34 THE LIFE OF THE FIELDS. 



taken away before the mowing-grass grew too high, 

 and as the spot was ten or twelve miles distant he 

 had to start early. Not being so much on the alert, 

 she fell deeper perhaps into reverie, which lasted till 

 she reached the other side of the field, when the 

 spaniel rushed out of the hedge and leaped up to be 

 noticed, quite startling her. At the same moment 

 she thought she heard the noise of hoofs in the lane — 

 it might be Luke — and immediately afterwards there 

 came his long, shrill, and peculiar whistle from the 

 gate under the beech. She ran as fast as she could, 

 the spaniel barking beside her, and was at the gate in 

 two or three minutes, but Luke was not there. Nor 

 was he anywhere in the lane — she could see up and 

 down it over the low gate. He must have gone on 

 up to the homestead, not seeing her. At the house, 

 however, she found they had not seen him. He had 

 not called. A little hurt that he should have galloped 

 on so hastily, she set about some household affairs, 

 resolved to think no more of him that morning, and 

 to give him a frown when he came in the evening. 

 But he did not come in the evening ; it was evident 

 he was detained. 



Luke's trees were lying in the long grass beside 

 a copse, and the object was to get them out of the 

 field, across the adjacent railway, and to set them 

 down in a lane, on the sward, whence he could send 

 for them at leisure. The farmer was very anxious to 

 get them out of the grass, and Luke did his best to 

 oblige him. When Luke arrived at the spot, having 

 for once ridden straight there, he found that almost 

 all the work was done, and only one tree remained. 



