having
compelled her, it had withdrawn and left her to carry the consequences.
Strangely confused in her sentimental soul was her terror of Jeremy's
wrath and her own picture of the wretched Hamlet barking his heart
out, frightened, thirsty, and lonely. Her teeth began to chatter; she
clenched her hands together.

Miss Jones went across the courtyard, calling:

"Hamlet! Hamlet!"

The family was collected, having just sat down to tea, so that the
announcement received its full measure of excitement.

"Has Hamlet come back? We thought he was ahead of us."

A chair had tumbled over. Jeremy had run round the table to Miss Jones.

"What's that? Hamlet? Where is he?"

"We thought he must be ahead of us. He ran past us down the road, and we
thought--"

They thought! Silly women! Jeremy, as though he were challenging a god,
stood up against Miss Jones, hurling questions at her. Where had they
been? What road had they taken? Had they gone into the wood? Whereabouts
had he run past them?

"I don't know," said Miss Jones to this last. "I didn't see him. Mary
did."

Jeremy turned upon Mary. "Where was it you saw him?"

She couldn't speak. Her tongue wouldn't move, her lips wouldn't open;
she could but waggle her head like an idiot. She saw nothing but his
face. It was a desperate face. She knew so much better than all the
others what the thought of losing Hamlet was to him. It was part of the
harshness of her fate that she should understand him so much better than
the others did.

But she herself had not realised how hardly he would take it.

"I didn't--I couldn't--"

"There's the dog-man," he stammered. "He'll have stolen him." Then he
was off out of the room in an instant.

And that was more than Mary could hear. She realised, even as she
followed him, that she was giving her whole case away, that she was now,
as always, weak when she should be strong, soft when she should be hard,
good when she should be wicked, wicked when she should be good. She
could not help herself. With trembling limbs and a heart that seemed to
be hammering her body into pieces she followed him out. She found him in
the hall, tugging at his coat.

"Where are you going?" she said weakly.

"Going?" he answered fiercely. "Where do you think?" He glared at her.
"Just like you." He broke off, suddenly appealing to her. "Mary, CAN'T
you remember? It will be getting dark soon, and if we have to wait
until to-morrow the dog-man will have g