destined to become, he would have been aware that when she was most
judicial she was frequently least certain of what her verdict was going
to be.

"Me name's Willy Fennessy, me lady," replied the tinker, "an' I'm goin'
the roads no more than three months. Indeed, me lady, I think the time
too long that I'm with these blagyard thravellers. All the friends I
have was poor Captain, and he's gone from me."

"Go round to the kitchen," said Mrs. Alexander.

The results of Willy Fennessy's going round to the kitchen were
far-reaching. Its most immediate consequences were that (1) he mended
the ventilator of the kitchen range; (2) he skinned a brace of rabbits
for Miss Barnet, the cook; (3) he arranged to come next day and repair
the clandestine devastations of the maids among the china.

He was pronounced to be a very agreeable young man.

Before luncheon (of which meal he partook in the kitchen) he had been
consulted by Patsey Crimmeen about the chimney of the kennel boiler, had
single-handed reduced it to submission, and had, in addition, boiled the
meal for the hounds with a knowledge of proportion and an untiring
devotion to the use of the potstick which produced "stirabout" of a
smoothness and excellence that Miss Barnet herself might have been proud
of.

"You know, mother," said Freddy that evening, "you do want another chap
in the garden badly."