h the main living-rooms of the house, and with a side entrance
from the park, by which visitors on estate matters were admitted.

A man was sitting waiting for Miss Bremerton. He was the new tenant
of the derelict farm, on the Holme Wood side of the estate, and he
had come to report on the progress which had been made in clearing
and ploughing the land, and repairing the farm-buildings. He was a
youngish man, a sergeant in a Warwickshire regiment, who had been
twice wounded in the war, and was now discharged. As the son of an
intelligent farmer, he had had a good agricultural training, and it
was evident that his enthusiasms and those of the Squire's new
'business-secretary' were running in harness.

The new agent, Captain Dell, also a discharged Territorial, who had
lost an arm in the war, watched the scene between the incoming
tenant and Elizabeth, with a shrewd pair of eyes, through which
there passed occasional gleams of amusement or surprise. He was
every day making further acquaintance with the lady who was
apparently to be his chief, but he was well aware that he was only
at the beginning of his lesson. Astonishing, to see a woman taking
this kind of lead!--asking these technical questions--as to land,
crops, repairs, food production, and the rest--looking every now and
then at the note-book beside her, full of her own notes made on the
spot, or again, setting down with a quick hand something that was
said to her. And all through he was struck with her tone of quiet
authority--without a touch of boasting or 'side,' but also without a
touch of any mere feminine deference to the male. She was there in
the Squire's place, and she never let it be forgotten. Heavens,
women had come on during this war! Through the young man's mind
there ran a vague and whirling sense of change.

'Well, Mr. Denman, that all sounds splendid!' said Elizabeth, at
last, as she rose from her table. 'The country won't starve, if you
can help it! I shall tell the County Committee all about you on
Tuesday. You don't want another tractor?'

'Oh, no, thank you! The two at work are enough. I hope you'll be
over soon. I should like to show you what we've been after.' The
man's tone was one of eager good will.

'Oh yes, I shall be over before long,' said Elizabeth cheerfully.
'It's so tremendously interesting what you're doing. And if you want
anything I can help you in, you can always telephone.'

And she pointed smiling to the instrument on