light. Her second, conscious that the
owner of the property had condoned her intrusion, and also having in view
the fact that there was nowhere but straight ahead to run, and he was in
all probability fleeter of foot than she, was to stand her ground, and
that as unconcernedly as possible.

"Yes?" queried Trix with studied calmness, as he came up to her.

"Excuse me, Miss, but you dropped this in the kitchen garden." Antony
held out the long soft glove.

"Oh, thank you," said Trix, infinitely relieved that his rapid approach
had signified nothing worse than the restoration of her own lost
property. And then she looked at him. Where on earth had she seen him
before?

"There wasn't any one at the gate, Miss," said Antony suddenly.

Trix flushed. "Oh, wasn't there? I--" she broke off.

Then she looked straight at him.

"I knew there wasn't," she confessed. "But I was afraid to go back, so I
had to make you look away while I ran. It was the cows." She sighed. She
felt she had been making bovine explanations during the greater part of
the afternoon.

"Cows, Miss?" queried Antony, a twinkle in his eyes.

Trix nodded.

"Yes; awful beasts with white faces, in the field above the wood. I'm not
sure they weren't bulls."

Antony laughed.

"Sure, and why weren't you telling me, then? I'd have tackled them for
you."

Trix smiled.

"I never thought of that way out of the difficulty," she owned. "But it
will be all right, I ex--" She broke off. She had been within an ace of
saying she had explained matters to Mr. Danver. She really must be
careful. "I expect--I'm sure you won't get into trouble about it," she
stuttered.

"Sure, that's all right," he said, a trifle puzzled.

There was a queer pleasure in this little renewal of the acquaintanceship
of the bygone days, despite the fact of its being an entirely one-sided
renewal. He'd have known her anywhere. It was the same small vivacious
face, the same odd little upward tilt to the chin, the same varied
inflection of voice, the same little quick gestures. He would have liked
to keep her standing there while he recalled the small imperious child in
the elfin-like figure before him. But, her property having been restored,
there was nothing on earth further he could say, no possible reason for
prolonging the conversation. He waited, however, for Trix to give the
dismissal.

Trix was looking at him, a queer puzzlement in her eyes. Why _was_ his
face so oddly familia