tradesman
gave a forced shiver and announced that he must have left his coat
behind "that big one."

"I'll get it for you, sir," said Berry, opening his knife.

I was forced to admit that Stonehenge looked far more impressive when
apparently deserted, than with one or two tourists, however genial and
guileless, in a high holiday humour in the foreground. At the same
time, as we walked back to the car, I felt that I owed it to myself to
lodge a grave protest against the indecent and involving methods my
brother-in-law had seen fit to employ.

"After all," I concluded, "the fellow's your brother, and even if his
panama wasn't a real one, that's no reason why he should be made to do
the hundred in about twelve seconds. He wasn't in strict training
either. You could see that. Besides, why rope me in? For yourself,
if you must play the comic idiot--"

"He wasn't in the picture," said Berry. "None of them were. That
kid's blazer absolutely killed the grass for miles around. Didn't you
see how brown it had gone? That," he added coolly, "is the worst of
having an artistic eye. One must pay for these things."

After spending the night at Salisbury, we pushed on to the Cornish
coast. It was not until we were within three miles of our village that
we lost the way. When we found it again, we were seven miles off.
That is the worst of a car. However.

Stern is a place, where the coast-line is a great glory. The cliffs
rise there, tall, dark, majestic-grave, too, especially grave. When
the sky is grey, they frown always, and even the warm rays of the
setting sun but serve to light their grand solemnity. Very different
is the changing sea at their foot. At times it will ripple all day,
agog with smiling; anon, provoked by an idle breeze's banter, you shall
see it black with rage. In the morning, maybe, it will sleep placidly
enough in the sunshine, but at eventide the wind has ruffled its
temper, so that it mutters and heaves with anger, breathing forth
threatenings. Yet the next dawn finds it alive with mischievous
merriment and splitting its sides with laughter, to think how it has
duped you the night before. The great grave cliffs and the shifting
sea, and, beyond, woodland and pastures and deep meadows, where the
cows low in the evenings, while the elms tower above them, their leaves
unshaken by the wind--it is not difficult to grow fond of Stern.

And now we were sitting on the cliffs in the heat of th