It was settled by a note which Harriet obligingly carried to the Uncle.
DEAREST UNCLE—There are some pinky seeds in the drawing-room. May we have seven to sow?
So, very early next morning they got up. Bathing seven times is no joke, especially when you dry thoroughly between, and this Caroline conscientiously insisted on. ‘We must be _quite_ sure we get it _quite_ right,’ she said.
The four children met, by appointment, at the top of the stairs and crept down in silence. They went out by the French window which had once admitted Rupert. When they were outside, he said, ‘I bathed seven times too, because Charles did nothing but bother. But it’s no good _my_ sowing the things, even if it’s all true. Because I haven’t faith in my heart, or my head either. I think really it’s the head’s fault.’
‘Oh, never mind your head,’ said Charlotte; ‘we’ll all sow one each, and the three over we’ll put in all together—all of us.’
The grass was still dewy-wet, but the gardener was at work in the Wonderful Garden. The children went through the ancient formula of ‘ena dena dina dus,’ to decide who should approach him, and the lot fell on Charlotte.
‘Please,’ she said, ‘may we have a bit of garden for our own?’
‘Ay,’ said the gardener, pointing to a vacant plot near the arbour.
‘Oh, thank you,’ said Charlotte, ‘but mayn’t we have a bit in the garden of peace?’
‘Who learned you to call it that?’ the gardener asked, looking at her strangely.
‘It’s the right name, isn’t it?’ Charlotte asked with sudden anxiety.
‘It’s the right name right enough,’ he admitted.
‘We want a bit that won’t be disturbed for seven weeks,’ Charlotte explained, and he looked at her more strangely than ever.
Charlotte opened her hand and he stooped and looked at it. Then he stood up and saluted like a soldier.
‘Why——’ said Charlotte, ‘you—what do you mean?’
‘Nothing!’ he said, straightening his back; ‘only I worked here all my days, and my father afore me, and his father afore him, and so on back. You can see our names on the stones in the churchyard, same as you see Master’s people’s names on the tombs inside of the church. I’ll find a corner for you, my dear, and no one shan’t disturb the seed, once you’ve set it. You know how it’s done? No chatter, and which way to look?’