f haymakers--men
and women--proceeded with their rakes, the white shirt-sleeves, straw
bonnets, and ruddy faces, radiant in the bath of sunshine, while in the
shady end of the field were idler haymakers among the fragrant piles,
Charles half lying on the grass, with his back against a tall haycock;
Mrs. Edmonstone sitting on another, book in hand; Laura sketching the
busy scene, the sun glancing through the chequered shade on her glossy
curls; Philip stretched out at full length, hat and neck-tie off,
luxuriating in the cool repose after a dusty walk from Broadstone; and a
little way off, Amabel and Charlotte pretending to make hay, but really
building nests with it, throwing it at each other, and playing as
heartily as the heat would allow.

They talked and laughed, the rest were too hot, too busy, or too sleepy
for conversation, even Philip being tired into enjoying the "dolce far
niente"; and they basked in the fresh breezy heat and perfumy hay with
only now and then a word, till a cold, black, damp nose was suddenly
thrust into Charles's face, a red tongue began licking him; and at the
same moment Charlotte, screaming 'There he is!' raced headlong across
the swarths of hay, to meet Guy, who had just ridden into the field.
He threw Deloraine's rein to one of the haymakers, and came bounding to
meet her, just in time to pick her up as she put her foot into a hidden
hole, and fell prostrate.

In another moment he was in the midst of the whole party, who crowded
round and welcomed him as if he had been a boy returning from his
first half-year's schooling; and never did little school-boy look more
holiday-like than he, with all the sunshine of that June day reflected,
as it were, in his glittering eyes and glowing face, while Bustle
escaping from Charles's caressing arm, danced round, wagging his tail
in ecstasy, and claiming his share of the welcome. Then Guy was on
the ground by Charles, rejoicing to find him out there, and then, some
dropping into their former nests on the hay, some standing round, they
talked fast and eagerly in a confusion of sound that did not subside for
the first ten minutes so as to allow anything to be clearly heard. The
first distinct sentence was Charlotte's 'Bustle, darling old fellow, you
are handsomer than ever!'

'What a delicious day!' next exclaimed Guy, following Philip's example,
by throwing off hat and neck-tie.

'A spontaneous tribute to the beauty of the day,' said Charles.