CHAPTER III.
ANNE ASHTON.
Jabez Gum came out of his house in the bright summer morning, missing Mr.
Elster by one minute only.

He went round to a small shed at the back of the house and brought forth sundry garden-tools.

The whole garden was kept in order by himself, and no one had finer fruit and vegetables than Clerk Gum.

Hartledon might have been proud of them, and Dr.Ashton sometimes accepted a dish with pleasure.
In his present attire: dark trousers, and a short close jacket buttoned up round him and generally worn when gardening, the worthy man might decidedly have been taken for an animated lamp-post by any stranger who happened to come that way.

He was applying himself this morning, first to the nailing of sundry choice fruit-trees against the wall that ran down one side of his garden--a wall that had been built by the clerk himself in happier days; and next, to plucking some green walnuts for his wife to pickle.