was offering me, that I might pass it to Daphne. "How many mo

ormation and immediate action. So, as they say in the

id I, "is a bucket.

trough?" said Jonah. "Th

urned t

. Pass the marmalade instead." He turned to his wife. "And what's the programme for to-day? The gla

made a grimace, and Jill and I groaned. Even Jonah looked down his nose at the suggestion. "Yes," my sister continued, "I didn

their lot with us, relations had become more strained than before. The conventions were, however, observed. Calendars were exchanged at Christmas, birthdays were recognized with a cold epistolary nod, and occasional calls were paid and invitations issued. Their possession of all but two of the family portraits was undoubted, and with nine points of the law in their favour they were well armed. I

sboroughs, and two from the brush of Reynolds among them, and, so soon as she had l

moment's s

you were going for

"Even if you weren't here, we

y were very sticky about billeting a few Yeomanry chargers, and crawled and lied about their stabling till the authorities got fed up and commandeered all they'd got. Therefore, whenever we meet, I chivvy the conversation in the dire

ter la

id to come with us. I admit it's a duty call, pure an

id Addle thoughtfully. "Shal

unheard of. And why are you so pensive this morning? Is i

e soap-dish," said Berry,

Jill. "Why shouldn't she

s bubbling w

t." She looked across the table to me. "You know what it is to dream something

odd

It's no good trying to remember it. Ei

o a brewery and was used as a greenhouse. I was full of vats and memorial tablets and creeping geraniums. Just as they were going to pull me down to make room for a cinema, Daphne woke

now what it was a

ou is pure surmise. And now will you pass

f mischief leapt into her grey eyes, and she called Nobby. In a flash the Sealyham-never so vigilant as at meal-tim

here's none l

world into a sweet-smelling jewel. Diamonds dripped from her foliage, emerald plumes glistened on every bank, silver lay spilt upon her soft brown

swept up the avenue of poplars

upon the telephone, and Vandy and his

s, the most severe authority upon Etiquette, would have been satisfied. We were extraordinarily polite. We made engaging conversation, we begged

urally escorted Adèle. The rest of us, decently grouped about his s

l family lay at his fingers' ends. Men, manners and exploits-he knew them all. Indeed, years ago h

ull blast, when Adèle, to whom he was introducing the portr

plum-coloured coat, which, I seemed to remember, was unsigned but attributed-without much co

he had been strutting in all the pride of a proprietor, she held the stage. More. Neither our discomfited host nor his sisters could divine wha

stared at this for a moment; then he looked around again, very cautiously, and then-it sounds idiotic, but he began to prod the turf with his stick. At first he did it just casually, here and there: but, after a little, he started prodding at regular intervals, methodically. The ground was quite soft, and his stick seemed to go in like a skewer. Suddenly he seemed to hear something or

an you saw?" cried

e no

coat, buttoned all down the front, with the pockets low down on either side

d I. Then I turned to Vandy. "Has

t seem to

ng eyes, the fellow was st

an effort, he pull

you saw?" he

pond

ds carved on the pedestal. PER ... IMP ... PERIMP, ... No. That

A

ok up th

ant was prodding t

t. It sounds

as clear as daylight." He turned to the picture. "That's William Pleyd

he was staring out of a window. It was patent th

d a hand

e?" he said gently. "That

urned, as though she w

terday," cried Vandy in a

er tracks. A moment later she had turne

il and the back of an envelope, limp

he said. Vandy looked at him s

said. Try PEREUN

rged against us.' You'll find the

lause greeted this ad

s. "You are clever," she said. "

g a part, feverishly. Besides, I did not believe his rotten book was being rebound. That was a lie. There was something there which he di

gh he interrupte

have wished it had been any other than the notorious William. We enjoy his portrait, but we deplore his memory. Ha

ly. I'd no idea it was so late. People are coming to dinner,

ed into the hall. Here at the front door the decencies of leave-taking were observed. The host and hostesses were thanked

?" said Daphne. "

