much time
over cricket, and liked it too well to trust himself at it again.

That was the last thing before on a New Year's Day, which was like
an April day, Herbert came into church once more, and then was
carried off in the Strawyers carriage, lying back half ashamed, half
astonished, at the shower of strange tears which the ecstatic shouts
and cheers of the village boys had called forth.

CHAPTER XXXVI
Rockpier

For Love himself took part against himself
To warn us off.--TENNYSON

Rosamond was to have a taste of her old vocation, and go campaigning
for lodgings, the searching for which she declared to be her
strongest point. Rockpier was to be the destination of the family;
Eleonora Vivian, whose letters had been far fewer than had been
expected of her, was known to be there with her father, and this was
lure sufficient for Frank. Frank's welfare again was the lure to
Mrs. Poynsett; and the benefit Rosamond was to derive from sea air,
after all she had gone through, made Julius willing to give himself
the holiday that everybody insisted on his having until Lent.

First, however, was sent off an advanced guard, consisting of
Rosamond and Terry, who went up to London with Frank, that he might
there consult an aurist, and likewise present himself to his chief,
and see whether he could keep his clerkship. All this turned out
well, his duties did not depend on his ears, and a month's longer
leave of absence was granted to him; moreover, his deafness was
pronounced to be likely to yield to treatment, and a tube restored
him to somewhat easier intercourse with mankind, and he was in high
spirits, when, after an evening spent with Rosamond's friends, the
M'Kinnons, the trio took an early train for Rockpier, where Rosamond
could not detain Frank even to come to the hotel with them and have
luncheon before hurrying off to Verdure Point, the villa inhabited
by Sir Harry. All he had done all the way down was to impress upon
her, in the fulness of his knowledge of the place, that the only
habitable houses in Rockpier were in that direction--the nearer to
Verdure Point the more perfect!

Terry listened with smiling eyes, sometimes viewing the lover as a
bore, sometimes as a curious study, confirming practical statements.
Terry was thoroughly well, only with an insatiable appetite, and he
viewed his fellow convalescent's love with double wonder when he
found it caused oblivion of hunger, especially as Fran