When the haymaking was transferred to the home fields, everybody in the family took an interest in it. Letty took a part, and joined George and Betty Trapps in tossing about the grass, and making a sport of haymaking. Wherever she was, there was plenty of talk and laughter; and George, who directed the operations of the workpeople, often saluted her with a shower of hay, from his fork, over her head, telling her that she would never earn salt to her porridge at haymaking; whereupon Letty would appeal to Betty Trapps, whether she did not work famously, and Betty said, “Why, Miss Letty, your laughter is worth a day’s work. I’m sure it makes me feel young again.” Ann would come out, too, and lend a hand soberly, but soon tiring of it and sitting down with her mother, who brought out her knitting, and sate under a shady tree, enjoying the scene. Mr. Woodburn was leisurely at work, too; stopping, every now and then, to lean on his rake or fork, and wipe his brow, and calling to his wife and the girls to come and look at a mouse-nest, with a number of sleek young ones all in motion, or to share the honey of some little colony of humble-bees, clustered up in its brown cells not unlike a round bunch of grapes. The last day of haymaking was always a sort of haymaking fête at Woodburn Grange. A tent was pitched under a huge-spreading oak-tree, in a pretty hilly field opposite to the house. A number of young people of the neighbourhood were invited to dine in the tent in rural fashion, and also to take tea, if the weather was warm, on the grass in front. On this occasion there appeared on the ground, Miss Millicent Heritage, under the guardianship of her mother; and Sylvanus Crook drove them thither, and was to assist at the haymaking, which he liked. With them came also a new acquaintance, at least to the Woodburns; for he was an old friend of the Heritages. This was a fair, amiable-looking young man, who bore, however, the learned title of Dr. Frank Leroy, and whom they had all heard of as a young Quaker physician of Castleborough, who had a very great reputation for talent, and for skill in his profession, having obtained diplomas, with testimonials of the highest kind, from two or three English as well as from foreign schools of medicine. Any one looking at him at that time of day wondered where the signs of Quakerdom were, for he dressed and spoke like any other gentleman. There was nothing, either, very learned or formidable in his appearance. He was courteous, agreeable in his manners, and, as a stranger, somewhat retiring. He soon, however, became animated on joining the other young people, seized a fork, and set manfully to work; and the group, full of merriment and sport, were soon reinforced by Harry Thorsby, overflowing with life and frolic. Our company being collected, we will take a closer view of the rural gathering in another chapter. CHAPTER VII. THE HAY-FIELD FÊTE.