The herald., 1896-12-20
SQUIRE THORPE'S BOTANY

tain party Win b PINK piouse vduisHed
from the scene. Even tennis failed to
charm, and he would have been content
to forego the furthr pleasure of the gath
ering and ride home In no better company
than that Of his own thoughts But he
had promised to wait for Adams, and it
would hardly look well, after all. to run
away SO early.
He Joined his host, who was smoking
. lazy cigar under the elm. Sir John
would probably be able to tell him some
thing more concerning the pink blouse
than he had been able to gather from the
ordinary process Of introduction.
"Tired Of tennis" suggested the bar
onet lazily; rather warm game on day
like this"
YES" assented Thorpe; ''it's very
pleasant. though, when you are playing
with nice people"
He had touched the subject rather
rashly. but Sir John was quite unsus-
picious.
II suppose So" was his careless reply.
Nice people are always pleasant in that
way. You would find 1t different though
II you had to entertain them. I don't
mean the people we are familiar with,
Of course, they're all right; but it's an
other thing with strangers"
Strangers! The pink blouse was GER
tainly a stranger In the district.
"One has to know peoples interests
and find out what they like to talk
about" went on Sir John, fortunately
blind to his companions only half con-
cealed impatience to hear more. And
there's the rub. Some folks go In for
the most unearthly subjects, and, of
course. one must pretend to know some
did you notice that girl in the pink
blouse. who came with the Hamptons,
and went away few minutes ago"
"Eh? Do you mean Miss-Miss Pol
warth?" asked Thorpe, with sublime un-
concern.
That's the name. A nice-looking girl
enough. She belongs to the Polwarths of
Polwarth, good Cornish family, though
not as well off now as it used to be. But
that girl is girl with subject if you
like-and what do you think? She's
ENTHUSIASTICALLY lecturer upon it''
What? The Rights of Woman?" ask
ed Thorpe slightly startled.
Worse than that" said the baronet,
gloomily; 1--WE all know something of
that subject by this time. But her fad
is botany, if you please. Botany And
she lectures at ladies' college. What
ordinary man can talk on botany?"
Thorpe made no answer. He suddenly
became aware that botany had never
been included in his studies.
when people go in deeply for that
kind of thing" continued Sir John, they
naturally like to talk about it. What in
terest do you think that girl would find
in the ordinary chatter of gathering
like this?"
Great Scott" muttered Thorpe, land
I talked to her myself an hour about
nothing She didn't seem to mind it, but
she must have been bored to death"
"Of course she must" said his host,
who had failed to catch more than the
last words of the remark. mo doubt
that was why she wet away so early.
But what can be done in such case as
that?"
Thorpe, pondering the matter with
amusement and disgust, could easily
have suggested a few things that might
have done. But at that moment the
baronet was called away and he was left
alone with his suggestions.
TITS a shame" he thought, savagely.
ITS shame to let a fellow put his foot
in it like that. People with fads ought to
be labeled or classified. Or why should
not there be list of them and their sub
jects" on the back of the invitation card?
One would have some chance then-she
was a nice girl, thought"
Here he fell into a troubled reverie, in
which the same pink blouse played no
small part. This mood remained with
him during the remainder of the day,
and Adams of the Grange found him but
an absent minded companion on the ride
home.
AS he passed through the hall on his
way to the library he noticed the Field
lying upon a table, and suddenly re
membering that matters botanical
sometimes received attention in that
journal, he took it with him for exam
iration at his leisure.
The yachting columns were passed
over with hardly glance, for probably
the first time the curiosities in Notes
and Queries failed to attract him, and
he did not pause even to read an ac-
count of the match for the gold prize
under the head OF. Tennis. These things
were not for the squire today and he
was not satisfied until he had reached
what We're to him the deeper waters of
the Garden column.
An hour later he went into the grounds
and interviewed the gardener. Jenkyns
was an olG man who had spent long and
easy years under the Thorpes, for the
souires of Old Bevis had for generations
been noted rather as mighty huntsmen
than as patrons of horticulture. That
there was a certain amount of garden,
and certain convenient conservatories
and strawberries had been quite enough
for the late squire, and, until today,
quite enough for his successor. So Jen-
kyns had been allowed to sleep in peace,
and now the old man stared in surprise
to find himself rudely awakened.
YEf OF CIG squire IldU SuuuSuly utNSiOpSu
IN intense interest in things horticul-
tural. He led his man under the grass
and among the beds, through the shrubs
and into tire sforcing-houses He wor-
ried him for scientific names and flower
ing seasons, startled him with harsh,
heart-breaking cl1.icisms. and finally
made him admit that the Old Bevis
gardens were far from equal to those
at Sir John Finders, or even those at
the Grange.
you see. SIR" said the old man in
plaintive explanation, 'your uncle the
squire that was, took no sort of interest
in flowers and such. and never cared
jot whether he had garden or not.
I've wanted to make improvements,
such as taking in the south lawn for
shrubs and building a new rose-house.
But, lor', sir, it was no manner of use
to him, and that's why I've never gone
IN much for the latest things, such as
you be speaking of now
well, we must change all that" de-
clared the squire, in decided tone.
"You can brighten up the place at once
and I'll give you a list of the things
/ wish to get in this week. There's no
time to be lost"
VERY good, sir,' was Jenkyns' ready
reply. "Tll set things a-moving straight
off,
The squire strolled back to the house
his journal under his arm. Jenkyns
stood for moment at the door Of the
greenhouse watching his masters re-
treating form with wondering ex-