retailing little bits of history. Howard now for the first time
learned that Mr. Graves had retired early from business with a
considerable fortune, and being fond of books and leisure, and
rather delicate in health, had established himself in the house,
which had taken his fancy. There were some fifteen hundred acres of
land attached, divided up into several small farms.

Miss Merry was filled with a reverential sort of adoration of Mrs.
Graves; "the most wonderful person, I assure you! I always feel she
is rather thrown away in this remote place."

"But she likes it?" said Howard.

"Yes, she likes everything," said Miss Merry. "She makes everyone
feel happy: she says very little, but you feel somehow that all is
right if she is there. It's a great privilege, Mr. Kennedy, to be
with her; I feel that more and more every day."

This artless praise pleased Howard. When he was left alone he got
out his papers; but he found himself restless in a pleasant way; he
strolled through the garden. It was a singular place, of great
extent; the lawn was carefully kept, but behind the screen of
shrubs the garden extended far up the valley beside the river in a
sort of wilderness; and he could see by the clumps of trees and the
grassy mounds that it must have once been a great formal
pleasaunce, which had been allowed to follow its own devices; at
the far end of it, beside the stream, there was a long flagged
terrace, with a stone balustrade looking down upon the stream, and
beyond that the woods closed in. He left the garden and followed
the stream up the valley; the downs here drew in and became