t of what had been Diana's way hitherto; in a part of
Pleasant Valley which was at one side of the high road. The situation
was very pretty, overlooking a wide sweep of the valley bottom, with
its rich cultivation and its encircling border of green wooded hills.
As to the house, it was not distinguished in any way beyond its
compeers. It was rather low; it was as brown as Mrs. Starling's house;
it had no giant elms to hang over it and veil its uncomelinesses. But
just behind it rose a green hill; the house, indeed, stood on the lower
slope of the hill, which fell off more gently towards the bottom;
behind the house it lifted up a very steep, rocky wall, yet not so
steep but that it was grown with beautiful forest trees. Set off
against its background of wood and hill, the house looked rather cosy.
It had been put in nice order, and even the little plot of ground in
front had been cleared of thistles and hollyhocks, which had held a
divided reign, and trimmed into neatness, though there had not been
time yet for grass or flowers to grow.

Within the house about this time, at one of the two lower front
windows, a little woman stood looking out and speculating on the
extreme solitariness of the situation. She had nobody to communicate
her sentiments to, or she could have been eloquent on the subject. The
golden glow and shimmer of the setting sun all over the wide landscape,
it may be said with truth, she did not see; to her it was nothing but
"sunshine," a natural and necessary accessory of the sun's presence,
when clouds did not happen to come over the sky. I think she really saw
nothing but the extreme emptiness of the picture before her; just that
one fact, that there was nothing to see. Therefore it was on various
accounts an event when the rockaway hove in sight, and the grey horse
stopped before the gate. It did not occur to Miss Collins then to go
out to the carriage to receive bundles or baskets or render help
generally; she had got something to look at, and she looked. Only when
the minister, having tied Saladin's head, came leading the way through
the little courtyard to the front door, did it occur to his "help" to
open the same. There she stood, smiling the blankest of smiles, which
made Diana want to get rid of her on the instant.

"Well, of all things!" was her salutation uttered in a high key. "If it
ain't you! I never was so beat. Why, I didn't look for ye this long
spell yet."

"Won't you let us come i