y place--Ansdore
Manor, seeing as now I've got both Great and Little Ansdore, and the
living's in my gift. I put in a new parson last year."

This must be a remarkable woman, unless she was telling him the tale.

"I went over to Rye on Sunday," he said. "Quaint old place, isn't it?
Funny to think it used to be on the seashore. They say there once was a
battle between the French and English fleets where it's all dry marsh
now."

Joanna thrilled again--that was like Martin, telling her things, old
things about the Marsh. The conversation was certainly being conducted
on very decorous lines. She began to lose the feeling of impropriety
which had disturbed her at first. They sat talking about the
neighbourhood, the weather, and--under Joanna's guidance--the prospects
of the harvest, for another ten minutes, at the end of which the band
went off for their "interval."

The cessation of the music and scattering of the crowd recalled Joanna
to a sense of her position. She realized also that it was quite
dark--the last redeeming ray had left the sky. She stood up--

"Well, I must be getting back."

"Where are you staying?"

"The Palace Hotel."

What ho! She must have some money.

"May I walk back with you?"

"Oh, thanks," said Joanna--"it ain't far."

They walked, rather awkwardly silent, the few hundred yards to the
hotel. Joanna stopped and held out her hand. She suddenly realized that
she did not want to say good-bye to the young man. Their
acquaintanceship had been most shockingly begun--Ellen must never
know--but she did not want it to end. She felt, somehow, that he just
meant to say good-bye and go off, without any plans for another meeting.
She must take action herself.

"Won't you come and have dinner--I mean lunch--with me to-morrow?"

She scanned his face eagerly as she spoke. It suddenly struck her what a
terrible thing it would be if he went out of her life now after having
just come into it--come back into it, she had almost said, for she could
not rid herself of that strange sense of Martin's return, of a second
spring.

But she need not have been afraid. He was not the man to refuse his
chances.

"Thanks no end--I'll be honoured."

"Then I'll expect you. One o'clock, and ask for Miss Godden."

Sec.14

Joanna had a nearly sleepless night. The torment of her mind would not
allow her to rest. At times she was overwhelmed with shame at what she
had done--taken up with a strange man at t