s
elapsed before she walked out and through the village, her basket of
strawberries on her arm, and Guard at her heels.

It was a glorious day, with rather a stiff breeze blowing, and clouds and
sunshine chasing each other along the road. If it had not been for the
clouds, and the intervals when the shadows had overtaken the sun, the walk
would have been a hot one; but Penelope did not notice that, her mind was
absorbed by other things, for suddenly it seemed to her that it was rather
an alarming thing to be going alone to face a strange, and very
particular, lady, and she felt a great shyness coming over her.
She tried to forget it by racing the cloud, as it chased the sunshine,
and the sunshine as it overtook the cloud, and so, at last, she came to
the church. She paused a moment to listen, but the organ was silent
to-day, so on she went again, but more soberly, and soon found herself in
the village square, with little low-roofed houses on either side and a
pump in the middle of the square, and two or three happy ducks paddling
about in the damp earth by the trough. Guard, as though he knew it of
old, went up to the pump for a drink. The ducks fled, tumbling over each
other in their hurry, scrambling and quacking indignantly at the great
creature who had so disturbed their pleasure; but Guard, quite
unconcerned, drank, and went calmly on his way again until he led Penelope
straight to the white gate with 'Cold Harbour' painted on it.

A short drive led from the gate to the house, and Penelope felt horribly
shy and conscious as she made her way up it. It seemed to her that
somebody might be watching her from every window, and there were so many
windows it was quite embarrassing.

But, apparently, no one had witnessed her approach, for she stood quite a
long time at the door, not able to reach the knocker or find the bell.
She rapped with her knuckles; but they grew sore and produced no result,
for the sound did not reach beyond the door-mat, or so it seemed to her,
and the vast, still hall within appeared to swallow up everything.
Guard lay down at last on the gravel and went to sleep, and Penelope
longed to sit beside him. She was tired, and her arm aching a good deal
from carrying the basket.

But at last, just as she was beginning to get anxious and a little vexed,
a servant crossed the hall on her way to one of the rooms, and saw her.

"Good morning," said Penelope. "I have been trying to ring the bell,