! She had not, indeed,
had much--if put into a corner and made to confess to bare and
literal truth, not any--experience, that is personal and practical
experience, of such matters,--if, indeed, such matters are capable of
being brought to the test of such a word as practical. But she had
read much about them--in search of truth, and right and fitting books
to be admitted to the school library--and she knew all about it. And
here, unless she, Henrietta Penny, was very much mistaken, was a
veritable live love-affair budding and blossoming--at least she hoped
it would blossom--before her very eyes. Budding it undoubtedly was, on
one side at all events, and blossom it certainly should if she could
help it on; for he had ripply hair, and deep attractive eyes, and a
frank open face, and she liked him.

They were suddenly in the shade, threading a narrow cutting between
high gorse-topped banks of crumbly yellow rock. Then, without any
warning, the rock-walls fell away. They were out into the sunshine
again, and in front stretched a wavering rock path, the narrow crown
of a ridge whose sides sank sharply out of sight. From somewhere far
away below came the surge and rush of many waters.

"This is the Coupee," said Graeme, as the dogs raced across. "Over
there is Little Sark."

"It is grand!" said Margaret, gazing at the huge rock buttresses whose
loins came up through the white foam three hundred feet below.

"It's awful!" said Miss Penny. "You're never going across, Mr.
Graeme?" as he strolled on along the narrow ridge.

"Surely! Why not? It's perfectly safe. There was a wooden railing at
this side, but it fell over about a fortnight ago, and at present the
good folks of Little Sark and Big Sark are discussing who ought to put
up a new one. I happened to be sitting over there when it fell. A
party of visitors came down the cutting here, and one was just going
to lean on the railing, to look down into the gulf there, when he had
the sense to try it first with his foot and it went with a crash, and
they got a scare and went back to the hotel to eat lobsters. It was
really useless as protection, but it made one feel safer to have it
there."

"It's horrible," said Miss Penny emphatically.

"Safe as London Bridge, if you'll only believe it. It's a good four
feet wide. The school children used to trot over when it was not more
than two and a half."

"And none of them fell over?"

"Never a one. Why should they?"

"Meg,