s, came almost personally and presented themselves to
her, and in her heart, growing with every moment of passing time, was
her hatred of Rachel and, from that, tenderness for Roddy, who could
thus be left, so pathetically unhappy, so eloquently without words that
might express his unhappiness.

Something she knew was soon to occur that would involve all three of
them in a common crisis.

It was almost as though she must leap to her feet and cry to the
startled and innocent Roddy, "Look out!" her finger pointing at the
closed door behind him.

Meanwhile Roddy had been considering her. She said that she envied him
the place. That was pleasant of her, and he warmed to the urgency with
which she had said it. If she felt in that way about such things, why
then, all the more, he thought, he could speak to her about his trouble
with Rachel. Perhaps, too, although this he would not admit to
himself--his conviction that Lizzie disliked Rachel gave him more
courage.

Everyone thought Rachel so wonderful--wonderful of course she was, but a
complete sense of that wonder must blind the looker-on to Roddy's point
of view.

"Places," he said moodily, "ain't everythin'--course _I_ love this old
bit o' ground, but when you love anything a lot you're disappointed
because every feller don't see it exactly as you do."

Lizzie looked at him.

"I should have thought, though, Sir Roderick, that you were a very, very
happy person."

Roddy considered, then slowly shook his head--"No, Miss Rand, not
exactly--no, you know, I shouldn't say that exactly--but then, I
suppose, no man on this earth is absolutely happy."

"Well," said Lizzie, "a great many people would envy you--your health,
your home, your wife, you've got a good deal, Sir Roderick."

As she spoke her anxiety to help him seized and held her. He wanted
advice so badly, advice that she could give him, and this English strain
in him prevented him from speaking. Had she gone more deeply into her
motives she would have known that her anger with Rachel, even more
actively prompted, it seemed, by the stones and the fields and the hills
around her, was urging her interference.

"People envy me," said Roddy, "but then, Miss Rand, people don't know.
It's all my own fault, mind you, that I'm not perfectly happy. It's all
because I'm such a fool, not able to see what people are gettin' at,
always blunderin' in at the wrong moment and blunderin' out again when I
ought to be stayin'