Part 14 (1/2)

Peter nodded. ”They're rare good comp'ny too,” he said, ”when you can follow their carryings on, and know what they're up to.”

Lilac watched him thoughtfully as his large hand moved carefully amongst the flowers, cutting the best blossoms and adding them to the nosegay, which now began to take the shape of a large fan.

While he had been talking of the bees his face had lost its dullness; he had not looked stupid at all, and scarcely ugly. She would try and make him speak again.

”The blossoms is over now,” she remarked, looking at the trees in the orchard; ”but there's been a rare sight of 'em this year.”

”There has so,” answered Peter. ”It'll be a fine season for the fruit if so be as we get sun to ripen it. The birds is the worst,” he went on. ”I've seen them old jaypies come out of the woods yonder as thick as thieves into the orchard. I don't seem to care about shootin' 'em, and scarecrows is no good.”

What a long sentence for Peter!

”Do they now?” said Lilac sympathisingly. ”An' I s'pose,” stroking Tib on the head, ”they don't mind Tib neither?”

”Not they,” said Peter, with something approaching a chuckle. ”They're altogether too many for _her_.”

”She's not a _pretty_ cat,” said Lilac doubtfully.

”Well, n-no,” said Peter, turning round to look at Tib with some regret in his tone. ”She ain't not to say exactly pretty, but she's a rare one for rats. Ain't ye, Tib?”

As if in reply Tib rose, fixed her front claws in the ground, and stretched her long lean body. She was not pretty, the most favourable judge could not have called her so. Her coat was harsh and wiry, her head small and mean, with ears torn and scarred in many battles. Her one eye, fiercely green, seemed to glare in an unnaturally piercing manner, but this was only because she was always on the lookout for her enemies--the rats. To complete her forlorn appearance she had only half a tail, and it was from this loss that her friends.h.i.+p with Peter dated, for he had rescued her from a trap.

He seemed now to feel that her character needed defence, for he went on after a pause:

”She'll sit an' watch for 'em to come out of the ricks by the hour, without ever tasting food. Better nor any tarrier she is at it.”

”Ben says the rats is awful bad,” said Lilac. ”They're that bold they'll steal the eggs, and scare off the hens when they're setting.”

”They do that,” replied Peter, shaking his head. ”The poultry wants seeing to badly; but Bella she don't seem to take to it, nor yet Agnetta, and our hands is full outside.”

”I like the chickens and ducks and things,” said Lilac. ”I wish Aunt'd let me take 'em in hand.”

Peter reared himself up from his bent position, and holding the big nosegay in one hand looked gravely down at his cousin.

It was a good long distance from his height to Lilac, and she seemed wonderfully small and slender and delicately coloured as she stood there in her straight black frock and long pinafore. She had taken off her sun bonnet, so that her little white face with all the hair fastened back from it was plainly to be seen. It struck Peter as strange that such a small creature should talk of taking any more work ”in hand”

besides what she had to do already.

”You hadn't ought to do hard work,” he said at length; ”you haven't got the strength.”

”I don't mind the work,” said Lilac, drawing up her little figure. ”I'm stronger nor what I look. 'Taint the work as I mind--” She stopped, and her eyes filled suddenly with tears.

Peter saw them with the greatest alarm. Somehow with his usual stupidity he had made his cousin cry. All he could do now was to take himself away as quickly as possible. He went up to Sober and touched him gently with his foot.

”Come along, old chap,” he said. ”We've got to look after the lambs yonder.”

Without another word or a glance at Lilac he rolled away through the orchard with the dog at his heels, his great shoulders plunging along through the trees, and Lilac's gay bunch of flowers swinging in one hand. He had quite forgotten to give it to her.

She looked after him in surprise, with the tears still in her eyes.

Then a smile came.

”He's a funny one surely,” she said to herself. ”Why ever did he make off like that?”