His dark face was flushed and enthusiastic.  He came straight to Peter, and held out his hand.

“A thousand welcomes, Sir Peter.  Lady Mary, I congratulate you.  I came up in my dog-cart as fast as possible, to let you know the people are turning out en masse to welcome you.  They’re assembling at the Crewys Arms, and going to hurry up to the house in a regular procession, band and all.”

“We’re proud of our young hero, you see,” said the canon; and he laid his hand affectionately on Peter’s shoulder.

“You will have to say a few words to them,” said Lady Mary.

“Must I?” said the hero.  “Let’s go out on the terrace and see what’s going on.  We can watch them the whole way up.”

He opened the door into the south drawing-rooms; and through the open windows there floated the distant strains of the village band.

“Canon, your arm,” said Lady Belstone.

Lady Mary and her son had hastened out on to the terrace.

The old ladies paused in the doorway; they were particular in such matters.

“I believe I take precedence, Georgina,” said Lady Belstone, apologetically.

“I am far from disputing it, Isabella,” said Miss Crewys, drawing back with great dignity.  “You are the elder.”

“Age does not count in these matters.  I take precedence, as a married woman.  Will you bring up the rear, Georgina, as my poor admiral would have said?”

Miss Crewys bestowed a parting toss of the head upon the doctor, and followed her victorious sister.

The doctor laughed silently to himself, standing in the pretty shady drawing-room; now gay with flowers, and chintz, and Dresden china.

“I wonder if she would not have been even more annoyed with my presumption if I had offered her my arm,” he said to himself, amusedly, “than she is offended by my neglect to do so?”

He did not follow the others into the blinding sunshine of the terrace.  He had had a long morning’s work, and was hot and tired.  He looked at his watch.

“Past one o’clock; h’m! we are lucky if we get anything to eat before half-past two.  All the servants have run out, of course.  No use ringing for whisky and seltzer.  All the better.  But, at least, one can rest.”

The pleasantness of the room refreshed his spirit.  The interior of his own house in Brawnton was not much more enticing than the exterior.  The doctor had no time to devote to such matters.  He sat down very willingly in a big armchair, and enjoyed a moment’s quiet in the shade; glancing through the half-closed green shutters at the brilliant picture without.

The top level of the terrace garden was carpeted with pattern beds of heliotrope, and lobelia, and variegated foliage.  Against the faint blue-green of the opposite hill rose the grey stone urns on the pillars of the balcony; and from the urns hung trailing ivy geraniums with pink or scarlet blossom, making splashes of colour on the background of grey distance.  Round the pillars wound large blue clematis, and white passion-flowers.