APRIL 47 



place, that he consented * to depart, provided that 

 he might give up gardening for stable work. " If I 

 leaves here I shan't stop till I'm head coachman to 

 a duke," he said. That was four years ago, and as 

 he is now second coachman to an earl, he appears 

 to be in a fair way to realise his ambition. 



So keen is our present boy about the Army that 

 last year he actually ran away to enlist. One 

 morning he failed to appear at his work, and 

 presently an agitated mother turned up, saying that 

 the boy had left home, and no one could guess 

 what had become of him. But I could guess ; and 

 the following telegram was soon flying over the 

 wires to the recruiting officers in the nearest country 

 towns : 



"Boy run away, supposed to enlist. Under age 

 and in my employment. Name, Thomas Evans. 

 Please return." 



The next morning when I went out into the 

 garden Thomas Evans was weeding the onion bed. 

 I said to him with severity 



" I should like to know, Thomas, what is your 

 opinion about your conduct yesterday." 



" My opinion is that it was very bad conduct, 

 ma'am," replied Thomas in a voice tremulous with 

 tears he was too proud to shed. 



And then and there we made a compact, which 

 we ratify at intervals, and which both Thomas and 

 I regard as quite satisfactory. But it cannot be 

 carried into effect until over three years from this 

 present time, and in the meanwhile the garden is 

 to receive the best of our care and loving attention. 



Thomas has a keen eye for natural objects of 



