It was short and sweet--very sweet indeed.

"MY DEAR GRACE,

"Congratulate me! I am engaged to be married to the best of men, _not
excepting your Cynic_. You will blame me for keeping it quiet, but how
can I tell what is going to happen beforehand? Besides, you don't tell
me!

"I am to marry my chief, who is henceforward to be known to you and me
as 'Stephen.' He is two or three years older than I am; good-looking,
of course, or he wouldn't have appealed to me, and over head and ears
in love with

"Your very affectionate and somewhat intoxicated

"ROSE.

"PS.--He has known your Cynic for years, but he (I mean your Cynic) is
too good a sportsman to spoil the fun.

"PPS.--It is a beautiful ring--diamonds!"

I am delighted to think that Rose is so happy, and can excuse the
brevity of the communication under the circumstances. But I _am_
surprised. I never dreamed that her chief was young and unmarried.
Why she should always say "your" Cynic, however, and underline it, too,
I cannot understand. I wish ...

CHAPTER XXIX

THE GREAT STORM

My book is nearly full, and I do not think I shall begin another, for
my time is likely to be fully occupied now. But I must set down the
events of the last week-end and tell of the wonderful climacteric that
I have passed through. Then the curtain may be allowed to fall on my
unimportant experiences.

They have not been unimportant to me, and my recent adventures have
provided sufficient excitement to keep the tongues of the villagers
busy for months.

Incidentally I have discovered that Windyridge does not belie its name,
but that the storm fiend makes it the stage for some of his most
outrageous escapades.

We had samples of all the different kinds of weather England provides
last week--rain, snow, sleet, light breezes, fleecy clouds sailing
slowly across the blue, dull and threatening times when the skies were
leaden.

Saturday was the gloomiest day of all. It was gusty from the
beginning, but until the afternoon the wind was only sportive, and
contented itself with rude schoolboy pranks. By five o'clock, however,
its mood had changed and its force increased fourfold, and by six
o'clock it had cast off all restraint and become a tempest.

Whilst I remained in the Hall I hardly realised its fury, for the house
is well built and shielded from the full force of the northerly winds.
It was when I ventured out to visit Martha Treffit soon after din