32 THE LIFE OF THE FIELDS. 



one as Luke's signal. Some said that it was heard 

 every evening : no matter how far Luke had to ride 

 in the day, his whistle was sure to be heard towards 

 dusk. Luke was a timber-dealer, or merchant, a call- 

 ing that generally leads to substantial profit as wealth 

 is understood in country places. He bought up likely 

 timber all over the neighbourhood: he had wharves 

 on the canal, and yards by the little railway station 

 miles away. He often went up to "Lunnon/' but 

 if it was ninety miles, he was sure to be back in time 

 to whistle. If he was not too busy the whistle used 

 to go twice a day, for when he started off in the morn- 

 ing, no matter where he had to go to, that lane was 

 the road to it. The lane led everywhere. 



TJp in the great beech about eleven o'clock on 

 spring mornings there was always a wood-pigeon. 

 The wood-pigeon is a contemplative sort of bird, and 

 pauses now and then during the day to consider over 

 his labours in filling his crop. He came again about 

 half-past four, but it was at eleven that his visit to 

 the beech was usually noticed. From the window in 

 the lady's own room the beech and the gate could be 

 seen, and as that was often Luke's time she frequently 

 sat upstairs with the window open listening for the 

 sound of hoofs, or the well-known whistle. She saw 

 the wood-pigeon on so many occasions that at last 

 she grew to watch for the bird, and when he went 

 up into the tree, put down her work or her book and 

 walked out that way. Secure in the top of the great 

 beech, and conscious that it was spring, when guns 

 are laid aside, the wood-pigeon took no heed of her. 

 There is nothing so pleasant to stroll among as cow- 



