"That's right," he said, nodding his head in a satisfied way. "That's
what I want. You don't know much yet, but you will. If I was to set
one of those men to do that he'd have knocked off half the buds, and--
what have you been doing there?"
"I tied up those two flower-stems," I said. "Wasn't it right, sir?"
"Right and wrong, my lad," he said, whipping out his knife and cutting
them free. "Look here."
He took a piece of wet matting--a mere strip--and tied them up again,
with his big fingers moving so quickly and cleverly that I wondered.
"There, that's the way. Looks the same as you did it, eh?"
"Yes," I said, smiling.
"No, it isn't. You tied yours in front of the stem, with an ugly knot
to rub and fret it, and make a sore place when the windows were open.
I've put a neat band round mine, and the knot rests on the stick."
"Oh, I see!" I cried.
"Yes, Grant, there's a right way and a wrong way, and somehow the
natural way is generally the wrong. Never saw one tried, but I believe
if you took a savage black and told him to get up on a horse, he would
go on the wrong side, put his left foot in the stirrup, and throw his
right leg over, and come down sitting with his face to the tail.
Breakfast."
"What! so soon?" I said.
"Soon! Why, it's past eight."
I was astounded, the time had gone so quickly; and soon after I was
saying "good morning" to Mrs Solomon, and partaking of the plain meal.
"Well?" said Mrs Solomon in her cold impassive way.
Mr Solomon was so busy with a piece of cold bacon and some bread that
he did not look up, and Mrs Solomon waited patiently till he raised his
head and gave her a nod.
"I am glad," she said, giving a sigh as if she were relieved; and then
she turned to me and looked quite pleasantly at me, and taking my cup,
refilled it with coffee, and actually smiled.
"Notice the missus?" said Mr Solomon, as, after a glance at his big
silver watch, he had suddenly said "Harpusate," and led the way to the
vineries.
"Notice Mrs Brownsmith?" I said.
"Yes; see anything about her?"
"I thought she looked better this morning than she did last night. Was
she ill?"
"Yes," he said shortly. "Get them steps."
I fetched them steps, and thought that a gardener might just as well
be grammatical.
He opened them out, and opening his knife, cut a few strands of matting
ready, stuck them under one of his braces, after taking off his coat,
and then climbed up to the top to tie in a long green cane of the
grape-vine.