orning," said Delia. "I could easily have
taken it if you had remembered to ask me. It's so late now."

"It won't keep firm this hot weather," continued Mrs Hunt's sweet, low
voice. "He ought to have it to-day."

Delia did not answer. She was tired. It was hot. Mrs Winn's visit
had come at the close of a most irksome afternoon. She was longing for
a little quiet time for her music.

"Poor Mrs Hurst!" pursued her mother. "So many children, and so few to
help her. Johnnie's been worse the last day or two."

As usual on such occasions, Delia shortly found herself, basket in hand,
making her way along the dusty High Street to Mrs Hurst's house.
Dornton and the Dornton people seemed to her at that moment almost
unbearable. Should she ever get away from them? she wondered. Would
her life be spent within the hearing of Mrs Winn's sententious remarks,
the tedious discussions of tiny details, the eternal chatter and gossip,
which still seemed to buzz in her ears, from the meeting that afternoon?
Then her thoughts turned to their usual refuge, the Professor, and she
began to plan a visit to Anna at Waverley. Since her last talk with
him, she had made up her mind that she would do her very utmost to renew
their old friendliness. She would not take offence so easily, or be so
quick to resent it, when Anna did not see things as she did. She would
be patient, and she would keep her promise to the Professor. She would
try to understand. For his sake she would humble herself to make the
first advance, and this, for Delia's somewhat stubborn spirit, was a
greater effort than might be supposed.

Anna, meanwhile, was quite as much interested as the Dornton people
about the picnic which the Palmers intended to give. All country
pleasures were new to her, and her companions at Pynes were _very_ much
amused to hear that she had never been to a picnic in her life, and had
most confused ideas as to what it meant.

"It will be a very large one," said Isabel Palmer to her one morning.
"Mother thinks it will be such a good way of entertaining the Dornton
people. We thought of a garden-party, but if it's fine a picnic will be
much more fun."

The three girls were alone in the schoolroom, their lessons just over,
and Anna was lingering for a chat before going back to Waverley.

"Have you settled on the place yet?" she asked.

"Alderbury," replied Isabel, "because it's near, and there's a jolly
little wood to make the fir