Chapter 40 Summary

A call comes in from a farm in the Dales to check on a calf with a bad leg. Herriot arrives at the farm, but at first he doesn't find anyone. He finally checks inside the house, and he meets a pretty girl named Helen Alderson who is making bread. She offers to take Herriot to the calf, and they start the long trek up the hill to the barn.

Herriot examines the calf and applies a cast to fix the broken leg, promising to return in thirty days to remove it. Before he leaves, he talks with Helen and they enjoy the beautiful countryside around them. He ends up telling Helen his life story, and he realizes that he has not talked with a girl his own age in a very long time. He is attracted to Helen, but he is too...