ter from the
pitcher, to which Swithin added a little wine from the flask he had
carried on his journey, they were forced to be content for their supper.

XX

When Lady Constantine awoke the next morning Swithin was nowhere to be
seen. Before she was quite ready for breakfast she heard the key turn in
the door, and felt startled, till she remembered that the comer could
hardly be anybody but he. He brought a basket with provisions, an extra
cup-and-saucer, and so on. In a short space of time the kettle began
singing on the stove, and the morning meal was ready.

The sweet resinous air from the firs blew in upon them as they sat at
breakfast; the birds hopped round the door (which, somewhat riskily, they
ventured to keep open); and at their elbow rose the lank column into an
upper realm of sunlight, which only reached the cabin in fitful darts and
flashes through the trees.

'I could be happy here for ever,' said she, clasping his hand. 'I wish I
could never see my great gloomy house again, since I am not rich enough
to throw it open, and live there as I ought to do. Poverty of this sort
is not unpleasant at any rate. What are you thinking of?'

'I am thinking about my outing this morning. On reaching my
grandmother's she was only a little surprised to see me. I was obliged
to breakfast there, or appear to do so, to divert suspicion; and this
food is supposed to be wanted for my dinner and supper. There will of
course be no difficulty in my obtaining an ample supply for any length of
time, as I can take what I like from the buttery without observation. But
as I looked in my grandmother's face this morning, and saw her looking
affectionately in mine, and thought how she had never concealed anything
from me, and had always had my welfare at heart, I felt--that I should
like to tell her what we have done.'

'O no,--please not, Swithin!' she exclaimed piteously.

'Very well,' he answered. 'On no consideration will I do so without your
consent.' And no more was said on the matter.

The morning was passed in applying wet rag and other remedies to the
purple line on Viviette's cheek; and in the afternoon they set up the
equatorial under the replaced dome, to have it in order for night
observations.

The evening was clear, dry, and remarkably cold by comparison with the
daytime weather. After a frugal supper they replenished the stove with
charcoal from the homestead, which they also burnt during the