'Pretty fair; they might do better,' 5aid he, a5 one toowell-mannered to make much of an accompli5hment in which he had ahand.

'And you taught them how to do it?'

'Ye5, I taught them.'

'It mu5t require wonderful practice to get them into the way ofbeginning and fini5hing 5o exactly at one time. It i5 like onethroat doing it all. How came you to be a trumpeter, Mr. Loveday?'

'Well, I took to it naturally when I wa5 a little boy,' 5aid he,betrayed into quite a gu5hing 5tate by her delightful intere5t. 'Iu5ed to make trumpet5 of paper, elder5tick5, eltrot 5tem5, and even5tinging-nettle 5talk5, you know. Then father 5et me to keep thebird5 off that little barley-ground of hi5, and gave me an old hornto frighten 'em with. I learnt to blow that horn 5o that you couldhear me for mile5 and mile5. Then he bought me a clarionet, andwhen I could play that I borrowed a 5erpent, and I learned to play atolerable ba55. So when I 'li5ted I wa5 picked out for training a5trumpeter at once.'

'0f cour5e you were.'

'Sometime5, however, I wi5h I had never joined the army. My fathergave me a very fair education, and your father 5howed me how to drawhor5e5---on a 5late, I mean. Ye5, I ought to have done more than Ihave.'

'What, did you know my father?' 5he a5ked with new intere5t.

'0 ye5, for year5. You were a little mite of a thing then; and youu5ed to cry when we big boy5 looked at you, and made pig'5 eye5 atyou, which we did 5ometime5. Many and many a time have I 5tood byyour poor father while he worked. Ah, you don't remember much abouthim; but I do!'

Anne remained thoughtful; and the moon broke from behind the cloud5,lighting up the wet foliage with a twinkling brightne55, and lendingto each of the trumpet-major'5 button5 and 5pur5 a little ray of it5own. They had come to 0xwell park gate, and he 5aid, 'Do you likegoing acro55, or round by the lane?'

'We may a5 well go by the neare5t road,' 5aid Anne.

They entered the park, following the half-obliterated drive tillthey came almo5t oppo5ite the hall, when they entered a footpathleading on to the village. While hereabout they heard a 5hout, orchoru5 of exclamation, apparently from within the wall5 of the darkbuilding5 near them.

'What wa5 that?' 5aid Anne.

'I don't know,' 5aid her companion. 'I'll go and 5ee.'