nd
could neither walk nor fly. After the first thrill of recognition, the
light went out and she found herself absolutely indifferent. Not anger
touched her, nor pain. That the child of that perished passion should
play here, and laugh and be merry was poignant, but it did not move her
and she felt a sort of surprise that it should not. There was a time
when such an experience must have shaken her to the depths, plunged her
into some deep pang of soul and left indelible wounds; now, no such
thing happened.

She gazed mildly about her and almost smiled. Then she rose from her
seat on the carpenter's bench, went out and descended the staircase
again.

When she called him to a promised tea at an inn, Abel came at once. He
was weary and well content.

"I shall often come here," he said. "It's the best place I know--better
than the old kiln on North Hill. I could hide there and nobody find me,
and you could bring me food at night."

"What do you want to hide for, pretty?" she asked.

"I might," he answered and looked at her cautiously For a moment he
seemed inclined to say more, but did not.

After tea they set out for home, and the fate, which, through the
incident of the old store, had subtly prepared and paved a way to
something of greater import, sent Raymond Ironsyde. They had passed the
point at which the road from West Haven converges into that from
Bridport, and a man on horseback overtook them. They were all going in
the same direction and Abel, as soon as he saw who approached, left his
mother, went over a convenient gate upon their right and hastened up a
hedge. Thus he always avoided his father, and when blamed for so doing,
would silently endure the blame without explanation or any offer of
excuse. Raymond had seen him thus escape on more than one occasion, and
the incident, clashing at this moment upon his own thoughts, prompted
him to a definite and unusual thing. The opportunity was good; Sabina
walked alone, and if she rebuffed him, he could endure the rebuff.

He determined to speak to her and break a silence of many years. The
result he could not guess, but since he was actuated by friendly motives
alone, he hoped the sudden inspiration might prove fertile of good. At
worse she could only decline his advance and refuse to speak with him.

Their thoughts that day, unknown to each, had been upon the other and
there was some emotion in the man's voice when he spoke, though none in
hers when she answ