s on in the
world. It isn't curiosity, and yet in a way it is. I'm curious about
everything that goes on--everywhere. It isn't impertinent curiosity,
anyway."

"I see that. I'll tell you about Walter Clinton. He's a good chap. His
father has a fine place next to mine. He's a rich man. His family has
been there since the beginning of all things. Walter is just my age.
We've always been a lot together."

"Is there a large family? What do his brothers do?"

"There's Dick, the eldest son. He's in the Guards. There's Humphrey in
the Foreign Office, and a younger son, a sailor. And--and there are
three girls--two of them are children--twins."

"Well, now, aren't I right in saying it's odd for a son in a family like
that to become a doctor?"

"Oh, well, I suppose in a way you are, though I can't see why he
shouldn't be. The fact is that they wanted to make a parson of
him--there's a rather good family living. But he wasn't taking any."

"Ah! I thought I knew something about your country gentry. Well, I
admire the doctor. Was there a row?"

"His father was rather annoyed. Perhaps it's not to be wondered at. His
half-brother is Rector at Kencote now, and when he dies they'll have to
give the living to a stranger. Of course they would rather have one of
the family."

"It's like a chapter in a book--one of the long, easy ones, all about
country life and the squire and the parson. I love 'em. And the doctor
is going to marry your sister. Can I give 'em a skin for a wedding
present?"

"I'm sure they would be gratified. You'd better come down and make their
acquaintance."

"I'll do that. I'd like to come and see you, Graham; and you mustn't
mind my roughness peeping out occasionally. I haven't had many chances
in life."

There was a pause, and then Jim said, "Walter Clinton's sister comes
next to him in the family. She's six or seven years younger. Of course,
I've known her ever since she was a baby. When I came back from Oxford
one summer vac., I found her almost grown up. She seemed quite different
somehow. I was always over there all the summer, or she was with my
sister. We fixed it up we would get married some day. They laughed at
us, and said we had better wait a few years; but of course they were
pleased, really, both my people and hers, though they thought it a bit
premature; she was only seventeen. When I went back to Oxford and
thought it over I said to myself it wasn't quite fair to tie her down at
that age