small young lady with rather conspicuously red hair, a neat
grey coat and skirt, a shady grey straw hat trimmed with white clover
and green leaves, and a green parasol, was noticeable upon the platform
out of all proportion to her size.

The train was waiting. The lady entered an empty third-class carriage,
and sitting in the corner with her back to the engine, shut herself in.
The train departed punctually, and she took out from her bag a note-book
which she studied with frowning concentration.

Ten minutes further down the line the train stops again at Guiting
Green, and here the young lady looked out of the window to see whether
anyone was travelling that she recognised.

There was. But it was impossible to judge from the young lady's
expression whether the recognition gave her pleasure or not.

She drew in her head very quickly, but not before she had been seen.

"Hullo, Miss Morton! Where are you going? May I get in here?"

"Aren't you travelling first?"

"Not a bit of it. Sure you don't mind? How jolly to have met you!"

Miles looked so smiling, so big and well turned out, and pleased with
life, that Meg's severe expression relaxed somewhat.

"I suppose," she said, "you're just going to the junction. But why come
to Guiting Green?"

"I came to Guiting Green because it's exactly four miles from the Manor
House. And I've walked those four miles, Miss Morton, walked 'em for
the good of my health. Wish it wasn't so dusty, though--look at my
boots! _I'm_ going to Cheltenham. Where are you going?"

"Cheltenham?" Meg repeated suspiciously. "What are you going to do
there?"

"I'm going to see about a horse--not a dog this time--I hear that
Smith's have got a horse that may suit me; really up to my weight they
say it is, so I took the chance of going over while I'm with my
uncle--it's a lot nearer than town, you know. But where are _you_
going?"

"I," said Meg, "am going to Cheltenham----"

"To Cheltenham!" Miles exclaimed in rather overdone astonishment. "What
an extraordinary coincidence! And what are _you_ going to buy in
Cheltenham?"

"I am going to see my father. I thought I had told you he lives there."

"So you did, of course. How stupid of me to forget! Well, it's very
jolly we should happen to be going down together, isn't it?"

They looked at one another, and Miles laughed.

"I'm not at all sure that we ought to travel together after we reach the
junction, and I don't believe you've got a th