ered the quivering chain of radiance stretching
across the water towards him, and every bubble or atom of froth that
floated into its width. She stood for some time looking out, little
thinking what the darkness concealed on the other side of that wide
stream; till at length she closed the casement, drew the curtains, and
retreated into the room. Presently the light went out, upon which John
Loveday returned to camp and lay down in his tent.

The next morning was dull and windy, and the trumpets of the --th sounded
Reveille for the last time on Overcombe Down. Knowing that the Dragoons
were going away, Anne had slept heedfully, and was at once awakened by
the smart notes. She looked out of the window, to find that the miller
was already astir, his white form being visible at the end of his garden,
where he stood motionless, watching the preparations. Anne also looked
on as well as she could through the dim grey gloom, and soon she saw the
blue smoke from the cooks' fires creeping fitfully along the ground,
instead of rising in vertical columns, as it had done during the fine
weather season. Then the men began to carry their bedding to the
waggons, and others to throw all refuse into the trenches, till the down
was lively as an ant-hill. Anne did not want to see John Loveday again,
but hearing the household astir, she began to dress at leisure, looking
out at the camp the while.

When the soldiers had breakfasted, she saw them selling and giving away
their superfluous crockery to the natives who had clustered round; and
then they pulled down and cleared away the temporary kitchens which they
had constructed when they came. A tapping of tent-pegs and wriggling of
picket-posts followed, and soon the cones of white canvas, now almost
become a component part of the landscape, fell to the ground. At this
moment the miller came indoors and asked at the foot of the stairs if
anybody was going up the hill with him.

Anne felt that, in spite of the cloud hanging over John in her mind, it
would ill become the present moment not to see him off, and she went
downstairs to her mother, who was already there, though Bob was nowhere
to be seen. Each took an arm of the miller, and thus climbed to the top
of the hill. By this time the men and horses were at the place of
assembly, and, shortly after the mill-party reached level ground, the
troops slowly began to move forward. When the trumpet-major, half buried
in his uniform