92 History of Gutia-Percha Wiltte.

tween them. Within the next fortnight Willie
discovered that as often as the stream ran through
the garden, the little brook in which he had set his
water-wheel going was nearly dry.

He had soon made a nice little channel for it, so
that it should not get into any of the beds. He
laid down turf along its banks in some parts, and
sowed grass and daisy-seed in others; and when
he found a pretty stone or shell, or bit of coloured
glass or bright crockery or broken mirror, he
would always throw it in, that the water might
have the prettier path to run upon. Indeed, he
emptied his store of marbles into it. He was not
particularly fond of playing with marbles, but he
had a great fancy for those of real white marble
with lovely red streaks, and had collected some
twenty or thirty of them. He kept them in the
brook now, instead of in a calico bag.

The summer was a very hot anddry one. More
than any of the rest of the gardens in the village,
that of The Ruins suffered from such weather ; for
not only was there a deep gravel-bed under its
mould, but a good part of its produce grew on
the mounds, which were mostly heaps of stones,
and neither gravel nor stones could retain much
moisture. Willie watered it a good deal out of
the Prior’s Well ; but it was hard work, and did
not seem to be of much use.

One evening, when he had set the little brook