sleep, but as he was curious to test the comforts of the
heather, down he lay in his turn; and so soft, so springy, so eminently
luxurious did the new bed appear, that he felt no desire to rise.
Presently his eyes dropped, rose heavily once or twice, and rose no
more. Margot's head burrowed more deeply into her cape. Deep regular
snores sounded from the bush where Mr Elgood reposed. All three were
fast asleep!

The sun shone on them; the hum of a thousand insects rose from the
grass; high in the air a lark trilled his triumphant song. It was rest
indeed to sleep and dream in such surroundings!

CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

THE TRUE CHURCH.

Life flowed on very quietly and uneventfully at the Nag's Head during
the next few days. The clergyman and his son were determined walkers,
who set out each morning on a new expedition over the countryside, and
at the evening dinner boasted of the number of miles they had traversed.
What they had seen appeared to be of secondary importance, and they
were correspondingly depressed or elated according as they had fallen
short of, or surpassed previous records of distance.

Mr Macalister sat in the garden, reading day-old editions of the
"_Glasga He-rald_" from the front page to the last, while his wife made
pilgrimages to the village shop to buy infinitesimal articles of
drapery, and exchange details of domestic history with the good lady in
charge of the emporium.

Mr George Elgood went out fishing in a river two or three miles
distant, accompanied sometimes by his brother, but for the most part by
himself. He also sat at his bedroom window, writing by the hour
together, and always and at all times he avoided his fellow-guests with
a quiet persistence which could not be gainsaid. By the time that
Margot had been in the inn for four days, he had advanced to the point
of bidding her good-night and good morning, staring steadily at a point
about a yard above her head, while on one historic occasion he even
brought himself to remark that it was a fine day. Once also, looking up
suddenly at dinner, she met his eyes fixed upon her with an expression
of intent scrutiny; but he turned aside in evident perturbation at being
discovered, and though the little puss thereafter wore her prettiest
dresses, and took special pains with the arrangement of her hair, the
incident was never repeated.

Goaded thereto by his sister's entreaties, Ronald had proposed himself
as the companion of a