a and Wyllard joined her, and when the latter had helped them up
she looked down at him severely as she gathered up the reins.

"By this time Allen will have had to put the kiddies to bed," she said.
"Christina, as you might have borne in mind, goes over to Branstock's
every evening. Anyway, you'll drive across and see him about that team
as soon as you can; come to supper."

"I'll try," said Wyllard with a certain hesitation; and Mrs. Hastings
turned to her companion as they drove away.

"Why did he look at you before he answered me?" she asked, and laughed,
for there was just light enough left to show the colour in Agatha's
cheek. "Well," she added, "I told Allen he was sure to be the first."

Agatha looked at her in evident bewilderment, but she nodded. "Yes,"
she said, "of course, I knew it would come. Everybody knows by now
that you have fallen out with Gregory."

"But, as I told you, I haven't fallen out with him."

"Then you certainly haven't married him, and if you have said 'No' to
Harry Wyllard because you would sooner take Gregory after all, you're a
singularly unwise young woman. Anyway, you'll have to meet him when he
comes to supper. Allen's fond of a talk with Harry; I can't have him
kept away."

"I was a little afraid of that," said Agatha quietly. "What makes the
situation more difficult is that he told me he would ask me again."

Mrs. Hastings appeared thoughtful. "In that case he will in all
probability do it; but I don't think you need feel diffident about
meeting him, especially as you can't help it. He'll wait and say
nothing until he considers it advisable."

She changed the subject, and talked about other matters until they
reached the homestead; but as the weeks went by Agatha found that what
she had told her was warranted.

Wyllard drove over every now and then, but she was reassured by his
attitude. He greeted her with the quiet cordiality which had hitherto
characterised him, and it went a long way towards allaying the
embarrassment she was conscious of at first. By and bye, however, she
felt no embarrassment at all, in spite of the disturbing possibility
that he might at some future time once more adopt the role of lover.
In the meanwhile, she realised that in face of the efforts she made to
think of him tenderly she was drifting further apart from Gregory; and
she had, as it happened, two further offers of marriage before the
wheat had shot up a hand's breadth above th