A Sovereign Remedy

hbouring cow-house. Motherhood had evidently come to her at dawn, bringing its wider outlook, its larger self; and sure enough, when they scramble

tched right away to the stream they had crossed the night before--showed no sign of life. The door wa

lves in the same fashion on a grassy bank, whence, looking up the valley, they could see the mountains closing in on the narrow strip of level pasture. Behind them, the downward view was a

praising the values of some willows and elders which, higher up bey

, shoulder-wallet. "We are reduced to the makeshifts of primitive manhood. What more do w

itney blankets! And as for money--we shall have to t

hat doubtfully; "but it w

ey were up with the 'hi'fer.' Howeve

der the beefsteak pie--it w

pple, clean, and strong. "Three shillings is ample. Come al

though on trial the door of the cottage was found to

on the table," sugg

simply scooped us up last night like half-drowned kittens and set us going again! I tell you, sir, that if--it being Saturday night--sh

ed his attention. "Saturday!" he echoed

f course, the shortest night in the year and Midsu

he smith were to refuse us our cycles--they are li

-cellar; but he fell back from the sudden blaze of almost blinding sunlight which poured in from a long, low, abs

h, beside which was a tall girl in blue engaged i

iedly as the bit of banana turned aw

beauty of that girlish figure, framed as it was by the great sprays of white June c

," reiterated the cockatoo in guttu

e said in an absolutely perfect voice, true, pure, sweet

of their own eyes, gave an audible sigh of relief. This was no vision t

e shillings in Ted's palm seemed suddenly to become hot and

now thanks to the kindness of your----" Ned paused. Much as he admir

ew to him, something which held possible danger to his ou

f you please, as we are about to sta

glorious creature in the first flush of a womanhood which seemed to Ned to be

ble," he said apologetically, "and if yo

tching at the coin, "I believe it's a so

lay an instant regret concerning the three shillings; he would then on

ing water--and handed it back again. "Thanks for letting me see it; I hadn't see

seen a sovereign!

have money in this house. Gran

ntatively. "But you must--you must pa

mething. That's Martha's business. Here! Marth

the General" appeared with flour

en," she said cheerfully; "but really there ain

ed to find you before, but you were asle

ree times afore I come in to my stove. But there ain't nothin'. The yay was 'ome grown, and welcome, seeing 'twas but b

the beefsteak p

'ave kep' sweet over Sunday, sir, so the pi

unanswerab

girl imperiously, holding the gold out

the pillows and the blanke

n't want it. So if you don't want it also, we'd better give it to Cockatua,

te. The beady black eyes showed distrust; it turned the coin round, and bit at it again; then again. Finally,

they'll be burnt as black as the back o' the grate," and disappearing whence she came

quickly. "That's not

would like you to breakfast with him. I think you had better," she added still mo

hem through the kitchen, where Martha was bustling about over her stove, into a hall. This further hous

nto a large low-roofed room, lined from floor to ceiling with books

the high wall enclosing the orchard which filled up the end of the valley, while, as they passed on through the book room, a lawn lay before them sloping down to a deep, still pool, a pool shadowed by sure

walls, they found a breakfast-table, and beside it, in an arm-chair

gripping the chair-arms in rather a helpless fashion, "but I am somewhat--more or

tic also but for your kind

continued, "absolutely devoid of brains. One of those hewers of wood and drawers of water by desire and determination who stand so--so infernally--in the way of true socialistic development. But, by the way I am forgetting to introduce myself. I am Sylvanus Smith, President--but stay----! Aurelia, my child, fetch the Syllabus of the Socialistic Congress from my writ

r; we were taken last night for 'laz

ust speak to Martha," he said in an undertone, a

ish among the fruits, nuts, and other vegetarian diets on t

of Martha's bob

an' there's more ter

solved into an il

r. Smith helplessly, "w

d Adam had left that bit o' beefsteak pie, seeing that strawberries an' sech

d eggs. Mr. Sylvanus Smith breakfasted off some patent food, and Aurelia ate strawberries and brown

lawn and actually touching one of the jewelled flower-beds, while behind these, tall larkspurs and lychnis, their feet hidden in a wildern

Eve, beautiful, healthful, gracious, smiling; and they lost both th

alk, and talk as he wrote well, of the future of Socialism, and the happiness of the many, oblivious altogether of the happine

g men were singularly silent as, after being piloted by Adam through the rhodo

eautiful gard

remark

lia, of her beauty, her unworldliness, her curious frank dignity,

h fern and bramble and great drifts of foxglove envious of each other's height, and holding their heads higher upon the

her with a quick babble of recognition, and, as if out of sheer good spirits, gave a gladsome leap

locked the view, but round th

id. "Why, here

ge. Over yonder was hidden the hundred pounds of floating deposit--(Ted's eyes sought this out immediately.) Over there, still shrugging that high shoulder of his in the sunshine, was Llwggd

r?" asked Ted irrelevantly. He knew the hour pe

cles couldn't be got,"

ed impatiently, "and w

her dine and so would I. That's simplicity itself; besides, we can go to

ly. He felt in his way exactly as his companion did, that is, as if every atom of life in him had been

been too late to finish repairs on Sat

sat on the bridge parapet again and wa

assistants. So I expect Miss--what's her name?--Jones is responsible for half the hats here. Ye gods! what a superstructure for one soul!" As he spoke he watch

s with the parson, and Miss Alicia has the beauty-boy Mervyn. How h

for he had sung in a choir all his life, and, after vainly trying to persuade Ned to accompany him, he we

ect battlefield of dead, if all the parish came thither to rest. Some lettering over a low round arch of a sunk door in the church arrested him. Fourteen hundred and fifty-two! No wonder the place looked ruinous, a

and white on the altar, before which a tall figure in red and white attended by two acolytes, knelt reading the ante-communion service. From them, scattered sparse

for the celebrant, after giving out a hymn, strode to a harmonium close to the pulpit, and thereinafter, upborne by

oubt--who was asleep in his long-accustomed seat beside the blow-handle, and found himself before the

ing out his text, "There came a mighty rushing wind," and look

ears of all his parishioners, even those who were absent. And it spoke through him, their priest, responsible to the Church for the soul of every man, woman, and child, in the parish of Dinas. Seven minutes, by Ned's watch, of unbounded authority, of absolute priesthood,

nning of time, and was roused from them by seeing the priest, holding a huge s

man's own; but its poverty was covered the next insta

soul leapt up to meet this escape from deadly reality. It deserved a recognition.

the drowsy sexton. "Blow!" he whispered strenuo

mmies, and the cope and the brass platter began to follow the little white surplices, the whole procession paused in amazement, as, with many a note dumb, many a dissonance overborne by the full bu

all, where he lay convulsed with inextinguishable laughter at his own mad prank, before curiosity followed the

ic about the singing, and glad to have heard the Reverend Morris Pugh's "hwl," the bardic note. It was really rather impressive, that constant iteratio

o outpouring--nothin

ve----" said N

" aske

st be about time for us to