With this purpose on her mind, she sought to find her way through the
trees to the wall. This she was able to do without much difficulty, for
though the trees grew thick, there was no underbrush, but she was able
to walk along without any very great trouble. Penetrating in this way
through the trees, she at length came to the wall. But, to her great
disappointment, she found its height here quite as great as it had been
near the gate, and though in one or two places trees grew up which threw
their branches out over it, yet those trees were altogether inaccessible
to her.

Still she would not give up too quickly, but followed the wall for a
long distance. The further she went, however, the more hopeless did her
search seem to grow. The ground was unequal, sometimes rising into
hills, and at other times sinking into valleys; but in all places,
whether hill or valley, the wall arose high, formidable, not to be
scaled by one like her. As she looked at it the thought came to her that
it had been arranged for that very purpose, so that it should not be
easily climbed, and so it was not surprising that a barrier which might
baffle the active poacher or trespasser should prove insuperable to a
slender girl like her.

She wandered on, however, in spite of discouragement, in the hope of
finding a gate. But this search was as vain as the other. After
walking for hours, till her feeble limbs could scarcely support her any
longer, she sank down exhausted, and burst into tears.

For a long time she wept, overwhelmed by accumulated sorrow and
despondency and disappointment. At length she roused herself, and drying
her eyes, looked up and began to think of returning to the Hall.