daughter, for example,
could marry whom she liked and was not forced to accept a husband who had
wealth enough to satisfy her parents.

Grace blushed as she thought of Alan Thorn and contrasted him with Kit.
She did not want to marry yet; but perhaps, if Kit were not a working
farmer's son--She pulled herself up, with a smile, for it looked as if
she had not broken free from the family traditions. After all, it did not
matter if Kit were a farmer's son. He was honest and generous; he had a
well-modeled figure, bright eyes, and a clean brown skin. But since Kit
was not her lover, she was indulging in idle sentiment; and then she
admitted that he might love her, although she did not yet love him.
Indeed, if she must be honest, the thing was possible--she had seen his
face brighten and remarked his satisfaction when they met.

Then she stopped abruptly as she saw him coming down the road. There was
a path across a field close by, but it would be admitting too much if she
tried to avoid him, and she went on. Kit came up, dressed in rough
working clothes, with muddy leggings, and a hedge stick in his hand. Two
dogs ran before him and it looked as if he had been driving sheep. Grace
was very calm when he took off his cap and he thought the hint of
stateliness he sometimes noted was rather marked. It did not daunt him;
he, felt it was proper Grace should look like that. She noted that he was
hot and breathless.

"I saw you as I was bringing the sheep down Burton ghyll," he said.

"Then you must have good eyes," Grace remarked. "It's a long way, and I
don't wear conspicuous clothes."

Kit laughed. "I'd have known you much farther off. There's nobody in the
dale who walks like you."

Grace gave him a quiet glance that he met without embarrassment. She saw
that he had not meant to offer her a cheap compliment; yet the compliment
was justified. A dancing master had told her that she walked and carried
herself well.

"But where are the sheep?" she asked.

"I left them in the field at the beckfoot," he answered with a touch of
awkwardness. "We can bring them down afterwards; I remembered I wanted
something at Allerby."

Grace turned her head to hide a smile. It was obvious that he had
remembered he wanted to go to Allerby when he saw her.

"Oh, well," she said, "I am going part of the way. However, I mustn't
stop you if you want to get back to the sheep."

"It isn't at all important," Kit declared. Then he paused and Gr