42 JOHANNA^S GARDEN 



whiskers, swayed the ears of the barley, and 

 buffeted the smoke rising from the chimney of 

 the homestead. The light was still grey, but 

 beyond the low roof of the byre the hills stood 

 expectant of the sun, whose fiery disc soon 

 bathed summit and slope with its richest rays. 

 The conspicuous heights attracted the eyes of 

 the leveret till the orb rose higher and made a 

 glory of the dew on the leaves of the tree 

 amidst the barley ; then the sparkling beads won 

 and held his gaze ; later the tree itself so 

 absorbed his attention that he seemed to be 

 wondering what it did there. It certainly was 

 a strange place for a tree, especially for a fruit- 

 tree, though it was not strange to the people 

 familiar with its story. The field, or rather a 

 part of it, had formerly been a garden — it is 

 still called Johanna's Garden ; and sentiment had 

 caused the tree to be spared, though it interfered 

 with the plough and attracted badgers who trod 

 down the crop. 



The leveret had not been long in his form 

 before one of these animals crossed the opposite 

 bank, shaking the dew from the wild roses that 

 festooned the creep, and made its way through 

 the barley and the oats to the sett at the 

 foot of the steep slope. Here a colony of 

 badgers lived. The lane in the corn was their 



