rawn free
in that neighbourhood. She must see somebody; and no one had poor Dolly
to go to but the housekeeper, Mrs. Jersey. Nobody, near or far. So she
slipped out of the house and took a roundabout way to the great
mansion. She dared not take a straight way and cross the bridge, lest
she should be seen and followed; so she made a circuit, and got into
the park woods only after some time of warm walking through lanes and
over fields. Till then she had hurried; now, safe from interruption,
she went slowly, and pondered what she was going to do or say. Pondered
everything, and could not with all her thinking make the confusion less
confusion. It was a warm, still, sultry day; the turf was dry, the air
was spicy under the great trees; shadow and sunshine alternately
crossed her path, or more correctly, her path crossed them. A certain
sense of contrast smote her as she went. Around her were the tokens of
a broad security, sheltering protection, quiet and immovable
possession, careless wealth; and within her a tumult of fear,
uncertainty, exposure, and craving need. Life seemed a very unequal
thing to the little American girl. Her step became slower. What was she
going to say to Mrs. Jersey? It was impossible to determine;
nevertheless, Dolly felt that she must see her and speak to her. That
was a necessity.

Through the trees she caught at last sight of the grand old house. The
dog knew her by this time and she did not fear him. She found the
housekeeper busy with some sewing and glad to welcome her. Mrs. Jersey
was that always. To-day she looked a little closer than usual at her
visitor, discerning that Dolly's mind was not just in its wonted poise.
And besides, she loved to look at her.

Yet it is not easy to describe that for which our eyes seek and dwell
upon a face or form. It is easy to say brown eyes and lightly curled,
waving, beautiful hair; but hair is beautiful in different ways, and so
faces. Can we put Dolly's charm into words? Mrs. Jersey saw a delicate,
graceful, active figure, to begin with; delicate without any suspicion
of weakness; active, in little quick, gracious movements, which it was
fascinating to watch; and when not in motion, lovely in its childlike
unconsciousness of repose. Her hair was exceedingly beautiful, not on
account of its mass or colour so much as for the great elegance of its
growth and curly arrangement or disarrangement around the face and
neck; and the face was a blending of wom