dark?" wept Amelia.

It was with a heavy heart that Mavis left Brandenburg College, the
walls of which had sheltered her for so long: she did her best to be
self-possessed as she kissed the Misses Mee and walked to her new
address, to which her two boxes had been taken the first thing by
the carriers.

The rest of the morning, and after the simple meal which Mrs Ellis
provided, Mavis unpacked her things and made her room as homelike as
possible. While she was doing this, she would now and again stop to
wonder if she had heard the postman's knock; although she could hear
him banging at doors up and down the street, he neglected to call at
No. 20, a fact which told Mavis that so far no one had troubled to
seriously consider her applications for employment. A cup of tea
with Mrs Ellis put a cheerful complexion upon matters; she spent the
next few hours in finishing her little arrangements. These completed
to her satisfaction, she leaned against the window and looked
hungrily towards the heavens. It was a blue, summer evening; there
was not a cloud in the sky.

Although the raucous voices of children playing in the streets
assailed her ears, she was scarcely conscious of these, her thoughts
being far away. She was always a lover of nature; wildflowers,
especially cowslips, affected her more than she would care to own;
the scent of hay brought a longing to her heart; the sight of a
roadside stream fascinated her. Now, she was longing with a
passionate desire for the peace of the country. Upon this July
evening, the corn must now be all but ripe for the sickle, making
the fields a glory of gold. She pictured herself wandering alone in