!--my George!--come to me!--don't give me up. George,
darling, you could do anything with me you liked--don't despair of me!
In the Gospel, it was the bad women who were forgiven because they loved
'much.' Now I understand why. Because love makes new. It is so terribly
_strong_. It is either a poison--or life--immortal life. I have never
been able to believe in the things Janet believes in. But I think I do
now believe in immortality--in something within you that can't die--when
once it has begun to live."

* * * * *

And then she laid her pencil down--and sat with the book on her
knee--looking towards the gold and grey of the sky--the tears running
quietly down her cheeks.

* * * * *

Meanwhile, Hastings had come hurriedly into the shippen, where Janet and
the two girls were milking. He came to stand beside her, silent, but
fidgeting so, that she presently looked up in astonishment.

"Did you want me?"

"I wanted to tell you something," he said in a low voice, stooping over
her--"Don't let the girls hear. But that man's been seen again. The
tramp."

Janet started. She jumped up, asked Betty, who had finished, to take her
place, and went with Hastings out of the barn.

"There are two or three people think they've seen him lately," he said
hurriedly. "A man from Dobson's farm"--(the farm which lay between
Great End and the village)--"who was on the hill yesterday evening, just
before dark, was certain he saw somebody hanging about the back of the
farm in a queer way--"

"Last night?" echoed Janet.

"Yes. And there are two people who remember meeting a man on the X--road
who said he was going to Walton End. And the police have been inquiring,
but nobody at Walton End knows anything about such a man. However, they
have a description of him at last. A tall, dark fellow--gentlemanly
manners--seems delicate. I don't like the look of it, Miss Janet. Seems
to me as though it weren't just a tramp, hanging about for what he can
steal. Do you know of anybody who has a down on Miss Henderson--who'd
like to frighten her, or put blackmail on her?"

Janet considered. She was tempted to take the faithful fellow to some
extent into her confidence, but she rapidly decided against it. She
suggested that he should himself sleep for a few nights at the
farm, and carefully examine the neighbourhood of it, last thing; and that
she should bicycle over to Millsborough a