"You've made a mistake, Thomas." "Very like, sir," said the man. "Very sorry, sir." Sir Hampton did not respond, but gave a sharp glance round the very new-looking stable-yard and buildings, saw nothing to find fault about; and then, clearing his throat, went into the garden as the coachman winked at the groom, and the groom raised a wen upon his cheek by the internal application of his tongue. "Er-rum!--Sanders!" cried the knight. And something that had worn the aspect of a huge boa constrictor in cord trousers, crawling into a melon-frame, slowly drew itself back, stood upright, and revealed a yellow-faced man with a scarlet head and whiskers. Perhaps it is giving too decided a colour to the freckles which covered Mr Sanders's face to say they were yellow, and to his hair to say it was scarlet; but they certainly approached those hues, "Er-rum! Sanders, come here," said Sir Hampton. Sanders leisurely closed the melon-frame and raised the light a few inches with a piece of wood, and then slowly approached his master, to stop in front of him and scrape his feet upon a spade. "Er-rum! I'm going to inspect the grounds this morning, Sanders," said Sir Hampton. Sanders, head gardener, nodded; for he was a man so accustomed to deal with silent objects that he seldom spoke, if he could possibly help it; but here he was obliged. "Shall I want a spade?" "No; certainly not." "Nor a barrow?" "No!" sharply. "Maybe ye'll like me to bring a billhook?" "Er-rum! No. Yes; bring a billhook." The gardener went slowly off to his tool-house, and returned as leisurely; Sir Hampton the while fiercely poking vegetables about with his stick--stirring up cabbages, as if angry because they did not grow-- beet, for having too much top-onions, for not swelling more satisfactorily--and ending with a vicious cut at a wasp bent on a feast of nectarine beneath the great, new, red-brick wall. Wasp did not like it. Ignorant of any doctrine concerning _meum_ and _tuum_, he looked upon all fruit as _pro bono publico_, as far as the insect world was concerned. The nectarines might be choicely named varieties, planted by Sir Hampton's order, after having been obtained at considerable expense--the wall having been built for their use; but fruit was fruit to the wasp, so long as it was ripe, and he resented interference. Pugnacity was crammed to excess in his small, yellow body, and prevented from bursting it by a series of strong black rings; so it was not surprising that the insect showed fight, and span round the new magistrate's head with a fierce buzz. "Css! Get out! Sh!" ejaculated Sir Hampton; and he struck at the wasp again and again. But the little insect was no respecter of persons. He had been insulted, and, watching his opportunity, he dashed in, and stung the knight in the tender red mark where his stiffly starched cravat frayed his neck, gave a triumphant buzz, and went over the wall like a yellow streak.