e hands. "Nothing at all worth doing, I am
afraid," she said. "I can't mend nets. I don't garden. And I've never
looked after a baby in my life."

He stared at her. "Where do you come from?" he asked curiously.

"From London." She met his curiosity with absolute candour. "And I'm
tired of it. I'm very tired of it. So I've come here for a change. I'm
going to like this much better."

"Better than London!" He gazed, incredulous.

"Oh, much better." Juliet spoke with absolute confidence. "Ah, here is
Columbus! He likes it better too."

She turned to greet her companion who now came hastening up to view the
new acquaintance.

He sniffed round Robin who bent awkwardly and laid a fondling hand upon
him. "I like your dog," he said.

"That's right," said Juliet kindly. "We are both staying at the
Ricketts', so when you come to see the baby, I hope you will come to see
us too. I must go now, or I shall be late for lunch. Good-bye!"

The boy lifted himself again with a slow, ungainly movement, and raised a
hand to his forehead in wholly unexpected salute.

She smiled and turned to depart, but he spoke again, arresting her.

"I say!"

She looked back. "Yes? What is it?"

He shuffled his bare feet in the grass in embarrassment and murmured
something she could not hear.

"What is it?" she said again, encouragingly, as if she were addressing a
shy child.

He lifted his dark eyes to hers in sudden appeal. "I say," he said, with
obvious effort, "if--if you meet Dicky, you--you won't tell him
about--about--"

She checked the struggling words with a very kindly gesture. "Oh, no, of
course not! I'm not that sort of person. But the next time you want to
get rid of me, just come and tell me so, and I'll go away at once."

The gentleness of her speech uttered in that soft slow voice of hers
had a curious effect upon her hearer. To her surprise, his eyes filled
with tears.

"I shan't want to get rid of you! You're kind! I like you!" he
blurted forth.

"Oh, thank you very much!" said Juliet, feeling oddly moved herself. "In
that case, we are friends. Good-bye! Come and see me soon!"

She smiled upon him, and departed, picking up her stick from the path
and turning to wave to him as she continued the ascent.

From the top of the cliff she looked back, and saw that he was
still standing--a squat, fantastic figure like a goblin out of a
fairy-tale--outlined against the shining sea behind him, a blot
upon the blue.

Ag