it."

"But I have no such chance."

"That's the way the wind blows; is it?"

"No, no. Oh, Bella, pray, pray leave me alone. Pray do not
interfere. There is no wind blowing in any way. All that I want is
your silence and your sympathy."

"Very well. I will be silent and sympathetic as the grave. Only
don't imagine that I am cold as the grave also. I don't exactly
appreciate your ideas; but if I can do no good, I will at any rate
endeavour to do no harm."

After lunch, at about three, they started on their walk, and managed
to ferry themselves over the river. "Oh, do let me, Bessy," said
Kate Coverdale. "I understand all about it. Look here, Miss
Holmes. You pull the chain through your hands--"

"And inevitably tear your gloves to pieces," said Miss Holmes. Kate
certainly had done so, and did not seem to be particularly well
pleased with the accident. "There's a nasty nail in the chain," she
said. "I wonder those stupid boys did not tell us."

Of course they reached the trysting-place much too soon, and were
very tired of walking up and down to keep their feet warm, before
the sportsmen came up. But this was their own fault, seeing that
they had reached the stile half an hour before the time fixed.