"But you're right about Vandy. H

n't know what to do," sa

've read the blinkin' book, but I'll swear t

in that book. I'll get it to-mor

shook h

y there with that m

ed up her

et you all, I've given everything away to

aphne. "You did the natural

rupted her

. "I'll bet old Vandy's cursin

h a volume, so the next morning one of the servants was dispatched instead, armed with a note

r, and The History of the Pleydell Family w

ine went b

e string, we left our place

ndex bade us turn

cked, we waited b

more than once, each time commenting upon the vileness of his company and his offensive behaviour. Upon one occasion, we are told, at the play-house the whole audience was scandalized by a loose drunken frolic, in which Mr. William Pleydell, a gentleman of Hampshire, played a disgraceful part. What was worse, he carried his dissolute habits into the countryside, and at one time his way of living at the family seat White Ladies was so openly outrageous that the incumbent of Bilberry actually denounced the squire from the pulpit, referring to him as 'a notor

eading, and lai

use?" cried D

sband

new there was

o-day as 'The L

. "A hundred years ago th

. Years and years ago. I remember old Nanny taking me d

ale, for the last fifteen years. Shall we go in for it? They can't

me. While we were talking,

was the disappearance of the greater part of the family plate, which Nicholas Pleydell's will proves to have been unusually rare and valuable. There used to exist a legend, for which the author can trace no foundation, that William had brought it from London during the

tared at th

rder w

pped out

ight. And that sweep Vandy's got a long lead. We have

thousand times, but I'm hanged if I can remember

If it's Miller, so much the better. You can go straight on to B

said Daphne, "it's-i

aid Berry. "He won't lay out fifteen

ree thousand,

oney to risk," s

s would never have happened. And supposing there's nothing in it.... I mean, it would be dreadful to think y

w. "Taking everything into consideration, doe

usly. Only Adèle l

cont

ken off us by comic burglars. Doesn't it look as if we were b

we a

d pounds, which amount is now standing to the credit of my deposit acc

ee," s

ied Jill. "I'

e and Jona

upon the form

ing he strikes oil and lands the stuff under our noses.... Woul

flashed, and Jona

mphatically, "anything wo

he decis

, and for the rest of the evenin

nt we had the book, we should be as wise as he, and that, since we were at loggerheads, we should certainly not sit quietly by and permit him to enrich himself to our teeth,

re ever unearthed, the Crown would not interfere. Evidence that an ancestor had buried it was available, and reference to the will of Nicholas would establish its i

a quarter to nine, but, for all that, it

car, and it was not yet nine o'clock when Jonah pulled up in the shade of a mighty oak less than a hundred p

t we were anxious not to attract attention, so Be

we had decided that, if it were possible, we must effect an entrance, to see whether the turf about the sundial had been

ing gates, a weather-be

EE

ediate p

BE

ery De

ORLD

ree acres of p

ing certain str

n ideal mode

state Agent, Hi

nty years ago, and had stood as the fire had left it

he light within that there was no roof, while here and there charred timbers thrust their unsightly way from out of a riot of brambles, wild and disorderly. What we could see of the garden was a very wilderness. Tall rank gra

ot difficult to scale, and in a moment Berry and I we

our way to the ba

awn rose up about the heavy pedestal, coarse and tumultuous. But it wa

y we heaved s

h

e." I nodded. "Still," he went on, "there used to be a door in the wall-on the east side." As he s

d y

Eyes and ears alike went unrewarded. The silence of des

Here was no lock, and with a little patience we drew the bolts and pulled the door open. It gave

nd hastened ba

ing from the lane, and I could read the

said. There was a gasp of relief. "Co

out of the car. Daphne and

her?" said Jonah, wi

e shan't be

ll at the door, and in silence we followed him to where he

d Jill, in an

it, Adèle?

