of the Sark girls, and Sark forthwith burst into flower of many-coloured
parasols.

The mine ladies dressed in printed cottons of strange and wonderful
patterns. The Sark girls must do the same.

"Tiens!" ejaculated Nance more than once, as they walked. "Here is Judi
Le Masurier with a new pink parasol!--and a straw bonnet with green
strings!--and every day you'll see her about the fields without so much
as a sun-bonnet on! And Rachel Guille has got a new print dress all red
roses and lilac! Mon Gyu, what are we coming to!"

She had many such comments and still more unspoken ones. But Stephen
Gard, glancing, whenever he could do so unperceived, at the trim but
plainly-dressed little sun-bonneted figure by his side, vowed in his
heart that the whole of these others rolled into one were not to be
compared with her, and that he would give all the silver in the mines of
Sark to win her appreciation and regard.

As they turned the corner at Vauroque, they came suddenly on a number of
men lounging on the low wall, and among them Tom Hamon, pipe in mouth
and hands in pockets.

As they passed he made some jocular remark in the patois which provoked
a guffaw from the rest, and reddened Nance's face, and caused Bernel to
glance up at Gard and jerk round angrily towards Tom.

"What did he say?" asked Gard, stopping.

But Nance hurried on and he could not but follow.

"What was it?" he asked again, as he caught up with her.

"If you please, do not mind him. It was just one of his rudenesses."

"They want knocking out of him."

"He is very rude," said Nance, and they passed the Vicarage and turned
up the stony lane to the church.

Gard was surprised by the speedy verification of Bernel's weather
forecast. Before the service was over the wind was howling round the
building with the sounds of unleashed furies, and when they got out it
was almost dark.

They bent to the gale and pressed on, Gard with a discomforting
remembrance that the Coupee lay ahead.

As they passed Vauroque there seemed a still larger crowd of loafers at
the corner, and again Tom's voice called rudely after them.

Gard turned promptly and strode back to where he was sitting on the
wall, dangling his feet in devil-may-care fashion. Tom jumped down to
meet him.

"Say that again in English, will you?" said Gard angrily.

"Go to--!" said Tom.

Then Gard's left fist caught him on the hinge of the right jaw, and he
reeled back among the others who