and were here for a day or two before returning to their home at
Bath. When he had recovered his equanimity, Warburton became aware
that the young lady was fair to look upon. Her age seemed about
two-and-twenty; not very tall, she bore herself with perhaps a touch
of conscious dignity and impressiveness; perfect health, a warm
complexion, magnificent hair, eyes that shone with gaiety and
good-nature, made of Rosamund Elvan a living picture such as Will
Warburton had not often seen; he was shy in her presence, and by no
means did himself justice that afternoon. His downcast eyes
presently noticed that she wore shoes of a peculiar kind--white
canvas with soles of plaited cord; in the course of conversation he
learnt that these were a memento of the Basque country, about which
Miss Elvan talked with a very pretty enthusiasm. Will went away,
after all, in a dissatisfied mood. Girls were to him merely a source
of disquiet. "If she be not fair for me--" was his ordinary thought;
and he had never yet succeeded in persuading himself that any girl,
fair or not, was at all likely to conceive the idea of devoting
herself to his happiness. In this matter, an excessive modesty
subdued him. It had something to do with his holding so much apart
from general society.

On the evening of the next day, there was a thunderous knock at
Warburton's flat, and in rushed Franks.

"You were at Ashtead yesterday," he cried.

"I was. What of that?"

"And you didn't come to tell me about the Elvans!"