traight
between the hedgerows, and could catch the faint gleam of a winding
river. Twilight and night were meeting and melting into each other,
the dew lay heavy upon the last of the dahlias beneath the terrace
wall, and there was a chill of frost in the air. It was very still,
though now and then the harsh call of a pheasant came up faintly
through the murmur of the river from the depths of the wood. Millicent
could hear no other sound, though she strained her ears to listen and
it seemed to her that the rattle of wheels should carry far down the
silent valley.

She was waiting somewhat anxiously for the return of her husband, who
had set off that morning with three or four other men to walk certain
distant stubble and turnip fields for partridges. They had passed a
week at the hall, for, although Millicent would have preferred to avoid
that particular place, Leslie had said he did not know of any other
place where one could obtain rough shooting, as well as a more or less
congenial company, in return for what was little more than a
first-class hotel bill. He had also added that he needed a holiday, in
which Millicent had agreed with him. There was no doubt that he had
looked jaded and harassed.

Millicent knew little about her husband's business, except that it was
connected with stocks and shares, and the flotation of companies; but
she was quite aware that he had met with a serious reverse soon after
he married her, since it had been necessary for them to give up their
town house and install themselves temporarily in a London flat. Leslie
had informed her that reverses were not uncommon in his profession, and
he had appeared quite convinced of his ability to recover his losses in
a new venture which had something to do with South African gold or
diamonds. Of late, however, he had grown dejected and moody. On the
previous evening she had seen his face set hard, as he read a letter
which bore the London postmark. He had not given her any information
about the contents of the letter, for there had been no great measure
of confidence between them; but there were one or two telegrams for him
among those a groom had brought over from the nearest station during
the day, and she felt a little uneasy as she thought of them.

By and by, with a little shiver and a suppressed sigh, she glanced up
at the highest part of the climbing wood. It was there she had had her
last memorable interview with Geoffrey, almost a