not know."

"I don't understand.... How long have you been here?"

"Just four weeks," he said, with a smile at thought of the blackness
of those four weeks now that he stood in the sunshine.

"Four weeks! Then you mean--you mean that I--that we--followed----"

"In the mere matter of time, yes!--and of place too," he laughed."
For you turned me out of my rooms."

"Do you mean to say you are the Bogey-Man?"

"Well,--no one ever called me so to my face before, but I'm bound to
say I've felt uncommonly like one for the past four or five weeks."

"Come with me," she said hastily. "I must put this right at once, or
Hennie----" and she turned and went through the gap in the hedge.

"Put what right?" he asked, as he followed.

"Oh--you," she said hastily.

"I'm all right--now. And who is Hennie?"

"My friend Miss Penny--"

"I beg your pardon. I thought you said Hennie."

"Henrietta Penny. She was at school with me. We are taking care of one
another."

They had come to the forecourt of the cottage.

"Hen!" cried Margaret. The window was wide open, but the blind was
discreetly down.

"Hello, Chum!" came back in muffled tones. "What's up now? Been and
got yourself lost again?"

"Come out, dear. I want you."

"Half a jiff, old girl. Give a fellow a chance with his back hair. You
had first tub this morning, remember." At which Graeme's eyes twinkled
in unison with Margaret's.

"There's a gentleman waiting to see you, dear," said Margaret, to
prevent any further revelations.

"A _what_?"--and there followed a clatter of falling implements as
though a sudden start had sent them flying. "Wretch!--to upset one
like that! It's that big brown dog, I suppose. I know you, my child!"

Then the blind whirled up and a merry face, in a cloud of dishevelled
hair, looked out, a pair of horrified eyes rested momentarily on
Graeme, and the blind rattled down again with something that sounded
like a muffled feminine objurgation.

And presently the inner door opened and Miss Penny came forth
demurely, and bowed distantly in the direction of Margaret and Graeme.

She was of average height but inclined to plumpness, and so looked
smaller than Margaret; and she had no great pretensions to beauty,
Graeme thought--but then he was biassed for life and incapable of free
and impartial judgment--save such as might be found in a very frank
face given to much laughter, a rather wide mouth and nice white teeth,
abundant dark hair a