anches.
A pink-haunched monkey lopading across the road with a great show of
prudence seemed to have strayed into an unfamiliar country, and
the rustling twigs behind him made an episode of sound. The road in
perpetual curve between its little stone parapet and the broad flank of
the hill rose and fell under the deodars; Innes took its slopes and its
steepnesses with even, unslackened stride, aware of no difference, aware
of little indeed except the physical necessity of movement, spurred on
by a futile instinct that the end of his walk would be the end of his
trouble--his amazing, black, menacing trouble. A pony's trot behind him
struck through the silence like percussion-caps; all Jakko seemed to
echo with it; and it came nearer--insistent, purposeful--but he
was hardly aware of it until the creature pulled up beside him, and
Madeline, slipping quickly off, said--

'I'm coming too.'

He took off his hat and stared at her. She seemed to represent a climax.

'I'm coming too,' she said. 'I'm tired of picking flies off the Turk,
and he's really unbearable about them tonight. Here, syce.' She threw
the reins to the man and turned to Innes with a smile of relief. 'I
would much rather do a walk. Why--you want me to come too, don't you?'

His face was all one negative, and under the unexpectedness of it and
the amazement of it her questioning eyes slowly filled with sudden,
uncontrollable tears, so that she had to lower them, and look steadily
at the hoof-marks in the road while she waited for his answer.

'You know how I feel about seeing you--how glad I always am,' he
stammered. 'But there are reasons--'

'Reasons?' she repeated, half audibly.

'I don't know how to tell you. I will write. But let me put you up
again--'

'I will not,' Madeline said, with a sob, 'I won't be sent home like
a child. I am going to walk, but--but I can quite well go alone.' She
started forward, and her foot caught in her habit so that she made an
awkward stumble and came down on her knee. In rising she stumbled again,
and his quick arm was necessary. Looking down at her, he saw that she
was crying bitterly. The tension had lasted long, and the snap had come
when she least expected it.

'Stop,' Innes said, firmly, hardly daring to turn his head and ascertain
the blessed fact that they were still alone. 'Stop instantly. You
shall not go by yourself.' He flicked the dust off her habit with
his pocket-handkerchief. 'Come, please; we will g