ut her, knitting

be the place I sat. I can't say it isn't. But it

ay?" said my

y that height. That I'll swe

words look l

block letters on the

d to the sundial. As I came up to

e been two feet square. Lichened and weather-beaten, an

ET IMP

re carved in blo

eport. Then Daphne turned quickly a

atched," she said, shuddering

wed the girls

bolting the

hook hi

ay, we've trodden the grass down.

or to and hastene

o the car, Jonah

he said. "Is Miller the

e'd better go str

t the main entr

Jonah exclaimed and set

d there was a man's figure busy about the

looked at us curiously. Th

o his pocket and, wringing the board clear

re to

as no long

agined more easily th

rnately cursing Vandy and upbraiding ourselves for not having sent

rk, although both Daphne and I were positive that Vandy had identified the pedestal fro

e, she was

re seated upon the terrace, that Berry cleared

ndy's beaten us by a foul, but there ain't no stewards to appeal to, so we've got to stick it. All the same, he's got some digging to do before he can draw the money, and I'm ready to lay a monkey that he does it himself. What's more, the la

becoming our neighbour? We shall roll up quite casually-by way of the door in the wall-and, when we find him labouring, affect the utmost surprise. Of our good nature we might even offer to help him to-er-relay the lawn or tackle the drains, or what

y approved, and we b

ur hours by reliefs of out-door servants whom we could trust, and instructions were issued that th

e next morning Berr

he difficulty of getting them open single-handed appears to have been titanic. They seem to have stuck, or something. Altogether, according to James, a most di

f bed and l

eakfast?"

er-in-la

ll settle the pr

awn, I looked at my watch. I

very little expenditure of energy sufficed to admit

grass, leaping and wallowing and panting with surprise and delight at a playground which surpassed his wildest

the sun blazed, broiling and merciless. There was nowhere a breath of w

high in the grass about the sundial, shaking a sickle at his sisters, who were seated upon carriage cushions, which had been laid upon the fla

said Berry. "It

Then, with a snarl, he turned to face us, crouching a little,

a voluminous flood of chatter, which drowned his protests ere they were mouthed, overwhelmed his inquiries ere they were laun

e jolly old book? Had it come back from the binders? We couldn't find ours, thought it must be in Town.... The girls were devilling the life out of him to look it up. Was it William or Nicholas? He thought it was William. Hadn't Vandy said it was William? What was the blinking use, any old way? And what a day I He'd got a bet with Jonah that the thermometer touched ninety-sev

er, but, after three minutes of this, I

and been rehearsing a plausible appreciation of the state of affairs,

ch a frightful expense, and suddenly they'd thought of The Lawn. It was sheltered, just the right size, not too far away, and all they had to do was to clear the ground.

ceedings so extraordinary, I though

g glance in her direction, heaved a sigh of reli

me. But," he added, warming to his work, "it's the same with gardening as with everything else In this wor

ed round, regarding th

id, "shall you pla

ped the sickle. Then h

o before we get to that. All this"-he waved an unbusiness-like a

Short of locusts or an earthquake, it's going to be a long job. I suppos

fter swallowing twice, he recovered the sickle and sta

nd began to make ready to smoke. Our cousins regarded these preparations with an uneasiness which they ill concealed. Clearly we were not proposing to move. The silence of awkwardne

led stack of foliage, of which the core appeared to have been a rhododendron. For a mome

t arresting. With his head on one side, the terrier gazed at them with such inquisitive astonishment that I had to set my teeth so as not to laugh outright. His cautious advance to in

was bett

ea which had already received attention. Perceiving a molehill which had suffered an ugly gash-presumably from a scythe-he trotted u

exchange horror-stricken glances. Panic fear sat in their eyes. Their fi

cious brothe

element. A shower of earth flew from between his legs, only ceasing for a short momen

stent, frantic, impossib

ern Vandy looked up, followed the direction of fo

ried Berry, getting upon his fe

refinger Vandy indi

"Call him off. He'll-

," shril

Berry blankl

ared Vandy, sta

I tho

t. Call the brute off. It's m

rry, "come off t

peremptory tone. Aggrievedly the terrier complied. M

may be wrong," he said. "I hope so. But from the first I felt that your manner was strained. Subsequent events suggest that my belief was well founded." He

