easeless procession through her brain,
and through them all she was persistently and fruitlessly striving to
persuade Jeff to let her go.

In the late afternoon she awoke suddenly to the sound of men's voices in
the room below her, and started up in nameless fear.

"Were you wanting anything, my dearie?" asked Granny Grimshaw, from a
chair by the fire.

"Who is that talking?" she asked nervously.

"It's Master Jeff and a visitor," said the old woman. "Now, don't you
bother your head about them! I'm going along to get you some tea."

She bustled away with the words, and Doris lay back, listening with
every nerve stretched. Her husband's deep voice was unmistakable, but
the other she could not distinguish. Only after a while there came the
sounds of movement, the opening of a door.

When that happened she sprang swiftly from the bed to her own door, and
softly opened it.

Two men stood in the hall below. Slipping out on to the landing, she
leaned upon the banisters in the darkness and looked down. Even as she
did so, a voice she knew well came up out of the gloom--a kindly,
well-bred voice that spoke with a slight drawl.

"I shouldn't be downhearted, Ironside. Remember, no one is cornered so
long as he can turn round and go back. It's the only thing to do when
you know you've taken a wrong turning."

Doris caught her breath. Her fingers gripped the black oak rail. She
listened in rigid expectancy for Jeff's answer. But no answer came.

In a moment Hugh's voice came again, still calm and friendly. "I'm going
away directly. The Squire has been ordered to the South for the rest of
the winter, and I've promised to go with him. I suppose we shall start
some time next week. May I look in and say 'Good-bye'?"

There was a pause. The girl on the landing above waited tensely for
Jeff's answer. It came at last slowly, in a tone that was not
unfriendly, but which did not sound spontaneous. "You can do as you
like, Chesyl. I have no objection."

"All right, then. Good-bye for the present! I hope when I do come I
shall find that all's well. All will be well in the end, eh, Jeff?"

There was a touch of feeling in the question that made Doris aware that
the speaker had gripped her husband's hand.

But again there was a pause before the answer came, heavily, it seemed
reluctantly: "Yes, it'll be all right for her in the end. Good-bye!"

The front-door opened; they went out into the porch together. And Doris
slipped back