dwelling for a moment on the picture of the two with a
certain artistic satisfaction. Rose, in her plain, almost poor,
clinging black clothes was, as always, amazingly graceful; he felt, not
for the first time, as if her every movement were music.

"But that girl is handsome. How she looked into Rose's face, the amazing
little devil!--she is plucky."

Then he caught himself up abruptly; it was no use to talk nonsense to
himself. The point was how to keep these two apart and how short Mrs.
Delaport Green's visit might be made.

"Unluckily Monday is a Bank holiday, but they shall not be asked to stay
one hour after the 10.30 train on Tuesday if I have to take them away
myself," he murmured. Meanwhile, it was a beautiful evening; there was a
wonderful view, and Rose was here, and, for the moment, alone with him.
She ran her fingers into the fair hair that was falling over her
forehead, and pushed it back and her hat with it, so that the fresh
spring air "may get right into my brain," she said, "and turn out London
blacks."

"The blacks don't penetrate in your case," said Edmund.

"I'm afraid they do," she murmured, "but now I won't think of them.
Easter Eve and this place are enough to banish worries."

"Our hostess contrives to have some worries here."

"Ah! dear Mary, I know; she can't help it; she has always been so very
prosperous."

"Oh, it's prosperity, is it?" asked Edmund. He had turned from the view
to look more directly at Rose.

"Yes, I know it does not have that effect on you, because you have a
happier temperament."

"But am I so very prosperous?" The tone was sad and slightly sarcastic.

"It is quite glorious: one seems to breathe in everything, don't you
know, and the smell of primroses; and it is so sweet to think that it is
Easter Eve."

Mrs. Delaport Green was coming forth on the terrace, preceded by these
words in her clear staccato voice.

"Do you think," said Rose very gently to Edmund, "that we might go down
into the wood?"

Presently Molly fell behind Lady Groombridge and Mrs. Delaport Green as
they walked along the terrace, and leant on the wall and looked at the
view by herself.

The Castle stood on the last spur of a range of hills, and there was an
abrupt descent between it and the next rounded hill-top. Covered with
trees, the sharp little valley was full of shadow and mystery; and then
beyond the great billowy tree-tops rose and fell for miles, until the
brilliant early g