She knew every bird and beast
on the farm, fed the chickens, collected the eggs, nursed tender chicks
or orphan lambs and weaning calves, and was in and out with the dogs
all day, really as happy as ten queens, with the freedom and homely
usefulness of the life--tripping daintily about in the tall pattens of
farm life in those days, and making fresh enjoyment and fun of
everything.

I used to be half vexed to see her grieve so little over all we had
lost; but Fulk said, "I suppose it is very hard to break down a
creature at that age."

And even I was cheered by the wonderful start of health Alured took
from the time Mrs. Rowe had him. He grew fat and rosy, and learnt to
walk; and Dr. Hart was quite astonished at his progress, and said he
was nearly safe from any more attacks of that fearful water on the
brain till he was six or seven years old, and that, till that time, we
must let him be as much as possible in the open air, and with the
animals, and not stimulate his brain--neither teach, nor excite, nor
contradict him, nor let him cry. The farm life was evidently the very
thing he wanted.

What a reprieve it was, even though it should be only a reprieve!

He was already three years old, and was very clever and observant.

We were glad that he was too young to take heed of the change, or to
see what was implied by his change from "baby," to "my lord," and we
always called him by his Christian name. Mrs. Rowe felt far too much
for us to gossip to him, and he was always with her or with me, though
I do believe he liked Ben--the great, rough, hind--better than anyone
else; would lead Mrs. Rowe long dances after him, to see him milk the
cows, and would hold forth to him at dinner, in a way as diverting to
us as it was embarrassing to poor Ben, who used to blurt out at
intervals, "Yoi, my lord," and "Noa, my lord," while the two maids
tried to swallow their tittering. The farmers at market used to call
Fulk, "my lord," by mistake, and then colour up to their eyes through
their red faces.

I believe, indeed, it was their name for him among themselves, and that
they watched him with a certain contemptuous compassion, in the full
belief that he would ruin himself.

And he declares he should if he had lived a bit more luxuriously, or if
he had not had the agency salary to help him through the years of
buying experience and the bad season with which he began.

Nor was it till he had for some years introduced that