e in a fix," said Sir Tancred uneasily. "Of course, if we stay
here they will come for us sooner or later, but goodness knows when.
If we set out to walk to civilisation we shall doubtless in time strike
it somewhere, but goodness knows where."

"If we went along this strip and turned eastward at the end of it
shouldn't we come to the railway?" said Dorothy.

"I don't know that we should. We should get into the _Landes_, and
they're by way of being trackless. Anyhow it would mean walking for
hours; and it is less exhausting for you to sit here. The _Petrel_
must turn up sooner or later."

Remembering her talk with Tinker in the morning, Dorothy believed that
it would be later--much later; but as she could hardly unfold her
reasons for the belief, she said nothing.

For a long time they were silent. Listening to the faint thunder of
the Bay behind them, the lapping of the water at their feet, and the
stirring of the pines, she filled slowly with a sense of their
aloofness from the world, and a perfect content in being out of it
alone with him. For his part, Sir Tancred was ill at ease; he foresaw
that unless the _Petrel_ came soon a lot of annoying gossip might
spring from their accident, and he was distressed on her account. On
the other hand, he, too, found himself enjoying being alone with her
out of the world.

At last she said softly, "I feel as though we were on a desolate,
far-away island."

"I wish to goodness we were!" he cried, with a fervour which thrilled
her.

"You'd find it very dull," she said, with a faint, uncertain laugh.

"Not with you," he said quietly.

She was silent; and he took another turn up and down before he said,
half to himself, "It would simplify things so, we should be equal."

"Equal?"

"Oh, not from the personal point of view!" he said quickly. "You'd
always be worth a hundred of me. But on a desolate island money
wouldn't count."

"Oh, money!" she said with a faint disdain. "What has money to do with
anything?"

He sighed, and continued his pacing.

"Money is always an obstacle," he said presently. "Either there is too
little of it, and that's an obstacle; or there is too much of it, and
that's an obstacle."

"I don't think papa would agree with you about too much money," said
Dorothy.

"I'm wondering what he will say if we don't turn up before morning,"
said Sir Tancred gloomily.

"I suppose he'll say that it was an unfortunate accident."

"Yes; but