a salamander.

Dr. Spencer was in the hall, with his bamboo, his great Panama hat, and
gray loose coat, for he entirely avoided, except on Sundays, the medical
suit of black. He offered to relieve Ethel of her bag of books.

"No thank you." (He had them by this time). "But I am going to
Cocksmoor."

"Will you allow me to be your companion?"

"I shall be very glad of the pleasure of your company, but I am not in
the least afraid of going alone," said she, smiling, however, so as to
show she was glad of such pleasant company. "I forewarn you though that
I have business there."

"I will find occupation."

"And you must promise not to turn against me. I have undergone a great
deal already about that place. Norman was always preaching against it,
and now that he has become reasonable, I can't have papa set against it
again--besides, he would mind you more."

Dr. Spencer promised to do nothing but what was quite reasonable. Ethel
believed that he accompanied her merely because his gallantry would not
suffer her to go unescorted, and she was not sorry, for it was too long
a walk for solitude to be very agreeable, when strange wagoners might be
on the road, though she had never let them be "lions in the path."

The walk was as pleasant as a scorching sun would allow, and by the
time they arrived at the scattered cottages, Ethel had been drawn into
explaining many of her Cocksmoor perplexities.

"If you could get the land granted, where should you choose to have it?"
he asked. "You know it will not do to go and say, 'Be pleased to give me
a piece of land,' without specifying what, or you might chance to have
one at the Land's End."

"I see, that was one of the blunders," said Ethel. "But I had often
thought of this nice little square place, between two gardens, and
sheltered by the old quarry."

"Ha! hardly space enough, I should say," replied Dr. Spencer, stepping
it out. "No, that won't do, so confined by the quarry. Let us look
farther."

A surmise crossed Ethel. Could he be going to take the work on himself,
but that was too wild a supposition--she knew he had nothing of his own,
only a moderate pension from the East India Company.

"What do you think of this?" he said, coming to the slope of a knoll,
commanding a pretty view of the Abbotstoke woods, clear from houses, and
yet not remote from the hamlet. She agreed that it would do well, and
he kicked up a bit of turf, and pryed into the soil, pronouncing it