hink
it would be good for you to rest. This last week has been pretty full
for you, even though you haven't been with me on the book."

She shook her head. "I want to go on with it," she insisted; and he
agreed.

News in a small village travels fast, and Georgiana was fully prepared
to have James Stuart appear with the first fall of dusk. He came through
the hedge at the foot of the garden, and found her on the seat under the
old apple tree which was her favourite resort. His greeting was full of
the astonishment which had been his all day.

"My word, George, but I never would have believed this! How on earth did
you come to do it?"

"I had to," she said simply and rather wearily. She had explained to at
least twenty persons that day, as well as she could explain. She was not
willing to confide to any one the incident of the flowers and the card
which had brought about the impulse to return that had hardened so
quickly into action. She had listened to all kinds of comments on the
situation, some few sympathetic, but most of them curious and critical.
Many had said to her that they never would have believed Georgie Warne
would ever change her mind about anything. Others had added that perhaps
it was a good thing, since her father certainly was pretty feeble and
nobody knew when he might take a turn for the worse. Altogether, it had
not been a happy day for the object of the village interest.

Stuart sat down beside Georgiana on the old bench which bore his
initials from one end to the other of it, the earliest ones hacked out
during his small boyhood, the later more than once coupling Georgiana's
with his own. His hand, as he settled into place, rested on one of these
very monograms.

"It seems like the natural thing to say I'm glad to see you back," he
said slowly, "but--there's a reason why I can't say it at all."

"Then don't dream of saying it." Georgiana leaned her head listlessly
against the seamy old tree trunk behind her.

"It's not that I wanted you to go; you know I was altogether too selfish
for that," he went on. "But--something happened at the last that made me
entirely reconciled to having you go. Can you guess what it was?"

"Possibly."

"But you can't. Of course I was pretty well dashed at finding Channing
booked for the trip. But--I got over that when--I made up my mind to
come, too."

"To come, too!" The head resting against the tree trunk turned quickly.
"What _do_ you mean?"

"Jeannett