packed in the west that evening so as to retain
the departing glare a long while, the hour had seemed much earlier than
it was. But suddenly the question of time occurred to her.

"I must go back," she said; and without further delay they set their
faces towards Hintock. As they walked he examined his watch by the aid
of the now strong moonlight.

"By the gods, I think I have lost my train!" said Fitzpiers.

"Dear me--whereabouts are we?" said she.

"Two miles in the direction of Sherton."

"Then do you hasten on, Edgar. I am not in the least afraid. I
recognize now the part of the wood we are in and I can find my way back
quite easily. I'll tell my father that we have made it up. I wish I
had not kept our meetings so private, for it may vex him a little to
know I have been seeing you. He is getting old and irritable, that was
why I did not. Good-by."

"But, as I must stay at the Earl of Wessex to-night, for I cannot
possibly catch the train, I think it would be safer for you to let me
take care of you."

"But what will my father think has become of me? He does not know in
the least where I am--he thinks I only went into the garden for a few
minutes."

"He will surely guess--somebody has seen me for certain. I'll go all
the way back with you to-morrow."

"But that newly done-up place--the Earl of Wessex!"

"If you are so very particular about the publicity I will stay at the
Three Tuns."

"Oh no--it is not that I am particular--but I haven't a brush or comb
or anything!"

CHAPTER XLVIII

All the evening Melbury had been coming to his door, saying, "I wonder
where in the world that girl is! Never in all my born days did I know
her bide out like this! She surely said she was going into the garden
to get some parsley."

Melbury searched the garden, the parsley-bed, and the orchard, but
could find no trace of her, and then he made inquiries at the cottages
of such of his workmen as had not gone to bed, avoiding Tangs's because
he knew the young people were to rise early to leave. In these
inquiries one of the men's wives somewhat incautiously let out the fact
that she had heard a scream in the wood, though from which direction
she could not say.

This set Melbury's fears on end. He told the men to light lanterns,
and headed by himself they started, Creedle following at the last
moment with quite a burden of grapnels and ropes, which he could not be
persuaded to leave behind, and the compa