e to be replenished.
Dinah had returned and brought her a cup of tea before she had
finished. "I should not be surprised if they all had tea at the
vicarage," she observed, and Elizabeth assented.

But a little later, as she stood on the terrace with a few sprays of
lilac in her hand, which she meant to carry off to her own room, she
heard Cedric's laugh distinctly from the drive. Her cheeks burned
suddenly and a curious revulsion came over her. She had not expected
them back so soon: she was not ready to meet them. She glanced at the
drawing-room windows behind her. It would not do to go in that way;
they would come face to face in the hall. She would go down to the
Pool; no one would look for her there. He--Mr. Herrick--had never once
been there since that day. She knew how he avoided the place. Yes, she
would be safe there, and could get cool and collect her thoughts, and
to-night she would behave better and sing some of the old songs.
Elizabeth was half over the rustic bridge as she made this resolution;
then she walked quickly through the little gap which led to the shady
pool, with its moss-grown boulders; but the next minute she recoiled in
absolute terror. Some one was standing there, gazing down into the
still water, with bent head and folded arms. It was Malcolm!

She would have crept away; but at the sound of her footsteps he turned
round, and her retreat was cut off. "You quite startled me, Mr.
Herrick," she said rather nervously; "I thought you never came here."
It was the last thing she ought to have said, but she was confused by
the sudden surprise. A faint smile crossed Malcolm's pale face.

"You are right," he said in a curious undertone, "I have never seen it
since that day, three and a half years ago. But it has haunted me: more
than once I have dreamt of it--such foolish dreams! You were Ophelia,
and the water-weeds were strangling you and dragging you down, and I
was trying to help you."

"Well," with a forced laugh, "did you succeed in saving me?"

"I think not; I have a fancy that you told me that you preferred
strangling to my help. Oh, it was only a dream," as Elizabeth looked
rather horrified at this; "my dreams of the Pool were never happy ones."

Elizabeth made no reply to this--perhaps words were a little difficult
at the moment. But as Malcolm said no more, she observed presently--"I
suppose you thought you could exorcise the nightmares by seeing the
place again?" Then he turned round