melancholy pleasure in contemplating the
sacrifice of herself to the man whom a maidenly sense of propriety
compelled her to regard as her only possible husband. She would meet
him, and do all that lay in her power to marry him. To guard against
a relapse, a note was at once despatched to his father's cottage for
Stephen on his arrival, fixing an hour for the interview.

Chapter XXI

'On thy cold grey stones, O sea!'

Stephen had said that he should come by way of Bristol, and thence by a
steamer to Castle Boterel, in order to avoid the long journey over the
hills from St. Launce's. He did not know of the extension of the railway
to Camelton.

During the afternoon a thought occurred to Elfride, that from any cliff
along the shore it would be possible to see the steamer some hours
before its arrival.

She had accumulated religious force enough to do an act of
supererogation. The act was this--to go to some point of land and watch
for the ship that brought her future husband home.

It was a cloudy afternoon. Elfride was often diverted from a purpose by
a dull sky; and though she used to persuade herself that the weather was
as fine as possible on the other side of the clouds, she could not bring
about any practical result from this fancy. Now, her mood was such that
the humid sky harmonized with it.

Having ascended and passed over a hill behind the house, Elfride came to
a small stream. She used it as a guide to the coast. It was smaller than
that in her own valley, and flowed altogether at a higher level. Bushes
lined the slopes of its shallow trough; but at the bottom, where the
water ran, was a soft green carpet, in a strip two or three yards wide.

In winter, the water flowed over the grass; in summer, as now, it
trickled along a channel in the midst.

Elfride had a sensation of eyes regarding her from somewhere. She
turned, and there was Mr. Knight. He had dropped into the valley from
the side of the hill. She felt a thrill of pleasure, and rebelliously
allowed it to exist.

'What utter loneliness to find you in!'

'I am going to the shore by tracking the stream. I believe it empties
itself not far off, in a silver thread of water, over a cascade of great
height.'

'Why do you load yourself with that heavy telescope?'

'To look over the sea with it,' she said faintly.

'I'll carry it for you to your journey's end.' And he took the glass
from her unresisting hands. 'It cannot be half a