e may go that far--when she
started to walk to Chalke Church with a young man she felt a strong
interest in, and wanted to see happily settled in life--(all her
words, please, not ours)--that she intended, this walk, to get out
of Prosy who the young lady was that he had hinted at, and, what was
more, she knew exactly how she was going to lead up to it. Only
she wouldn't rush the matter; it would do just as well, or better,
after they had seen the little church, and were walking back in the
twilight. They could be jolly and chatty then. Oh yes, certainly a
good deal better. As for any feeling of shyness about it, of relief at
postponing it--what _nonsense_! Hadn't they as good as talked it all
over already? But, for our own part, we believe that this readiness
to let the subject wait was a concession Sally made towards admitting
a personal interest in the result of her inquiry--so minute a one that
maybe you may wonder why we call it a concession at all. Dr. Conrad
was perhaps paltering a little with the truth, too, when he said to
himself that he was quite prepared to fulfil his half-promise to
Fenwick and reveal his mind to Sally; but not till quite the end of
this walk, in case he should spoil it, and upset Sally. Or, perhaps,
to-morrow morning, on the way to the train. Our own belief is, he was
frightened, and it was an excuse.

"We shall go by the beech-forest," was Sally's last speech to Fenwick,
as he turned back on his mission of rescue. And twenty minutes later
she and Dr. Conrad were crossing the smooth sheep-pasture that ended
at the boundary of the said forest--a tract of woodland that was
always treated with derision on account of its acreage. It was small,
for a forest, certainly; but, then, it hadn't laid claim to the name
itself. Sally spoke forgivingly of it as they approached it.

"It's a handy little forest," said she; "only you can't lie down in
it without sticking out. If you don't expect to, it doesn't matter."
This was said without a trace of a smile, Sally-fashion. It took its
reasonableness for granted, and allowed the speaker to continue
without a pause into conversation sane and unexaggerated.

"What were you and Jeremiah talking about the day before yesterday,
when you went that long walk?"

"We talked about a good many things. I've forgotten half."

"Which was the one you don't want me to know about? Because you
haven't forgotten that, you know." Vereker thinks of Sally's putative
pare