home--home to the little cottage
quickly, and see for myself that she is safe and well!"

Sitting among the long grass and field flowers by the roadside, he
grasped his stick in one hand and leaned his head upon that support,
closing his eyes in sheer fatigue and despondency. Suddenly a sound
startled him, and he struggled to his feet, his eyes shining with an
intent and eager look. That clear, tender voice!--that quick, sweet cry!

"David!"

He listened with a vague and dreamy sense of pleasure. The soft patter
of feet across the grass--the swish of a dress against the leaves, and
then--then--why, here was Mary herself, one tress of her lovely hair
tumbling loose in the sun, her eyes bright and her cheeks crimson with
running.

"Oh, David, dear old David! Here you are at last! Why _did_ you go away!
We have missed you dreadfully! David, you look _so_ tired!--where have
you been? Angus and I have been waiting for you ever so long,--you said
in your letter you would be back by Sunday, and we thought you would
likely choose to-day to come--oh, David?--you are quite worn out!
Don't--don't give way!"

For with the longed-for sight of her, the world's multi-millionaire had
become only a weak, over-wrought old man, and his tired heart had leaped
in his breast with quite a poor and common human joy which brought the
tears falling from his eyes despite himself. She was beside him in a
moment, her arm thrown affectionately about his shoulders, and her sweet
face turned up close to his, all aglow with sympathy and tenderness.

"Why did you leave us?" she went on with a gentle playfulness, though
the tears were in her own eyes. "Whatever made you think of getting work
out of Weircombe? Oh, you dissatisfied old boy! I thought you were quite
happy with me!"

He took her hand and held it a moment, then pressed it to his lips.

"Happy!" he murmured. "My dear, I was _too_ happy!--and I felt that I
owed you too much! I went away for a bit just to see if I could do
something for you more profitable than basket-making----"

Mary nodded her head at him in wise-like fashion, just as if he were a
spoilt child.

"I daresay you did!" she said, smiling. "And what's the end of it all,
eh?"

He looked at her, and in the brightness of her smile, smiled also.

"Well, the end of it all is that I've come back to you in exactly the
same condition in which I went away," he said. "No richer,--no poorer!
I've got nothing to do. Nobody wan