She was, in fact, out of her depth, though
not for worlds would she have had Priscilla know it.
"You must just follow your own heart, dearest," she said at last. "And I
think you will find happiness some day. God grant it!"
Priscilla lifted her head and kissed her. She knew quite well that she
had led whither Froggy could not follow. But the knowledge did not hurt
her.
She called Romeo, and went out into the summer sunshine, with a smile
half tender and half humorous at the corners of her mouth. Poor Froggy!
III
THE PICNIC IN THE GLEN
"I think we will go for a picnic, Romeo," said Priscilla.
It was a Saturday afternoon, warm and slumbrous, and Saturday was the
day on which Raffold Abbey was open to the public when the family were
away. Priscilla's presence was, as it were, unofficial, but though she
was quite content to have it so, she was determined to escape from sight
and hearing of the hot and dusty crowd that thronged the place on a fine
day from three o'clock till six.
Half a mile or more from the Abbey, a brown stream ran gurgling through
a miniature glen, to join the river below the park gates. This stream
had been Priscilla's great delight for longer than she could remember.
As children, she and her brother Mortimer had spent hours upon its mossy
banks, and since those days she had dreamed many dreams, aye, and shed
many tears, within sound of its rushing waters.
Pages:
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174