t her kindly just now, for the idea of losing her made them
suddenly conscious that she would be very much missed. Mrs Greenways
watched her with anxiety, and there was a new softness in her way of
speaking; her old friends, Molly and Ben, were eager in showing their
goodwill, and Agnetta, in spite of the approaching excitement of Bella's
wedding, found time to enquire many times during the day if Lilac "had
made up her mind."

"Of course you meant to go from the first," she said at length. "Well,
I don't blame you, but you might 'a said so to an old friend like me."

The only person at the farm who was sincerely indifferent to Lilac's
choice was Bella.

"It won't make any matter to me whether you're here or there," she said
candidly; "but there's no doubt it'll make a difference to Ma. There's
some as would call it demeaning to go out to service, but I don't look
at it like that. Of course if it was me or Agnetta it wouldn't be
thought of; but I agree with Pa that it's right you should choose for
yourself."

So no one helped Lilac, and the days passed and the last one came, while
she was still as far as ever from deciding. Escaping from the chatter
and noises inside the house she went out towards evening into the garden
for a little peace and quietness. She wanted to be alone and think it
over for the last time; after that she would go to Mrs Leigh and tell
her what she meant to do, and then all the worry would be over. She
strolled absently along, with the same tiresome question in her mind,
through the untidy bushy garden, past Peter's flower bed, gay with
chrysanthemums and Michaelmas daisies, until she came to the row of
beehives, silent, deserted-looking dwellings now with only one or two
languid inhabitants to be seen crawling torpidly about the entrances.
Lilac sat down on the cherry-tree stump opposite them, and, for a moment
leaving the old subject, her mind went back to the spring evening when
Peter had cut the bunch of flowers for her, and let the bees crawl over
his fingers. She smiled to herself as she remembered how suddenly he
had gone away without giving her the nosegay at all. Poor Peter! she
understood him better now. As she thought this there was a click of the
gate leading into the field, she turned her head, and there was Peter
himself coming towards her with his dog Sober at his heels.

During this past week Peter as well as Lilac had been turning things
over a great deal in his min