et's quick eye
foresaw a great deal of pleasure and profit which might be got for the
bairns out of the garden, and, as usual, Janet saw clearly.

There was a chance to find fault with the house, if anyone had at this
time been inclined to find fault with anything. It was large and
pleasant, but it was sadly out of repair. Much of it had been little
used of late, and looked dreary enough in its dismantled state. But all
this was changed after a while, and they settled down very happily in
it, without thinking about any defect it might have, and these
disappeared in time.

For, by and by, all necessary repairs were made by their provident
landlord's own hands. He had no mind to pay out money for what he could
do himself; and many a wet afternoon did he and his hired man devote to
the replacing of shingles, the nailing on of clapboards, to puttying,
painting, and other matters of the same kind. A good landlord he was,
and a kind neighbour too; and when the many advantages of their new home
were being told over by the children, the living so near to Mr Snow and
little Emily was never left till the last.

A very pleasant summer thus began to them all. It would be difficult to
say which of them all enjoyed their new life the most. But Janet's
prophecy came true. The _newness_ of farming proved to be its chief
charm to the lads; and if it had been left entirely to them to plant and
sow, and care for, and gather in the harvest, it is to be feared there
would not have been much to show for the summer's work. But their
father, who was by no means inexperienced in agricultural matters, had
the success of their farming experiment much at heart, and with his
advice and the frequent expostulations and assistance of Mr Snow,
affairs were conducted on their little farm on the whole prosperously.

Not that the lads grew tired of exerting themselves. There was not a
lazy bone in their bodies, Mr Snow declared, and no one had a better
opportunity of knowing than he. But their strength and energy were not
exerted always in a direction that would _pay_, according to Mr Snow's
idea of remuneration. Much time and labour were expended on the
building of a bridge over Carson's brook, between the house and Pine
Grove Hill, and much more to the making of a waterfall above it. Even
Mr Snow, who was a long time in coming to comprehend why they should
take so much trouble with what was no good but to look at, was carried
away by th