CHAPTER IV.

Busy Gardeners.

"I'LL show you what I want you to do, and then I will leave you to your work."

With these words Mr. Grimwood led the way to the lawn on the right side of the house, where there were three large overgrown flower-beds. Here flourished flowers and weeds together in the friendliest of fashions.

"I've been away," he said, "or these beds would have been looked after properly. I don't trouble much about the rest of the garden."

Although Mr. Grimwood did not say so, the three flower-beds had once been the pride and delight of his wife, whom he had lost several years previously.

"I suppose you know a flower from a weed?" he said, after giving several directions.

"I should just think we do, sir," replied Frank, whom he chanced to address. And so said all the others.

"If you have cleared these beds of weeds before four o'clock—you needn't kill yourselves with hard work, you know—you can start on weeding the paths." Mr. Grimwood was actually beginning to look quite pleasant, and the young people found themselves losing their fears of him.

"So we will, sir," said Teddy. "Pity we haven't got a man to help us; we could do no end of work then."

Mr. Grimwood thought awhile.

"Well," said he, "if you can get a man to help you, I don't mind, so long as he is honest and respectable. By-the-by, what about your lunch?"

"Oh, we brought it with us," said Eileen; "we meant to picnic out somewhere to-day. So you needn't trouble, thank you all the same."

Mr. Grimwood smiled in half-amused fashion, for he had no intention of inviting his young gardeners in to lunch.

Soon after this, having told them where the tools were kept, he left them to their work. Nora and Frank, now looking upon it in the light of an adventure, began to enjoy themselves, and the four children gave themselves whole-heartedly, and lightheartedly too, to the task before them. The idea of earning money for the mortgage-box lent it a charm which otherwise it might not have possessed.

By lunch-time they were very hungry, and it was not long before sandwiches, cakes, apples, and home-made lemonade had all vanished. It was then that Nora, feeling that she had done enough gardening to last her a month, made a suggestion.

"Don't you think it would be a good plan," said she, "to get a man to help us for the afternoon? Some one might be glad of the job."

Eileen, who was a bit tired, thought it a very good idea, and, with the approval of the others, presently started off to try to find a man in the village.

The first person she chanced to meet, not far from the gates of The Laurels, was Mr. Charlton. And after a friendly greeting on both sides, Eileen told him the story.

"Why shouldn't I do?" he asked, with a twinkle of fun in his eyes. "I'm not very much of a gardener, it is true, but I'm honest and respectable; and, what is more, I'll work for nothing."

"Oh, Mr. Charlton," cried Eileen, "it would be just splendid of you, if you would—do you really mean it?"

"Of course I do. I was only going out for a lonely walk, and I can assure you an hour or two of gardening would suit me far better."

[Illustration: THEY MADE THEIR WAY TO THE SHADY SPOT.]

With this he turned back with Eileen, and together they made their way to the shady spot where the little girl had left her brothers and sister.

Meanwhile she was just aching to know if he had accepted her story and little sketches, but felt that she dared not ask the question.

Teddy, Nora, and Frank stared with amazement when Eileen returned with Mr. Charlton and introduced him as their helper for the afternoon.

"He's going to do it all for nothing too," she said presently, with the greatest glee, when Mr. Charlton by his friendly manner had made the youngsters all feel at ease with him.

"It's most awfully good of you, Mr. Charlton," said Teddy, "but—but I'm afraid it's troubling you."

"Not at all; I shall quite enjoy it," was the reply. "Our old gardener at home used to say I didn't know a weed from a 'wegetable marrer,' but I think I've improved since then."

The children laughed at this.

"Fancy an editor doing gardening," said Nora. Her idea of an editor being some one who was far too learned and wise to care about digging and hoeing.

"Why not?" he said with a smile. "Ah, that reminds me," he added quickly (here he turned to Eileen), "I've something to say to you. I shall be very pleased to use your little story and sketches in the children's pages of 'Sunny Hours;' they are really quite good."

Eileen flushed positively crimson with delight.

"Oh, Mr. Charlton!" she gasped; she could scarcely believe her ears. "How simply 'lovely!'"

"Glad you are pleased," said he, smiling into the radiant little face. "Go on as you have begun, and one day, who knows? You may do ever so well."

It was fully five minutes before the excitement caused by Mr. Charlton's announcement had died down; Teddy, Nora, and Frank being nearly as proud and pleased as Eileen herself.

After this, the five gardeners prepared to set to work, watched, little as they knew it, by a pair of curious eyes from the window of the house.

Mr. Grimwood had gone into the neighbouring town on business, and was not expected home till later in the afternoon.

Eileen, towards three o'clock, was hoeing in a part of the garden some distance from the others, and was hidden from them by tall rows of scarlet runners.

Suddenly she heard a voice behind her, which gave her quite a start.

"Hullo! I've been watching you for ever so long from the window!"

Eileen turned around, and, standing close by she saw a lad of about Teddy's age, with a face so discontented and miserable that her heart filled with pity.

"Hullo!" she said in answer. "And who are you, pray?"

Her smile was so winning that the boy almost smiled too—but not quite.

"I'm Dick Woodbridge," he answered, "if you want to know; and what's your name?"

"I'm Eileen Bannister," said the girl; "so now we are properly introduced. Where did you come from?" she added. "I never heard your footsteps."

"No; I slipped around quietly, because I didn't want to speak to any one but you."

Dick Woodbridge, although Eileen did not realize it, was inclined to be both shy and unsociable.

"Why?" she queried in surprise.

"Because I like the look of you best of them all. You aren't so pretty as that other girl—your sister, I suppose—but you've got a nice sort of 'understanding' face. How came you all here gardening like this?"

Then Eileen explained, the lad so far forgetting his own troubles, whatever they were, as to feel quite interested. Eileen told him about the mortgage-box, at which Dick really "did" smile.

"Fancy you kids thinking of earning money enough to pay off a mortgage," said he; "you must be a green lot!"

Eileen flushed a little, not quite liking his tone, but she went on pleasantly. "Now I've told you something about ourselves," she said, "I think you might say who 'you' are, and where you came from."

"I've told you my name once," was the rather sullen answer; "I'm to live here for good, or at least till father and mother come back from India. Uncle Nat—old Grimwood, you know—is my guardian; my other one has just died. I liked him most awfully, but I hate Uncle Nat. I only came yesterday, and I wish I'd never seen the place; the house is like a prison."

"Perhaps," said Eileen gently, "you'll like it better as time goes on."

"No, I shan't!" (This almost fiercely). "I shall hate it worse. If only I could live with mother and dad, but they say the climate would kill me. I'm pretty sure this hole of a place will."

"No, no, it won't," was Eileen's soothing reply; "I expect we shall all be friendly with you, and then you won't feel so lonely."