e. Stop a moment; I'm caught;" and she
disengaged a sprawling bramble. "It's a pity I put on this skirt,"
continued Leo ruefully, examining an ugly cross-tear. "It's too good. I
only meant to go to the village."

"Well, but if I don't know when you come, how can I meet you here?"
persevered he, pursuing his own line of thought. "I can't hang about all
the time."

"Meet me? Oh!" She pondered, for it was a new idea. "I wonder, I suppose
you might meet me; but if they knew we had agreed beforehand----"

"Of course they're not to know. Sue would put a stopper on it at once."

Leo was silent.

"That needn't prevent us," continued her companion, holding out a hand
for her to spring into the path again. "If I'm not to see you anywhere
else, it's only fair----I say, you're a married woman, you can do as you
please."

"If I did it, I should _do_ it--but I shouldn't _hide_ it. I'll never do
anything I don't mean to tell about." It was a once familiar voice which
rang the words out, and the speaker shook back a flying curl and tucked
it in with a gesture of determination so absolutely that of the old Leo
that Val burst out laughing.

"Oh, you funny little girl!"

Leo however was upon her dignity at this.

"I don't think you ought to speak to me like that," said she, "although
you are to be my friend,"--for this had been agreed upon--"you must not
call me a 'little girl,' and, Val, only the minute before, you reminded
me that I was a married woman."

"You are such a queer mixture, Leo."

"I know. I can't help it." She was off her pedestal as fast as she had
hopped on. "I do try to remember, and at Deeside it was quite easy;
nobody thought of me as 'funny' or a 'girl' there--but here I seem to be
back again just as I was when I left! All the places are the same, the
places where we had our accidents and our happenings, and I _can't_ feel
different. Only, Val----" she hesitated.

"Well?" said he.

"There's Godfrey. I would not for worlds, not for _worlds_--it would be
horrible to seem to forget Godfrey. I don't forget him, you know; I
don't really. It is just that my spirits get up on a morning like this,
what with meeting you, and talking, and all,"--she stumbled on
incoherently,--"and you are so kind, and seem just to know what it is
like. Only you mustn't take advantage, Val,"--and she shook her head at
him with an air of gentle exhortation, "you mustn't encroach. And I
don't think I can meet you out-of-doors--no