Happiness is something to do with simplicity and it is the ability to get pleasure from the simplest things—such as a peach stone, for instance.

It is¡¡1¡¡that it is nothing to do with¡¡2¡¡. But Sir Henry Stewart was¡¡3¡¡successful. It was twenty years ago since he came down to our village from London, and bought a¡¡4¡¡of old cottages, which he had¡¡5¡¡.¡¡

I remember¡¡6¡¡ten yea rs ago when he was made a King’s Counsel, Amos and I, seeing him get off the London train, went to¡¡7¡¡him. We grinned with pleasure;¡¡he merely looked as¡¡8¡¡as though he’d received a p enal¡¡9¡¡. He took his success as a child does his¡¡10¡¡. And not one of his¡¡11¡¡brought even a ghost of a smile to his tired eyes. He often said the only¡¡12¡¡in achieving one ’s ambition was that you then¡¡ 13¡¡that they were not worth achieving.¡¡

I recall this¡¡14¡¡, for yesterday, I was passing his house, and had drawn up my cart just outside his garden wall. I suddenly heard a shout of sheer joy come from the other side of the wall.¡¡

“Come and see, Jan. Look! I have done it at last! ”

There he was, ¡¡15¡¡a small box of earth in his hand. I observed three¡¡16¡¡shoots out of it. “And there were only three! ” he said, his eyes¡¡17¡¡to heaven.¡¡