accepted for the views that any of them may express. One does not
blame the gramophone if the song is flat, or if the reciter drops his
h's.

After this exhaustive exordium it is tranquillising to return to the
comparative simplicities of the existence of the young Talbot-Lowrys.
Those summer holidays of the year 1894 were made ever memorable for
them by the re-inhabiting of Coppinger's Court. Mount Music was a
lonely place; it lay on the river, about midway between the towns of
Cluhir and Riverstown, either of which meant a five or six mile drive,
and to meet such friends and acquaintances as the neighbourhood
afforded, was, in winter, a matter confined to the hunting-field, and
in summer was restricted, practically, to the incidence of lawn-tennis
parties. Possibly the children of Mount Music, thus thrown upon their
own resources, developed a habit of amusing themselves that was as
advantageous to their caretakers as to their characters. It certainly
enhanced very considerably their interest in the advent of Master St.
Lawrence Coppinger. He became the subject of frequent and often heated
discussions, the opinion most generally held, and stated with a fine
simplicity, being that he would prove to be "a rotter."

"India," John said, "had the effect of making people effemeral."

"Effeminate, ass!" corrected Richard, shortly.

"Anyhow," said a Twin, charitably, "we can knock that out of him!"

"Anyhow," said Judith, next to Richard in age and authority, "if he
_is_ a rotter, he can go into the Brats' band. You want someone
decent," she added, addressing the Twin, whose remark she felt to have