Miss Drury blushed. Why should she? It must have been because she saw that George Woodburn had noticed the looks of herself and sister Ann directed towards him. Down the table that amiable-looking Ephraim Wire is deeply indoctrinating a listening number with Phonetics, Vegetarianism, and the true source of health—all topics totally unknown then except to himself. Further down we hear the voice of William Fairfax, grown earnest and rather loud. He is evidently commenting on the burdens of the poor, and the diseases of the body politic: and is uttering his favourite declaration: “We have three standing armies.” “Three!” says some one. “We maintain three standing armies,” he continues. “We have a standing army of soldiers to fight the French; and another standing army of doctors to fight Death; and another standing army of parsons to fight the Devil, of whom he standeth not in awe!” “Hear! hear!” Much laughter resounded from that quarter. “I hear our friend Fairfax,” said Mr. Thomas Clavering, “on his favourite topic. He is brushing our cloth for us; but the good, dear old reviler, he would give us a whole wardrobe if we wanted one. For my part, I like to hear his good-humoured diatribes, and often look in on him, and am sure to find some of the classes he denounces, bankers, officers, doctors, or clergymen there. There is more originality in that man’s mode of viewing things than in all the minds in the county. But mark me, I will take my revenge on him before he goes.” With this the guests rose. The tea-table, at all events, had been a decided success. The groups who had engaged in conversation at table, many of them, continued to walk and talk together with much enthusiasm. Mr. Heritage told the company that he hoped they would contrive to amuse one another. They would find in different parts of the grounds, bowls, a target, and means of archery for those who liked such exercises, and, he hoped, materials for ample pleasure in one another. The company spread, grouped, wandered by degrees in full talk, and disappeared amongst the winding walks. The grounds were extensive, delightfully varied with shrubbery, clumps of noble trees, lawns opening, here and there, amongst them, flower-beds; and in one place a considerable expanse of water, on which were swans and different kinds of wild ducks; and seats were placed around for leisurely viewing them. Parties of the young men were soon found, engaged with bows and arrows; others having a game of bowls; and others, and amongst them Thorsby and Dr. Leroy, trying their skill in jumping. Tom Boddily had pointed out a soft piece of ground where they could jump distances without hurting their legs and feet. “Now,” said Thorsby, “I hear that you, Boddily, are a first-rate jumper; let us see what you can do.”