o Halgrave.

CHAPTER XVIII

BEHIND THE CHOPPING-BLOCK

Captain Polkington, Johnny and Julia were busy in the garden. It was a
fine afternoon following after two or three wet days and the ground
was in splendid condition for planting, also for sticking to clothes.
The sandy road to Halgrave dried quickly, but the garden, of heavier
soil, did not, as was testified by Julia's boots--she had bought a
small pair of plough-boy's boots that spring and was wearing them now,
very pleased with the investment. By and by the sound of a motor broke
the silence; the Captain and Johnny left off work to listen; at least,
Johnny did; the Captain was hardly in a position to leave off, seeing
that he was off most of his time.

"It sounds like a motor-car," Johnny said, as if he had made a
discovery.

"Then it must have lost its way," Julia answered, giving all her
attention to her cabbage plants.

Johnny said "Yes." It certainly seemed likely enough; the ubiquitous
motor-car went everywhere certainly; even, it was possible to imagine,
to remote and uninteresting Halgrave. But along the ill-kept sandy
road which led to White's Cottage and nowhere else, none had been yet,
nor was it in the least likely that one would ever come except by
accident.

The sounds drew nearer. "It certainly is coming this way," the
Captain said; "I will go and explain the mistake to the people."

The Captain went to the gate; but he did not stop there, nor did he
explain anything. His eyesight, never having been subjected to strain
or over work, was good, and the car, owing to the loose nature of the
road, was not coming very fast; he saw it had only one occupant, a man
who seemed familiar to him. For a second the Captain stared, then he
turned and went into the house in surprising haste. He had not the
least idea what had brought this man here; indeed, when he came to
think about it, he was sure it must have been some mistake about the
road. But he had no desire to explain; he felt he was not the person
to do so, seeing that the last (and first) time he had seen the man
was in an unpleasant interview at Marbridge. He connected several
painful things, humiliation, undeserved epithets, and so on, with that
interview and with the face of Rawson-Clew. Accordingly, he went into
the house and waited, and the car came nearer and stopped.

Johnny and Julia went on with their work; they imagined the Captain
was talking to the strangers; they had no id