t is very singular."

Thus these people with converging destinies went along the road
together, till Winterborne, leaving the track of the carriage, turned
into Little Hintock, where almost the first house was the
timber-merchant's. Pencils of dancing light streamed out of the
windows sufficiently to show the white laurestinus flowers, and glance
over the polished leaves of laurel. The interior of the rooms could be
seen distinctly, warmed up by the fire-flames, which in the parlor were
reflected from the glass of the pictures and bookcase, and in the
kitchen from the utensils and ware.

"Let us look at the dear place for a moment before we call them," she
said.

In the kitchen dinner was preparing; for though Melbury dined at one
o'clock at other times, to-day the meal had been kept back for Grace.
A rickety old spit was in motion, its end being fixed in the fire-dog,
and the whole kept going by means of a cord conveyed over pulleys along
the ceiling to a large stone suspended in a corner of the room. Old
Grammer Oliver came and wound it up with a rattle like that of a mill.

In the parlor a large shade of Mrs. Melbury's head fell on the wall and
ceiling; but before the girl had regarded this room many moments their
presence was discovered, and her father and stepmother came out to
welcome her.

The character of the Melbury family was of that kind which evinces some
shyness in showing strong emotion among each other: a trait frequent in
rural households, and one which stands in curiously inverse relation to
most of the peculiarities distinguishing villagers from the people of
towns. Thus hiding their warmer feelings under commonplace talk all
round, Grace's reception produced no extraordinary demonstrations. But
that more was felt than was enacted appeared from the fact that her
father, in taking her in-doors, quite forgot the presence of Giles
without, as did also Grace herself. He said nothing, but took the gig
round to the yard and called out from the spar-house the man who
particularly attended to these matters when there was no conversation
to draw him off among the copse-workers inside. Winterborne then
returned to the door with the intention of entering the house.

The family had gone into the parlor, and were still absorbed in
themselves. The fire was, as before, the only light, and it irradiated
Grace's face and hands so as to make them look wondrously smooth and
fair beside those of the two elde