e must be a God, and that He must be all-powerful. I have not
tried to analyse the emotion, but I know my heart began to beat as
though I were in the presence of Majesty, and a great awe brooded over
my spirit.

Suddenly there was a fluttering of wings in the tangled undergrowth a
few yards away, and as my soul came back to earth I saw a hawk swoop
down and seize its prey, and then I choked. "If I take the wings of
the morning and fly to the uttermost parts of the earth," I said to
myself, "I cannot escape the tragedy of life and death--the mystery of
suffering."

Mother Hubbard put an arm around my waist and looked questioningly into
my eyes, her own being bright with tears. I put my hands upon her
cheeks and kissed her.

"Grace Holden is a goose," I said. "How many hours have I been
standing still or floating about in vacancy? I believe my dear old
Mother Hubbard thought her companion had flown away and left only her
chrysalis behind!"

We moved on, and my spirits came out with the sun and the blue sky.
After all, I fear I am an emotional creature, for I am my father's
daughter, but I think my mother must have been a very practical woman,
and bequeathed to me somewhat of the counterpoise, because on the whole
I am sure I have more common sense than dreaminess.

We had the moor pretty much to ourselves except for the game, which we
rarely saw, and the snipe which frequented the swamps. The one
outstanding recollection of the remainder of our two hours' tramp is of
a young couple (of human beings, not snipe) who came sauntering along,
sucking oranges and throwing the peel on the heath. It seemed like
sacrilege, and I went hot with indignation.

"I feel as if I could swear and stamp around, like the ineffective
Jake," I exclaimed.

"Yes, love," said Mother Hubbard, but I doubt if she understood.

Mother Hubbard was in excellent trim, and I am beginning to think that
there must be a good deal of reserve force in her delicate-looking
little body. She led me to the brow of the hill whence one gets an
unexpected view of the enchanting beauty of the Romanton valley, and
said "There!" with such an air of proud proprietorship, as if she had
ordered the show for my special gratification, that I laughed outright.

I negotiated the steep downward path with difficulty, but she went
steadily on with the assurance of familiarity, pausing at intervals to
point out the more notable landmarks.

We had lunch at one o