spring."

Then, for the first time the old man had a look of fear, almost of
revolt.

"Lassie," he cried, "ye have no knowledge of what you ask. Bide where
you are, and go your way backward from this side of the moat."

He bent toward us as if whispering, though he had no need, all being
clear behind and around us for a long way on every side.

"There are folk that are not canny on yon side of the moat!" he said,
with the same curious shrinking look over his shoulder. "I can hardly
manage them myself!"

"Nonsense," said Elsie, "take us across, and be done with it. Is it
not your own land, your own flowers, and I your nearest of kin?"

"Aye," said the old man, shaking his head, "it will be true enough. Ye
mind me of Bell's mother--my wife that was. God rest her soul--and her
tongue! Ye are never a Stennis. And High Heaven pity the man that is
going to run away with you, as I did with your grandam!"

Elsie indicated me with her thumb.

"Joe is," she said coolly.

The Golden Farmer turned and looked me over from head to foot, and I
own that with the thought of all we had seen and all that we might yet
see, I shook like a leaf. I never had Elsie's assurance, or, more
properly, cheek, but followed obediently, and I must own that generally
it came out all right when I did as Elsie told me.

"Then I pity him," quoth her grandfather, grimly; "but since you will,
follow me."

And he led the way, first to the tree where he had tethered his beast,
and afterwards to the narrow wooden bridge, like a drawbridge in
chivalry books, which spans the oily black water of the moat.

I came behind with Elsie. All the time I kept putting my hand on her
arm to stop her. For I believed that we should never, never cross that
bridge again. If Elsie had no fear of her grandfather, I had! And
besides, there was Jeremy Orrin with his big knife. Such at least was
the idea that kept recurring to my disturbed brain. I could see him
swimming the moat with it yet, wild to get at us. There were also the
mad sisters, and all the linked terrors of Deep Moat Grange.

But not the least bit of notice did Elsie take. She shook my hand off
her arm, and told me that if I was afraid I could go back to the school
green and play marbles with the little boys.

So of course I said no more, but came meekly behind Elsie, and she
followed her grandfather. He was leading his horse, that lifted its
feet gingerly at the crossing of the woo