders and presently picked Estelle a rose. She thanked him very heartily and told him the names of the blossoms which he did not know. Job came and talked to them for a time, and Estelle praised the garden, while Abel listened. Then Mr. Legg turned to the boy. "Holidays round again, young man? I dare say we shall see you sometimes, and, if you like flowers, you can always come in and have a look." "I don't like flowers," said the boy. "I like fruit." He went back to the swing and Job asked after Mr. Waldron. Estelle reminded him that he had promised to come and see her garden some day. "Be sure I shall, miss," he answered, "but, for the minute, work fastens on me from my rising up to my going down." "However do you get through it all?" "Thanks to method. It's summed up in that. Without method, I should be a lost man." "You ought to slack off," she said. "I'm sure that Nelly doesn't like to see you work so hard." "She'd work hard too, but Nature and not her will shortens her great powers. She grows into a mountain of flesh and her substance prevents activity; but the mind is there unclouded. In my case the flesh doesn't gain on me and work agrees with my system." "You're a very wonderful man," declared Estelle; "but no doubt plenty of people tell you that." "Only by comparison," he explained. "The wonder is all summed up in the one word 'method,' coupled with a good digestion and no strong drink. I'd like to talk more on the subject, but I must be going." "And tell them to put in the pony. We must be going, too." On the way home Estelle tried to interest Abel in sport. She had been very careful all day to keep Raymond off her lips, but now intentionally she spoke of him. It was done with care and she only named him casually in the course of general remarks. Thus she hoped that, in time, he would allow her to mention his father without opposition. "I think you ought to play some games with your old friends at Bridetown these holidays," she said. "I haven't any old friends there. I don't want friends. I never made that fire you promised." "You shall make it next time we come out; and everybody wants friends. You can't get on without friends. And the good of games is that you make friends. I'm very keen on golf now, though I never thought I should like sport. Did you play any cricket at school?" "Yes, but I don't care about it." "How did you play? You ought to be rather a dab at it." "I played very well and was in the second eleven. But I don't care about it. It's all right at school, but there are better things to do in the holidays." "If you're a good cricketer, you might get some matches. Your father is a very good cricketer, and would have played for the county if he'd been able to practise enough. And Mister Roberts at the mill is a splendid player."