awkes to-day. Did you see Kenneth
there, too? I fancied I saw him in the distance.'

'Yes,' I said, seeing she wished to turn to other subjects; 'I am
afraid he will never let me forget it. I wish he were not such a
tease. He would misunderstand me, or pretend to do so. I shall not
hear the last of it for a long time, I know.'

Miss Rayner laughed. 'I suppose he could not understand seeing you
acting such a different role from your usual one. Never mind, child.
Words do not break bones. Let him have the enjoyment of it. Perhaps
this afternoon's exploit may have given you a taste for the
hunting-field? Is it so?'

I shook my head. 'No, I don't think I shall want to mount Rawdon again
while I am here. I could never trust him.'

That night I could not sleep, or get Miss Rayner's story out of my
head. She only gave me the bare facts, but I could supply much that
was not told. I could see that all her likes and dislikes were strong
ones. Her affection for him had been no light girlish fancy, but had
deepened, I could not help thinking, since separation. I wondered if
he still thought of her, and whether the blank had been as great in his
life as in hers. But then I remembered that he had what she had not--a
satisfied soul and an unseen personal Friend. I felt a great pity for
her. I knew from what I had heard from others that she had withdrawn
herself from society for many years, and rightly conjectured that when
the one she really cared about was no longer to be met there, it failed
to satisfy or amuse her. And I longed that even yet she might find the
same Saviour as he had, and become satisfied in the same way.
Earnestly did I pray that she might be led to seek for this, and that
if it was God's will that earthly happiness should be denied her, she
still might be filled with the joy and peace 'which passes
understanding' from above.

CHAPTER XI

A DIFFERENT ATMOSPHERE

'And I should fear, but lo! amid the press,
The whirl and hum and pressure of my day,
I hear Thy garments sweep, Thy seamless dress,
And close beside my work and weariness
Discern Thy gracious form, not far away,
But very near, O Lord, to help and bless.'--_Susan Coolidge._

My visit to Miss Rayner now drew to a close. I was really sorry to
leave her, and I think she was sorry to part with me. It was a strange
friendship between us. She was far beyond me in knowledge of the world
and in intellect, and y