us. Then the kitchens were poor,
low-roofed, and straggling.

"'It might do,' said Mary doubtfully. 'It is more the look of it than
anything else that I dislike. It does not look as if gentle-people had
lived in it--it seems like a better-class farm-house.'

"And so it proved to be, for on inquiry we learnt from the woman who
showed us through, that it never had been anything but a farm-house till
the present owner had bought it, improved it a little, and furnished it
in a rough-and-ready fashion for a summer residence for his large family
of children.

"'We should need a great deal of additional furniture,' said Mary.
'Much of it is very poor and shabby. The rent, however, is certainly
very low--to some extent that would make up.'

"Then we thanked the woman in charge, and turned to go. 'Dear me!' said
Mary, glancing at her watch, 'it is already half-past twelve. I hope the
driver knows the way to the Grange, or it will be dark before we get
there. How far is it from here to East Hornham?' she added, turning again
to our guide.

"'Ten miles good,' said the woman.

"'I thought so,' said Mary. 'I shall have a crow to pluck with that Mr.
Turner for saying it was only eight. And how far to the Grange?'

"'Which Grange, Miss? There are two or three hereabouts.'

"Mary named the family it belonged to.

"'Oh it is quite seven miles from here, though not above two from East
Hornham.'

"'Seven and two make nine,' said Mary. 'Why didn't you bring us here past
the Grange? It is a shorter way,' she added to the driver, as we got into
the carriage again.

"The man touched his hat respectfully, and replied that he had brought us
round the other way that we might see more of the country.

"We laughed to ourselves at the idea of seeing the country, shut up in a
close carriage and hardly daring to let the tips of our noses peep out to
meet the bitter, biting cold. Besides, what was there to see? It was a
flat, bare country, telling plainly of the near neighbourhood of the sea,
and with its present mantle of snow, features of no kind were to be
discerned. Roads, fields, and all were undistinguishable.

"'I wonder he knows his way,' we said to each other more than once, and
as we drove on farther we could not resist a slight feeling of alarm as
to the weather. The sky grew unnaturally dark and gloomy, with the
blue-grey darkness that so often precedes a heavy fall of snow, and we
felt immensely relieved when at last the