m lapping water out of her palms.

As they entered the shady place, Helen looked up and then held out her
hand.

"I must introduce myself," she said. "I am Mrs. Ambrose."

Having shaken hands, she said, "That's my niece."

Rachel approached awkwardly. She held out her hand, but withdrew it.
"It's all wet," she said.

Scarcely had they spoken, when the first carriage drew up.

The donkeys were quickly jerked into attention, and the second carriage
arrived. By degrees the grove filled with people--the Elliots, the
Thornburys, Mr. Venning and Susan, Miss Allan, Evelyn Murgatroyd, and
Mr. Perrott. Mr. Hirst acted the part of hoarse energetic sheep-dog. By
means of a few words of caustic Latin he had the animals marshalled, and
by inclining a sharp shoulder he lifted the ladies. "What Hewet fails to
understand," he remarked, "is that we must break the back of the
ascent before midday." He was assisting a young lady, by name Evelyn
Murgatroyd, as he spoke. She rose light as a bubble to her seat. With a
feather drooping from a broad-brimmed hat, in white from top to toe,
she looked like a gallant lady of the time of Charles the First leading
royalist troops into action.

"Ride with me," she commanded; and, as soon as Hirst had swung himself
across a mule, the two started, leading the cavalcade.

"You're not to call me Miss Murgatroyd. I hate it," she said. "My name's
Evelyn. What's yours?"

"St. John," he said.

"I like that," said Evelyn. "And what's your friend's name?"

"His initials being R. S. T., we call him Monk," said Hirst.

"Oh, you're all too clever," she said. "Which way? Pick me a branch.
Let's canter."

She gave her donkey a sharp cut with a switch and started forward. The
full and romantic career of Evelyn Murgatroyd is best hit off by her
own words, "Call me Evelyn and I'll call you St. John." She said that
on very slight provocation--her surname was enough--but although a great
many young men had answered her already with considerable spirit she
went on saying it and making choice of none. But her donkey stumbled to
a jog-trot, and she had to ride in advance alone, for the path when
it began to ascend one of the spines of the hill became narrow
and scattered with stones. The cavalcade wound on like a jointed
caterpillar, tufted with the white parasols of the ladies, and the
panama hats of the gentlemen. At one point where the ground rose
sharply, Evelyn M. jumped off, threw her reins to the nat