I can't"--(as he emitted an
expostulatory "Oh, I say!") "I have made up my mind. You always called
me your tyrant, don't you remember? Well, it's no use fighting against
your tyrant now."

"All right." A happy idea occurred, and Val made shift to acquiesce
indifferently. "Very glad to have had the pleasure of meeting you
to-day, and so forth; and now I must go back to grandmother, and I
daresay we shan't see each other again for months."

"Not--for--months?"

"Perhaps not this winter. I may be going away from home. I daresay I
shall. It's beastly dull at our place, and there's nothing going on
anywhere hereabouts."

"But, Val?"--the shot had told; she was plainly disconcerted. "Going
away?"--she faltered.

"Very likely I shall. I haven't made up my mind where, but----"

"But you never do go. What should you go for now?"

"A fellow must have change. Many fellows go abroad regularly. I know a
fellow who is going to hunt in Spain."

"What on earth should you do hunting in Spain, Val?"

She could not help it, she laughed outright at the idea. Val in Spain?
Val, who knew no country, no sport, no language but his own? A
glimmering of the truth dawned on Leo.

"I should think Spain was a very nice place to go to," observed she,
regaining her composure, "a very nice place indeed."

But their eyes met, and the farce could be kept up no longer.

"You want to make me feel that I should miss you, and I _should_ miss
you," cried Leo, finding her tongue first. "I should be very, very
sorry, now that we've met and met as old friends, and understand each
other so well, to think that all through the long winter months you were
to be far away,--so don't think of it, Val; you can't, you simply
mustn't. And though I can't and won't do anything secret, I shall tell
them at home straight out that I met you to-day--accidentally, for it
was accidentally--and that we had a talk--they can't be angry with me
for that,--and then, whether any one looks at me or not, I'll say
boldly: 'So in future there will be no need for me to get out of Val
Purcell's way'. There, that's settled. Here's your short cut, and I'll
run home across these fields. Good-bye, and--and thank you, Val."

She was off, and though for a moment he thought of running after her, a
glance at his watch stopped him.

It was already past one o'clock and though for himself he had nothing to
fear if late for luncheon, since his grandmother was accustomed to
unpunctuali