sages-at-love with women
beneath him. Though gentle, ambition was visible in his kindling eyes;
he evidently hoped for much; hoped indefinitely, but extensively.
Elfride was puzzled, and being puzzled, was, by a natural sequence of
girlish sensations, vexed with him. No more pleasure came in recognizing
that from liking to attract him she was getting on to love him, boyish
as he was and innocent as he had seemed.

They reached the bridge which formed a link between the eastern and
western halves of the parish. Situated in a valley that was bounded
outwardly by the sea, it formed a point of depression from which the
road ascended with great steepness to West Endelstow and the Vicarage.
There was no absolute necessity for either of them to alight, but as
it was the vicar's custom after a long journey to humour the horse in
making this winding ascent, Elfride, moved by an imitative instinct,
suddenly jumped out when Pleasant had just begun to adopt the deliberate
stalk he associated with this portion of the road.

The young man seemed glad of any excuse for breaking the silence. 'Why,
Miss Swancourt, what a risky thing to do!' he exclaimed, immediately
following her example by jumping down on the other side.

'Oh no, not at all,' replied she coldly; the shadow phenomenon at
Endelstow House still paramount within her.

Stephen walked along by himself for two or three minutes, wrapped in the
rigid reserve dictated by her tone. Then apparently thinking that it was
only for girls to pout, he came serenely round to her side, and offered
his arm with Castilian gallantry, to assist her in ascending the
remaining three-quarters of the steep.

Here was a temptation: it was the first time in her life that Elfride
had been treated as a grown-up woman in this way--offered an arm in a
manner implying that she had a right to refuse it. Till to-night she
had never received masculine attentions beyond those which might be
contained in such homely remarks as 'Elfride, give me your hand;'
'Elfride, take hold of my arm,' from her father. Her callow heart made
an epoch of the incident; she considered her array of feelings, for and
against. Collectively they were for taking this offered arm; the single
one of pique determined her to punish Stephen by refusing.

'No, thank you, Mr. Smith; I can get along better by myself'

It was Elfride's first fragile attempt at browbeating a lover. Fearing
more the issue of such an undertaking than wh