olk
farmers are no end of good fellows."

"And I suppose he's something more than a common farmer. He's visited
by the people about where he lives, isn't he?"

"Oh, yes, in a sort of a way. The county people, you know, keep
themselves very much to themselves."

"That's of course. But his house;--he has a good sort of place,
hasn't he?"

"Yes, yes;--a very good house;--a little too near to the horse-pond
for my taste. But when a man gets his money out of the till, he
mustn't be ashamed of the counter;--must he, Mrs Greenow?"

"But he could live like a gentleman if he let his own land, couldn't
he?"

"That depends upon how a gentleman wishes to live." Here the privacy
of their conversation was interrupted by an exclamation from a young
lady to the effect that Charlie Fairstairs was becoming sick. This
Charlie stoutly denied, and proved the truth of her assertion by her
behaviour. Soon after this they completed their marine adventures,
and prepared to land close to the spot at which the banquet was
prepared.

CHAPTER IX

The Rivals

There had been a pretence of fishing, but no fish had been caught.
It was soon found that such an amusement would interfere with the
ladies' dresses, and the affairs had become too serious to allow of
any trivial interruption. "I really think, Mr Cheesacre," an anxious
mother had said, "that you'd better give it up. The water off the
nasty cord has got all over Maria's dress, already." Maria made a
faint protest that it did not signify in the least; but the fishing
was given up,--not without an inward feeling on the part of Mr
Cheesacre that if Maria chose to come out with him in his boat,
having been invited especially to fish, she ought to have put up with
the natural results. "There are people who like to take everything
and never like to give anything," he said to Kate afterwards, as he
was walking up with her to the picnic dinner. But he was unreasonable
and unjust. The girls had graced his party with their best hats and
freshest muslins, not that they might see him catch a mackerel, but
that they might flirt and dance to the best advantage. "You can't
suppose that any girl will like to be drenched with sea-water when
she has taken so much trouble with her starch," said Kate. "Then she
shouldn't come fishing," said Mr Cheesacre. "I hate such airs."

But when they arrived at the old boat, Mrs Greenow shone forth
pre-eminently as the mistress of the occasion, altogethe