llized into an undesirable suspicion, short of pressing us to r

, protested nervously that they had known the work was too much for Vandy, and begged us to think

s most engaging; but, after bestowing a casual glance upon the paraphernalia, Berry passed by without a word. Vandy went a rich plum colour, hesitated, and then plunged on de

as literally rooted and based upon custom, our host succeeded in forcing

e strolled d

the lane, Berr

be my distasteful duty to return. Ther

?" said I. "The fel

with luck, he may even have a stroke. But he won't murder me. You see

nd I fo

we were once mo

hich we came was

the terrier had been digging. Standing well out of range, his sisters were regarding the exhibition with clasped hands and looks of

implement in mid-swing, and only preserved his balance and a whole skin as by a miracle-"but,

ild beast cut s

working, his countenance distorted with rage, Vandy shoo

it! I won't have this intrusion. It's mo

implored his sister

ised his

"anybody would think that

urned on

ved that Nobby was once more Innocently investigating the scene of his l

s peril, the

e women s

I flung my

ruck it aside. Viciously it

er, breathing heavily. I watched the blood

d I, "that I was i

ook a step backwards and

ly," I

aces apart, and, taking the implement with both hands, s

trees and crashed out o

strode past my brother-in-law

ind and followed

you tell me the day of your bi

" said

igh

uired, "do you

at Margate, or go to a cinema, or something. I might even wear a f

ple have you

hed bi

ruth," I said, "you

a musefu

uld so much degrade we had no use. Naturally enough, his sisters went with him. Orders were given to the servants that to callers from Broken Ash Daphne was "not at home," and we were one and all determined, so far as was possible, never to see or communicate with Vandy or his sisters again. It was natural, however, that we

lf," said Miss Feste. "At your age you

l wild, either. I've never seen such a miserable cro

e s

es held mine with a searching look. I met it fa

she repea

1895. Out of the foam of the sea. I can't tell yo

s a paus

id Adèle. "So it with

odd

dèle, they

of t

on

lemn before, but not like this. The proud face looked very resolute. There was a strength about the lift of the delicate chin, a steadfast fearlessness about the poise of the well-shaped head-unworldly wonders, which I had never seen. Over the glorious temples the soft dark hair swept rich a

lock struck

s-and we were resting after our labours. It w

and pausing now and again to snuff the air or follow up an odd clue of

e slowly, "did y

re-wrote themselves upon my brain.... It nearly breaks my heart to say so, but I've got to part with Nobby.... I think you'd get on together ...

y I relate

him to me. She wanted to find a hom

O

y, perhaps, lay safety. Always the quicksand of Qui s'excuse, s'accuse, made me draw back. I became extremely nervous.... Feverishly I tried to think of a remark which would be natural and more or less r

itself came

d an old ball from beneath the hedge and, trot

d it up and flung

ad built into a bulging buttress of greenery ag

er it, his short

broken, and

," I said cheerfully, "because he isn'

ll, if you must know, I was

nd my heart began to beat very fast. "But I'd be ashamed-I mean...." My

ent yelp

Nobby?" said Adèle in a

cowardly glad of a respite, I rose and stepped to the aged

in the arras and

I had expected. The grey

id Adèle, looking

?" sa

To the

the ivy, so I thru

nd encountered the s

pped away some trails, so

the office for which it had been set up. Presumably it was one of the series which, according to Vandy's book, had displayed ima

AX IMP

ed at

." said I. "Doe

d likely, but I was never quite sure." Trembling a little, she turned and looke

colour came floodin

alley like a wild thing. As in a dream, I wat

lp reminded me that N

collection, after it had been disinterred, valued it

ad shown a marked antipathy to interruption. A tent had been pitched at The Lawn, and the work

to Brooch. We returned by way of The Lawn. A

and-new board flaunted i

nd it bore w

s evidently a