destiny.
They bloomed year by year, and waited. Their hour was not yet.

"By all means, Archelaus, let us do it tactfully," agreed the
Commandant. "We must suppress those trousers of his at all costs. Yet I
would avoid anything in the nature of a rebuff, and if you think the
Lord Proprietor would be gratified, you are welcome to take him as many
of the bulbs as you please. Only leave me a few; for God knows our
garden has few ornaments to spare."

"I'll take 'em over to Inniscaw and thank him by word o' mouth," said
Sergeant Archelaus, hopefully. "It'll save me the trouble of spelling
'trousers,' anyway."

"It would be easier, as well as more accurate," said the Commandant,
pensively regarding the Sergeant's legs, "to call them trews. Not," he
went on inconsequently, "that I have anything to say against the
Highland Regiments. I was brigaded once for three months with the
Forth-Second, and capital fellows I found them."

With a mind relieved, the Commandant walked off towards the Barracks,
pausing on his way to pick up Miss Gabriel's antimacassar-waistcoat,
which he had taken the precaution to leave outside the gate.

Three-quarters of an hour later he emerged in clean shirt and
threadbare, but well-brushed, uniform, arrayed for Mr. and Mrs.
Fossell's whist-party. As he passed the Garrison gate, Mrs. Treacher,
who sometimes acted deputy for her husband, began to ring the six
o'clock bell. He halted and waited for her to finish.

"Mrs. Treacher," he said, "can you tell me the price of flannel?"

"Flannel," answered Mrs. Treacher, "is all prices, according to
quality."

"But I am talking of good ordinary flannel, fit to make up into a man's
shirt."

"Then you couldn't say less than one-three-farthings, or
one-and-a-ha'penny at the lowest."

"And how much would be required?"

"Good Lord!" said Mrs. Treacher. "As if that didn't all depend on the
man!"

"I was thinking, Mrs. Treacher, to present your husband with one: that
is to say, with the material, if you will not mind making it up."

Mrs. Treacher curtsied. "And I thank you kindly, sir, for 'tis not
before he needs one, which, being under average size and the width just
a yard, as you may reckon, he oughtn't to take more than
three-and-a-half yards at the outside."

"Three-and-a-half at one-three-farthings--that makes--Oh, confound
these fractions!" said the Commandant. "We'll make it four shillings,
and you had best step down to Tregaskis' shop to-mo