on him, for he could not
break himself of the company that led him into liquor. And so, one time
when he came into the neighbourhood to see his parents for the Christmas
holiday, he took a bit of liking to me; and my father, who was Squire
Travers's bailiff, had just died, and left me a little money. And so,
somehow or other, we came together, and got this house and the land
from the Squire on lease very reasonable; and my goodman being well
eddyeated, and much thought of, and never being tempted to drink, now
that he had a missis to keep him in order, had a many little things put
into his way. He could help to measure timber, and knew about draining,
and he got some bookkeeping from the farmers about; and we kept cows
and pigs and poultry, and so we did very well, specially as the Lord was
merciful and sent us no children."

"And what does the shop bring in a year since your husband died?"

"You had best judge for yourself. Will you look at the book, and take
a peep at the land and apple-trees? But they's been neglected since my
goodman died."

In another minute the heir of the Chillinglys was seated in a neat
little back parlour, with a pretty though confined view of the orchard
and grass slope behind it, and bending over Mrs. Bawtrey's ledger.

Some customers for cheese and bacon coming now into the shop, the old
woman left him to his studies. Though they were not of a nature familiar
to him, he brought to them, at least, that general clearness of head and
quick seizure of important points which are common to most men who have
gone through some disciplined training of intellect, and been accustomed
to extract the pith and marrow out of many books on many subjects. The
result of his examination was satisfactory; there appeared to him a
clear balance of gain from the shop alone of somewhat over L40 a year,
taking the average of the last three years. Closing the book, he then
let himself out of the window into the orchard, and thence into the
neighbouring grass field. Both were, indeed, much neglected; the trees
wanted pruning, the field manure. But the soil was evidently of rich
loam, and the fruit-trees were abundant and of ripe age, generally
looking healthy in spite of neglect. With the quick intuition of a man
born and bred in the country, and picking up scraps of rural knowledge
unconsciously, Kenelm convinced himself that the land, properly managed,
would far more than cover the rent, rates, tithes, and all in