I did know the rest; how Shock and I lay for a fortnight at the little

country inn carefully tended before we were declared fit to go back

home, for the doctor was not long in bringing us back to our senses;

and, save that I used to wake with a start out of my sleep in the dark,

fancying I was back in the pit, I was not much the worse. Shock was

better, for he looked cleaner and fresher, but he objected a great deal

to our nurse brushing his hair.

I was just back and feeling strong again, when one day Sir Francis came

down into the pinery, and stopped and spoke to me. He said he had heard

all about my narrow escape, and hoped it would be a warning to me never

to trust myself in a sand-pit again.

He was very kind after his manner, which was generally as if he thought

all the world were soldiers, and I was going up to my dinner soon, after

I had stopped for a bit of a cool down in one of the other houses, when,

to my great disgust, I saw Courtenay and Philip back, and I felt a kind

of foreboding that there would soon be some more troubles to face.

I was quite right, for during the rest of their stay at home they seemed

to have combined to make my life as wretched as they possibly could.

I was often on the point of complaining, but I did not like to do so,

for it seemed to be so cowardly, and besides, I argued to myself that I

could not expect all sunshine. Old Brownsmith used to have me over to

spend Sundays with him, and his brother and Mrs Solomon were very kind.

Ike sometimes went so far as to say "Good-morning" and "good-night,"

and Shock had become so friendly that he would talk, and bring me a good

moth or butterfly for my case.

I went steadily on collecting, for Mr Solomon said, as long as the work

was done well he would rather I did amuse myself in a sensible way.

The consequence was that I often used to go down the garden of a night,

and my collection of moths was largely increased.

I noticed about this time that Sir Francis used to talk a good deal to

Shock, and by and by I found from Ike that the boy was going regularly

to an evening-school, and altering a great deal for the better.

Unfortunately, Ike, with whom he lodged, was not improving, as I had

several opportunities of observing, and one day I took him to task about

it.

"I know the excuse you have, Ike," I said, "that habit you got into when

going backwards and forwards to the market; but when you had settled

down here in a gentleman's garden, I should have thought that you would

have given it up."




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