"I must beg a thousand pardons for this--this trespass," I
said.

"Trespass!" said she, with a smile. "People don't trespass
on their own land--"

"But it is not my land," said I. "It is your father's for
the time being. I have no right here whatever. I do not know
how to explain, but you must think it very strange to find me
here when you supposed I had started for Europe."

"Oh! I knew you had not started for Europe," said she,
"because I have seen you working in the grounds--"

"Seen me!" I interrupted. "Is it possible?"

"Oh, yes," said she. "I don't know how long you had been
coming when I first saw you, but when I found that fresh bed of
pinks all transplanted from somewhere, and just as lovely as they
could be, instead of the old ones, I spoke to the man; but he did
not know anything about it, and said he had not had time to do
anything to the flowers, whereas I had been giving him credit for
ever so much weeding and cleaning up. Then I supposed that Mr.
Barker, who is just as kind and attentive as he can be, had
done it; but I could hardly believe he was the sort of man to
come early in the morning and work out of doors,"--("Oh, how I
wish he had come!" I thought. "If I had caught him here working
among the flowers!"),--"and when he came that afternoon to play
tennis I found that he had been away for two days, and could not