de downs appeared to stretch away for
miles and miles in front of her forming undulating hills and valleys.
Below, at the foot of the high white cliffs that now rose to a dizzy
height sheer above the water, and now dipped almost to its level, lay the
sea glittering and sparkling in the sunlight. For the most part the downs
were bare and wind-swept, but in the hollows small villages nestled with
here and there a square grey tower rising through the trees that
surrounded the tiny hamlets. One of these she felt sure must be Windy
Gap, because looking eastwards she could see the flat, marshy ground
through which the train had taken them the day before, and though of this
she could not be certain, for a light mist veiled the distant view, she
even thought she could descry the long white road leading upwards to the
downs from the plain beneath them.

Somewhere over there, then, Eleanor was at that moment, and whatever else
she might be doing she was not roaming at her own sweet will on the
hillside as she, Margaret, was at that moment doing. And her intense
satisfaction at the thought of her own freedom swept away the few
uncomfortable doubts and fears that had been harassing her ever since she
awoke that morning. Come what might, she would enjoy herself she thought
determinedly.

But as a matter of fact the invigorating, bracing air, the brilliant
sunshine pouring down on land and sea, had already acted like a tonic
upon Margaret's spirits, her troubles seemed to roll away of their own
accord and she felt that it would be impossible not to be happy at The
Cedars.

So, much the better for her walk, she presently climbed down the hill
again, and turned into the road that led homewards. The windows of the
dining-room looked on to the drive, and as she passed them she saw that
every one was seated at breakfast, and it was with an inward and very
rapid sinking of the heart that she realised that she would have to go in
late and face the entire assembled party.

An access of terrible shyness rushed over her at the thought, and to
delay the evil moment as much as possible she went up to her room and
took off her hat and smoothed her hair. But she could not linger over
that operation indefinitely, especially as a housemaid who had already
arrived to do her room volunteered the information that the breakfast
gong had sounded nearly a quarter of an hour ago. With slow, reluctant
feet that halted at every step Margaret went down th