ed himself of it with
eagerness.

Once, he made a serious blunder. He talked about turnips which he
had seen growing in a field close by. At which the farmer laughed:
"Well, I never, turnips, ha-ha...."

Frank felt stung. His face coloured deeply, his head was on fire.
What did _she_ think of him? Through the mist that seemed to gather
before his eyes, he managed to glance rapidly in the direction of
Adele. A thrill of delight shot through his veins. She was looking
at her father with an offended air, her lustrous eyes seemed to
issue forth a censuring light.

"Of course, you will stay in to tea, Mr. Mathers," said the farmer
after a few minutes of silence.

Frank accepted the invitation thankfully.

Adele left the room to help to prepare the tea things.

Left alone with the farmer, the young man looked about him more
freely. He noticed that the room was very plainly furnished. His
eyes alighted on a painting which represented a cow standing near a
cattle-shed. "What a shocking display of art," he said to himself.
"Infringement of the rules of perspective, shocking chiaroscuro, bad
composition...."

Mr. Rougeant casually noticed him. "So you are having a look at my
cow," he said, "a friend of mine painted that picture; he was a real
artist." Then he paused, examined it like one who understands his
business, and continued: "Yes, yes, exactly like her, the little
white patches and that little bump on her back. I gave my friend ten
shillings for that painting; just think, ten shillings, seven pounds
of butter. But," he added by way of consoling himself,--for his
avaricious heart was already revolting against this useless
expenditure of money; "it's well worth that, it's the very likeness
of my 'Daisy.' My daughter had the impudence to tell me once that I
ought to put it in the wash-house. Alas! young people will always
be young people."

Struggle as he would, Frank could not refrain from smiling. His host
took it for a genuine smile of admiration and looked at him
approvingly.

At this stage, Adele announced that the tea was served.

Whilst they were at the meal, Frank was in great perplexity as to
how he should avoid breaking any of the rules of etiquette in
Adele's presence.

He was so much in earnest about doing things properly that he
committed several blunders. Once he almost overturned his cup, then
he blushed till his face was all discoloured, and bit his under lip
savagely. A minute after that, whi