During the whole of this conversation further roars of laughter had been coming from the billiard-room at intervals. Lydia was pleased that Lord Stoke, whose celebrity in the cow world had impressed her, was being such a success and wondered what he was saying. Sergeant Hopkins, satisfied that the kitten was not implicated, thought the boys were enjoying themselves and told Lydia more about himself and his nice little greengrocery business in Northbridge which his mother was carrying on while he was in the Army. His mother, he said, was a rare one at business and up at half-past five every morning, summer and winter.
“She’s always at me to marry again, miss,” he said, “but it seems to take the heart out of a fellow when his wife dies. A bit like Mrs. Crockett, she was, miss, but not so ch
