ll, of course, you know I thank you--"

She stopped, for Kit, who turned his head for a moment turned it back and
looked straight in front. He durst not trust himself to speak, and they
went on silently.

CHAPTER XII

OSBORN INTERFERES

When Grace and Kit had gone a short distance they heard voices and a
rattle of sticks in the wood, but the noise got fainter and she imagined
the beaters were moving the other way. Ferrars, who shot at the woodcock,
had probably not had time to tell Osborn about his carelessness, and it
looked as if nobody else had been posted near the road. This was
something of a relief, but Grace felt anxious. A gate not far off led to
a drive in the wood, and she thought she had heard Osborn's voice.

She kept on the belt of grass, which got narrower, so that the path ran
close to the hedge. On the opposite side, a clump of silver-firs threw
a shadow across the road, and a patch of pale-yellow sky shone behind
an opening in the trees. The stiff fir-branches cut sharply against the
glow, but where she and Kit were the light was dim. For all that, she
stopped abruptly when a man came out of the wood and turned, as if to
look up the road. It was Osborn and she thought she knew for whom he
was looking.

Grace's judgment failed her. She pushed Kit towards the beech hedge and
they stepped into a small hollow among the withered leaves. Kit like
Grace, had not had time for thought, but as Osborn, looking straight in
front, went past, he felt he had done wrong. For one thing, it was rather
shabby to hide and his doing so reflected on his companion. The feeling
got stronger as Osborn went up the road, and Kit was sorry he had given
way to a cowardly impulse. Yet since he had hidden, he must wait.

After a few moments, Grace turned her head and Kit saw her face was
flushed. It was obvious that she felt much as he felt. She had prompted
him to hide, but she had done so in sudden alarm and he ought to have
kept cool and thought for both, particularly since it was getting plain
that Osborn was looking for them. The latter stopped, hesitated, and came
back, and Grace turned sharply to Kit. Her look was strained, but he got
a hint of haughtiness and resolve. He made a sign that he understood, and
knew he had done well when he moved back from the hedge. A moment's
hesitation would have cost him the girl's respect. They waited in the
road and Kit's heart beat fast, but not with fear.

Osborn stopped a