at his ease he studied
her face, one of those broad, bright English country faces with deep-set
rogue eyes and red, thick, soft lips, smiling on little provocation. In
spite of her disgrace, in spite of the fact that she was sitting on her
mother's grave, she did not look depressed. And Derek thought: 'Wilmet
Gaunt is the jolliest of them all! She isn't a bit a bad girl, as they
say; it's only that she must have fun. If they drive her out of here,
she'll still want fun wherever she is; she'll go to a town and end up
like those girls I saw in Bristol.' And the memory of those night girls,
with their rouged faces and cringing boldness, came back to him with
horror.

He went across the grass toward her.

She looked round as he came, and her face livened.

"Well, Wilmet?"

"You're an early bird, Mr. Derek."

"Haven't been to bed."

"Oh!"

"Been up Malvern Beacon to see the sun rise."

"You're tired, I expect!"

"No."

"Must be fine up there. You'd see a long ways from there; near to London
I should think. Do you know London, Mr. Derek?"

"No."

"They say 'tis a funny place, too." Her rogue eyes gleamed from under
a heavy frown. "It'd not be all 'Do this' an' 'Do that'; an' 'You bad
girl' an' 'You little hussy!' in London. They say there's room for
more'n one sort of girl there."

"All towns are beastly places, Wilmet."

Again her rogue's eyes gleamed. "I don' know so much about that, Mr.
Derek. I'm going where I won't be chivied about and pointed at, like
what I am here."

"Your dad's stuck to you; you ought to stick to him."

"Ah, Dad! He's losin' his place for me, but that don't stop his
tongue at home. 'Tis no use to nag me--nag me. Suppose one of m'lady's
daughters had a bit of fun--they say there's lots as do--I've heard
tales--there'd be none comin' to chase her out of her home. 'No, my
girl, you can't live here no more, endangerin' the young men. You go
away. Best for you's where they'll teach you to be'ave. Go on! Out with
you! I don't care where you go; but you just go!' 'Tis as if girls were
all pats o' butter--same square, same pattern on it, same weight, an'
all."

Derek had come closer; he put his hand down and gripped her arm. Her
eloquence dried up before the intentness of his face, and she just
stared up at him.

"Now, look here, Wilmet; you promise me not to scoot without letting us
know. We'll get you a place to go to. Promise."

A little sheepishly the rogue-girl answered: