CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.
SIR FRANCIS AND A FRIEND.
The next few days passed pleasantly enough, for I saw very little of the two young gentlemen, who spent a good deal of their time in a meadow beyond the garden, playing cricket and quarrelling.

Once there seemed to have been a fight, for I came upon Philip kneeling down by a watering-pot busy with his handkerchief bathing his face, and the state of the water told tales of what had happened to his nose.
As he seemed in trouble I was about to offer him my services, but he turned upon me so viciously with, "Hullo! pauper, what do you want ?" that I went away.
The weather was lovely, and while it was so hot Mr Solomon used to do the principal part of his work in the glass houses at early morn and in the evening.
"Makes us work later, Grant," he used to say apologetically; "but as it's for our own convenience we ought not to grumble." "I'm not going to grumble, sir," I said laughing; "all that training and tying in is so interesting, I like it." "That's right," he said, patting me on the shoulder; "always try and like your work; take a pride in it, my man, and it will turn up trumps some time or another.

It means taking prizes." I had not seen Sir Francis yet, for he had been away, and I could not help feeling a little nervous about our first meeting.

Still I was pretty happy there, and I felt that in spite of a few strong sensations of longing to be back at the old garden with Ike and Shock, I was getting to like my new life very much indeed, and that as soon as the two boys had gone back to their school I should be as happy as could be.
I was gradually getting to like Mr Solomon, and Mrs Solomon grew more kind to me every day.

The men about the garden, too, were all very civil to me, and beyond a little bit of good-humoured banter from them now and then I had no cause for complaint.
My great fear was that they would catch up the name young Philip had bestowed upon me.