, and unseen from
the windows."

While she spoke she was piloting Margaret across the lawn, past the shady
tree, in full view of the windows where she had been sitting, towards a
little grass path that cut in two the wide border of gay herbaceous
flowers that backed the far end of the garden, and led suddenly to a
flight of brick steps which descended to a walled-in kitchen garden
below. This being on a much lower level than the lawn was quite invisible
from the windows. A wide path ran along beside the rock-work that banked
up the lawn, and at the end of the path there was a comfortable little
summer-house furnished with a table and chairs.

"I have made this snug little retreat my own," said Eleanor, as she led
the way into it and invited Margaret to be seated. "I come here in the
afternoons and do my lessons, and it is already quite understood by Mrs.
Murray and the servants that when I am working here I do not like to be
disturbed. She is very good and leaves me to myself now a lot. At first
she was rather inclined to come and talk to me a good deal, but I think
she sees now that I hate wasting time talking, and so lets me alone.
Well, now I am sure you are longing to hear all about my arrival and my
first meeting with Mrs. Murray. So I will tell you about that first, and
keep my best news to the last."

If Margaret had said what was in her mind at that moment, she would have
said that what she longed most to hear was herself telling Eleanor that
she wanted to change back into her proper self again; but somehow, though
the words were on the tip of her tongue, she could not bring herself to
utter them. With a sinking heart she was beginning to realise that
Eleanor, far from wanting to be herself again, would much rather remain
Margaret Anstruther. And it was dreadful to think of the disappointment
that she must cause her when she said what she had come to say.

"Well, now to begin at the beginning," Eleanor said, leaning comfortably
back on her chair with her hands lying loosely on her lap. Margaret
noticed that three fingers of her right hand were in bandages. "I can
confess now what I am sure you never guessed at the time, and that is
that I was in a horrid fright when I said good-bye to you at the station,
and I believe at the very last minute if I could have jumped back into
the train I would have done so, but Mrs. Murray was so kind that I soon
got over my nervousness. Not that it would have mattered, though,