"But suppose Nature planted a lot of trees on a small piece of ground,"

I said, "what then?"

"What then, Grant? Why, for a time they'd grow up thin and poor and

spindly, till one of them made a start and overtopped the others. Then

it would go on growing, and the others would dwindle and die away."

The time glided on, and I kept learning the many little things about the

place pretty fast. As the months went on I became of some use to my

employer over his accounts, and by degrees pretty well knew his

position.

It seemed that he had been a widower for many years, and Mrs Dodley,

the housekeeper and general servant all in one, confided to me one day

that "Missus's" bonnets and shawls and gowns were all hanging up in

their places just as they had been left by Mrs Brownsmith.

"Which it's a dead waste, Master Grant," she used to finish by saying,

"as there's several as I know would be glad to have 'em; but as to

that--Lor' bless yer!"

It was not often that Mrs Dodley spoke, but when she did it was to

inveigh against some oppression or trouble.

Candles were a great burden to the scrupulously clean woman.

"Tens I says," she confided to me one day, "but he will have eights, and

what's the consequence? If I want to do a bit of extry needle-work I

might light up two tens, but I should never have the heart to burn two

eights at once, for extravagance I can't abear. Ah! he's a hard master,

and I'm sorry for you, my dear."

"Why?" I said.

"Ah! you'll find out some day," she said, shaking her head and then

bustling off to her work.

I had not much companionship, for Ike was generally too busy to say a

word, and though after the pear adventure Shock did nothing more

annoying to me than to stand now and then upon his head, look at me

upside down, and point and spar at me with his toes, we seemed to get to

be no better friends.

He took to that trick all at once one day in a soft bit of newly dug

earth. He was picking up stones, and I was sticking fresh labels at the

ends of some rows of plants, when all at once he uttered a peculiar

monkey-like noise, down went his head, up went his heels, and I stared

in astonishment at first and then turned my back.

This always annoyed Shock; but one day when he stood up after his quaint

fashion I was out of temper and had a bad headache, so I ran to him, and

he struck at me with his feet, just as if they had been hands, only he

could not have doubled them up. I was too quick for him though, and

with a push drove him down.




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