hich
impelled him, one morning, as he was passing a heap of broken stone,
piled for the mending of the ways by the roadside, to touch Faustine
with heel and whip. The astonished young animal sprang aside curvetting.
She did not understand, and to horse-nature the uncomprehended is
alarming. She was more bewildered and also more fretted when, in passing
the next stone heap, she felt the same stinging touches. What did it
mean? Was she to avoid this thing, to leap at sight of it, to do what?
She tossed her delicate head and snorted in her trouble. The country
road was at some distance from Palstrey, and was little frequented. No
one was in sight. Osborn glanced about him to make sure of this fact. A
long stretch of road lay before him, with stone heaps piled at regular
intervals. He had taken a big whiskey and soda at the last wayside inn
he had passed, and drink did not make him drunk so much as mad. He
pushed the mare ahead, feeling in just the humour to try experiments
with her.

* * * * *

"Alec is very determined that you shall be safe on Faustine," Hester
said to Emily. "He takes her out every day."

"It is very good of him," answered Emily.

Hester thought she looked a trifle nervous, and wondered why. She did
not say anything about the riding lessons, and in fact had seemed of
late less eager and interested. In the first place, it had been Alec who
had postponed, now it was she. First one trifling thing and then another
seemed to interpose.

"The mare is as safe as a feather-bed," Osborn said to her one afternoon
when they were taking tea on the lawn at Palstrey. "You had better begin
now if you wish to accomplish anything before Lord Walderhurst comes
back. What do you hear from him as to his return?"

Emily had heard that he was likely to be detained longer than he had
expected. It seemed always to be the case that people were detained by
such business. He was annoyed, but it could not be helped. There was a
rather tired look in her eyes and she was paler than usual.

"I am going up to town to-morrow," she said. "The riding lessons might
begin after I come back."

"Are you anxious about anything?" Hester asked her as she was preparing
for the drive back to The Kennel Farm.

"No, no," Emily answered. "Only--"

"Only what?"

"I should be so glad if--if he were not away."

Hester gazed reflectively at her suddenly quivering face.

"I don't think I ever saw a woman so