knock at the front door and Lindsay started up.

'It's Kezia,' he said, 'she locks the back-door when she goes out in the
evening and we let her in. She's been to church,' so off he flew, eager
to be the one to give her the news of my unexpected arrival.

But I did not rush out to meet her, as I would have done at first.
Harry's words had begun to make me a little less sure than I had been as
to how even Kezia would look upon my conduct.

CHAPTER XIV

KEZIA'S COUNSEL

The sound of low voices--Lindsay's and Kezia's, followed by an
exclamation, Kezia's of course--reached Harry and me as we stood there
in silence looking at each other.

Then the door was pushed open and in hurried my old friend.

'Miss Helena!' she said breathlessly. 'Miss Helena, I could scarce
believe Master Lindsay! Dear, dear, how frightened your grandmother will
be!'

I could see that it went against her kindly feelings to receive me by
blame at the very first, and yet her words showed plainly enough what
she was thinking.

'Grandmamma will not be frightened,' I said, rather coldly. 'Harry has
sent her a telegram, and besides--I don't think she would have been
frightened any way. It's all quite different now, Kezia, you don't
understand. She's got other people to care for instead of me.'

Kezia took no notice of this.

'Dear, dear!' she said again. 'To think of you coming here alone! I'm
sure when Master Lindsay met me at the door saying: "Guess who's here,
Kezia," I never could have--' but here I interrupted her.

'If that's all you've got to say to me I really don't care to hear it,'
I said, 'but it's a queer sort of welcome. I can't go away to-night, I
suppose, but I will the very first thing to-morrow morning. I daresay
they'll take me in at the vicarage, but really--' I broke off
again--'considering that this is my own home, and--and--that I had no
one else to go to in all the world except you, Kezia, I do think--' but
here my voice failed, I burst into tears.

Kezia put her arms round me very kindly.

'Poor dear,' she said, 'whatever mistakes you've made, you must be tired
to death. Come with me into the dining-room, Miss Helena, there's a
better fire there, and I'll get you a cup of tea or something, and then
you must go to bed. Your own room's quite ready, just as you left it.
Master Lindsay has the little chair-bed in Mr. Harry's room--your
grandmamma's room, I mean.'

She led me into the dining-room, talking as she