rch hare. He's perfectly harmless of course, and an
excellent shepherd. In lambing time he looks after the ewes like
a mother, Val says his flock hardly ever lose a lamb. But he's a
thrilling person to district-visit. Last time I went he had the
Prince of Wales staying with him."

"Why on earth don't they put him in an asylum?"

"Do you know much about country villages?" Isabel enquired. "I
thought not. They never put any one in an asylum till after he's
got into trouble, and not always then if he doesn't want to go:
just as they never build a bridge over a level crossing till one
or two people have been killed. We had a woman in Chilmark that
was much madder than poor dear Ben is. She took a knife out of
her drawer once when I was there and told me she was going to cut
her throat with it. She made me feel the edge to see how sharp
it was. At last she cut the children's throats instead of her
own, and then they put her away, but none of them died and she's
out again now. She's supposed to be cured. You see a County
asylum doesn't keep people longer than it must because the money
comes out of the rates."

"Do you mean to say," Lawrence fastened on the point that struck
him most forcibly, "that your father lets you go to such places
by yourself?"

"Oh yes: why not? He would think it showed want of faith to
prevent me. He's very sensible about things like that," said
Isabel without affectation. "There are always typhoid and
diphtheria about in the autumn, but Jimmy never fusses. It
wouldn't be much use if he did, with him and Val always in and
out of infected houses."

"Pure fatalism--" said Lawrence, hitting with his stick at the
flowers by their path. "Your brother ought to put his foot
down--" Isabel seized his arm.

"Take care!-- There was a bee in it. You really are most
careless Captain Hyde! I shan't take you for any more walks if
you do that. I dare say it was one of my own bees, and he had
the very narrowest escape! And Val wouldn't dream of interfering.
Ben and I are the best of friends. Besides, it's Mrs. Janaway I
really go to see, poor dear, she don't ever hear a bit o' news from
week's end to week's end. Wouldn't you be glad to see me," her eyes
were destitute of challenge but not of humour, "if you lived three
miles deep in the Plain, alone with your husband and the Prince of
Wales?"

"I should be delighted to see you at any time."

Isabel, not knowing what to do with this