of the record. They could hear their mother's voice from the
kitchen. A jug of milk had been overlooked and had gone sour. She
had given Jane a week's notice before the clock struck ten.

It was from Mr. Arlington that the Professor heard the news. Mr.
Arlington could not stop an instant, dinner being at twelve sharp
and it wanting but ten minutes to; but seems to have yielded to
temptation. The breakfast hour at the Manor Farm was now six a.m.,
had been so since Thursday; the whole family fully dressed and Mrs.
Arlington presiding. If the Professor did not believe it he could
come round any morning and see for himself. The Professor appears
to have taken Mr. Arlington's word for it. By six-thirty everybody
at their job and Mrs. Arlington at hers, consisting chiefly of
seeing to it for the rest of the day that everybody was. Lights out
at ten and everybody in bed; most of them only too glad to be there.
"Quite right; keeps us all up to the mark," was Mr. Arlington's
opinion (this was on Saturday). Just what was wanted. Not perhaps
for a permanency; and, of course, there were drawbacks. The
strenuous life--seeing to it that everybody else leads the strenuous
life; it does not go with unmixed amiability. Particularly in the
beginning. New-born zeal: must expect it to outrun discretion.
Does not do to discourage it. Modifications to be suggested later.
Taken all round, Mr. Arlington's view was that the thing must be
regarded almost as the answer to a prayer. Mr. Arlington's eyes on
their way to higher levels, appear to have been arrested by the
church clock. It decided Mr. Arlington to resume his homeward way
without further loss of time. At the bend of the lane the
Professor, looking back, observed that Mr. Arlington had broken into
a trot.