tainly
was very solitary, rather far from the village of Halgrave, with no
road leading to it except the track that came from Halgrave and
stopped at the cottage gate--there was nowhere to go beyond.

Dusk had almost deepened to darkness when Julia reached the house; it
gleamed curiously in the half light, for it was built of flints, for
the most part grey, but with a paler one here and there catching the
light. She put her sack of cones in one of the several sheds which
were built on the sides of the cottage, and which, being of the same
flint material, made it look larger than it was. Then she went into
the kitchen.

Johnny Gillat was there before her; he had been busy in the garden all
the afternoon, but, with the help of the field-glasses which he had
not been allowed to sell, he had descried her coming across the open
land. As soon as he was sure of her, and while she was still a good
way off, he hurried away his tools into the house to get ready. He
wanted it all to look to her as it had to him on the day when he came
back from cone-getting--the fire blazing, the tea ready, the kitchen
snug and neat; very unlike the dining-room at Marbridge with the one
gas jet burning and "Bouquet" alight. Of course Johnny did not quite
succeed; he never did in matters small or great, but he did his best.
The dinner things, which Captain Polkington was to have washed, were
not done, and still about. They had to be put in the back kitchen, and
Johnny, who had no idea of saving labour, took so long carrying them
away, that he hardly had time to set the tea. He had meant to make
some toast, but there was no time for that; the first piece of bread
had no more than begun to get warm when he heard Julia's step outside.
But the fire was blazing nicely, and that was the chief thing; even
though the putting on of the kettle had been forgotten. When Julia
came in and saw the fire and crooked tablecloth and hastily-arranged
cups, and Johnny's beaming face, she exclaimed, "How cubby it looks!
Why, you have got the tea all ready, and"--sniffing the air--"I
believe you are making toast; that is nice!"

Mr. Gillat beamed; then he caught sight of the kettle standing on the
hearth, and his face fell.

But Julia put it on the fire. "It will give you good time to finish
the toast while it boils," she said; "toast ought not to be hurried,
you know; yours will be just right."

It was not; it was rather smoky when it came to be eaten, the fire n