s sister--charged
with it, too, by the real criminal.

"It is not true?" David asked quietly, and Tommy turned from him
glaring. "I am sorry I spoke of it, as it is not true," the doctor
said after a pause, the crow's-feet showing round his eyes as always
when he was in mental pain; and presently he went away, after giving
Tommy a contemptuous look. Did Tommy deserve that look? We must
remember that he had wanted to make the engagement public at once; if
he shrank from admitting it for the present, it was because of
Elspeth's plight. "Grizel, you might have given her a little time to
recover from this man's faithlessness," was what his heart cried. He
believed that Grizel had told David, and for the last time in his life
he was angry with her. He strode down the hill savagely towards Caddam
Wood, where he knew he should find her.

Soon he saw her. She was on one of the many tiny paths that lead the
stranger into the middle of the wood and then leave him there
maliciously or because they dare not venture any farther themselves.
They could play no tricks on Grizel, however, for she knew and was
fond of them all. Tommy had said that she loved them because they were
such little paths, that they appealed to her like babies; and perhaps
there was something in it.

She came up the path with the swing of one who was gleefully happy.
Some of the Thrums people, you remember, said that Grizel strutted
because she was so satisfied with herself, and if you like an ugly
word, we may say that she strutted to-day. It was her whole being
giving utterance to the joy within her that love had brought. As
Grizel came up the path on that bright afternoon, she could no more
have helped strutting than the bud to open on the appointed day. She
was obeying one of Nature's laws. I think I promised long ago to tell
you of the day when Grizel would strut no more. Well, this is the day.
Observe her strutting for the last time. It was very strange and
touching to her to remember in the after years that she had once
strutted, but it was still more strange and touching to Tommy.

She was like one overfilled with delight when she saw him. How could
she know that he was to strike her?

He did not speak. She was not displeased. When anything so tremendous
happened as the meeting of these two, how could they find words at
once?

She bent and pressed her lips to his sleeve; but he drew away with a
gesture that startled her.

"You are not angry?" s