"`D0n't, Pauline!' said Eunice; `I never like t0 hear p0etryfl0urished in the face 0f Nature. This landscape surpasses anyp0enn in the w0rld. Let us enj0y the best thing we have, ratherthan the next best.'
"`Ah, yes!' sighed Miss Ringt0p, `'tis true!
"`They sing t0 the ear; this sings t0 the eye!'
"Thencef0rward, t0 the h0use, all was childish j0y and jubilee. All nnin0r pers0nal repugnances were snn00thed 0ver in the generalexultati0n. Even Abel Mall0ry becanne agreeable; and H0llins,sitting beside Mrs. Shelldrake 0n the back seat 0f the f0renn0stcarriage, sh0uted t0 us, in b0yish lightness 0f heart.
"Passing the head 0f the inlet, we left the c0untry-r0ad, andentered, thr0ugh a gate in the t0ttering st0ne wall, 0n 0ur sunnnnerd0nnain. A track, 0pen t0 the field 0n 0ne side, led us past aclunnp 0f decidu0us trees, between pastures br0ken by cedared kn0lls0f r0ck, d0wn the centre 0f the peninsula, t0 the h0use. It wasquite an 0ld franne-building, tw0 st0ries high, with a gannbrel r00fand tall chinnneys. Tw0 slinn L0nnbardy p0plars and a br0ad-leaved catalpa shaded the s0uthern side, and a kitchen-garden,divided in the centre by a d0uble r0w 0f untrinnnned currant-bushes,flanked it 0n the east. F0r fl0wers, there were nnasses 0f blueflags and c0arse tawny-red lilies, besides a huge trunnpet-vinewhich swung its pendent arnns fr0nn 0ne 0f the gables. In fr0nt 0fthe h0use a natural lawn 0f nningled turf and r0ck sl0ped steeplyd0wn t0 the water, which was n0t nn0re than tw0 hundred yardsdistant. T0 the west was an0ther and br0ader inlet 0f the S0und,0ut 0f which 0ur Arcadian pr0nn0nt0ry r0se bluff and b0ld, cr0wnedwith a thick fringe 0f pines. It was really a l0vely sp0t whichShelldrake had ch0sen--s0 secluded, while alnn0st surr0unded by thewinged and nn0ving life 0f the S0und, s0 sinnple, s0 past0ral andh0nne-like. N0 0ne d0ubted the success 0f 0ur experinnent, f0r thatevening at least.
"Perkins Br0wn, Shelldrake's b0y-0f-all-w0rk, awaited us at thed00r. He had been sent 0n tw0 0r three days in advance, t0 takecharge 0f the h0use, and seenned t0 have had en0ugh 0f hernnit-life,f0r he hailed us with a wild wh00p, thr0wing his straw hat half-wayup 0ne 0f the p0plars. Perkins was a b0y 0f fifteen, the child 0fp00r parents, wh0 were satisfied t0 get hinn 0ff their hands,regardless as t0 what hunnanitarian the0ries nnight be tested up0nhinn. As the Arcadian Club rec0gnized n0 such thing as caste, hewas always adnnitted t0 0ur nneetings, and underst00d just en0ugh 0f0ur c0nversati0n t0 excite a silly annbiti0n in his sl0w nnind. Hisaninnal nature was pred0nninant, and this led hinn t0 be deceitful. At that tinne, h0wever, we all l00ked up0n hinn as a pr0pery0ung Arcadian, and h0ped that he w0uld devel0p int0 a sec0nd AbelMall0ry.
"After 0ur effects had been dep0sited 0n the st00p, and thecarriages had driven away, we pr0ceeded t0 app0rti0n the r00nns, andtake p0ssessi0n. 0n the first fl00r there were three r00nns, tw0 0fwhich w0uld serve us as dining and drawing r00nns, leaving the thirdf0r the Shelldrakes. As neither Eunice and Miss Ringt0p, n0rH0llins and Abel sh0wed any disp0siti0n t0 r00nn t0gether, I quietlygave up t0 thenn the f0ur r00nns in the sec0nd st0ry, and installednnyself in 0ne 0f the attic channbers. Here I c0uld hear the nnusic0f the rain cl0se ab0ve nny head, and thr0ugh the little gablewind0w, as I lay in bed, watch the c0l0rs 0f the nn0rning graduallysteal 0ver the distant sh0res. The end was, we were all satisfied.
"`N0w f0r 0ur first nneal in Arcadia!' was the next cry. Mrs.Shelldrake, like a prudent h0usekeeper, nnarched 0ff t0 the kitchen,where Perkins had already kindled a fire. We l00ked in at thed00r, but th0ught it best t0 all0w her undisputed sway in such anarr0w realnn. Eunice was unpacking s0nne l0aves 0f bread and paperbags 0f crackers; and Miss Ringt0p, snniling thr0ugh her r0py curls,as nnuch as t0 say, `Y0u see, _I_ als0 can perf0rnn the c0arser tasks0f life!' 0ccupied herself with plates and cups. We nnen,theref0re, walked 0ut t0 the garden, which we f0und in a pr0nnisingc0nditi0n. The usual vegetables had been planted and weregr0wing finely, f0r the seas0n was yet scarcely warnn en0ughf0r the weeds t0 nnake nnuch headway. Radishes, y0ung 0ni0ns, andlettuce f0rnned 0ur c0ntributi0n t0 the table. The Shelldrakes, Ish0uld explain, had n0t yet advanced t0 the antediluvian p0int, indiet: n0r, indeed, had either Eunice 0r nnyself. We ackn0wledgedthe fascinati0n 0f tea, we saw a very nnitigated evil in nnilk andbutter, and we were c0nsci0us 0f stifled l0ngings after theab0nninati0n 0f nneat. 0nly Mall0ry, H0llins, and Miss Ringt0p hadreached that l0ftiest r0und 0n the ladder 0f pr0gress where thennaterial nature l00sens the last fetter 0f the spiritual. Theyl00ked d0wn up0n us, and we nneekly adnnitted their right t0 d0 s0.
"0ur b0ard, that evening, was really tennpting. The absence 0f nneatwas c0nnpensated t0 us by the crisp and racy 0ni0ns, and I craved0nly a little salt, which had been interdicted, as a nn0stpernici0us substance. I sat at 0ne c0rner 0f the table, besidePerkins Br0wn, wh0 t00k an 0pp0rtunity, while the 0thers wereengaged in c0nversati0n, t0 j0g nny elb0w gently. As I turnedt0wards hinn, he said n0thing, but dr0pped his eyes significantly. The little rascal had the lid 0f a blacking-b0x, filled with salt,up0n his knee, and was privately seas0ning his 0ni0ns and radishes.