muchand
engrossingly
that
for
the
space
of
a
morning
they
forgot
their
high
principles
,
they
forgot
even
Woman
and
Democracy
;
they
were
tourists
only
,
agape
and
delighted
,
with
their
green
Cook
's
tickets
in
their
pockets
.
Yet
,
after
all
,
they
were
something
more
than
tourists
;
they
were
young
man
and
woman
who
loved
each
other
tenderly
and
whose
happy
lives
were
in
tune
with
the
happy
landscape
.
Often
they
forgot
to
look
at
the
happy
landscape
for
the
joy
of
gazing
into
each
other
's
dear
blue
eyes
.
The
boat
puffed
finally
to
Dinant
,
where
they
stayed
the
night
as
planned
;
where
they
stared
at
the
cupola
'd
church
and
the
cliffs
,
walked
to
the
split
rock
on
the
road
to
Anseremme
,
and
bought
some
of
the
gingerbread
their
guide-book
had
told
them
to
buy
.
They
ate
it
next
day
,
with
no
particular
approval
,
on
the
final
stage
of
their
journey
,
in
a
train
that
puffed
and
pottered
between
heights
and
orchards
in
the
winding
company
of
a
stream
.
It
puffed
and
pottered
them
at
last
to
their
wayside
destination
—
where
a
smiling
and
loutish
country
boy
slouched
up
to
take
possession
of
them
and
their
modest
baggage
.
They
understood
not
a
word
of
his
thick-throated
patois
,
but
knew
from
information
imparted
beforehand
by
Madame
Amberg
that
this
was
their
housekeeper
's
grandson
and
deputed
to
serve
as
their
guide
.
He
gripped
a
bag
easily
in
either
hand
,
and
led
the
way
past
the
few
small
houses
ranged
neatly
as
a
miniature
village
alongside
the
miniature
station
—
and
so
by
the
white
road
that
kept
the
river
company
.
After
a
mile
or
thereabout
they
left
the
white
road
,
turning
sharply
to
the
right
at
a
cleft
in
the
riverside
cliff
and
striking
a
cart-track
,
scarcely
more
than
a
path
,
into
a
valley
twisted
back
among
the
hills
.
It
was
a
valley
the
like
of
which
they
had
never
seen
,
which
the
world
seemed
to
have
forgotten
;
a
cool
green
vision
of
summer
and
solitary
peace
.
Water
had
cleft
in
the
table-land
above
them
a
passage
that
time
had
made
leafy
and
gracious
and
laid
aside
for
their
finding
.
Through
the
flat
,
lush
pastures
that
divided
the
bold
slopes
there
looped
and
tangled
a
tiny
brook
on
its
way
to
the
Meuse
and
the
sea
,
a
winding
ribbon
of
shadow
,
of
shimmer
and
reflection
.
Up
the
slopes
rising
steeply
from
the
pastures
there
clustered
tree
above
tree
—
so
thickly
set
that
where
the
valley
dwindled
in
the
distance
they
might
have
been
moss
on
the
hill-side
.
There
was
no
one
in
sight
and
no
sound
but
their
footsteps
and
the
birds
;
it
was
all
a
green
prettiness
given
over
to
birds
and
themselves
.
"
Is
n't
it
wonderful
?
"
Griselda
said
,
not
knowing
that
her
voice
had
dropped
and
lost
its
shrillness
.
"
I
never
thought
there
could
be
such
a
place
.
"
She
spoke
the
truth
,
if
in
hackneyed
and
unthinking
phrase
;
in
her
busy
and
crowded
little
mind
,
the
reflection
of
her
busy
little
life
,
there
had
been
no
room
for
visions
of
a
deep
and
solitary
peace
.
Involuntarily
,
as
they
walked
they
drew
nearer
together
and
went
closely
side
by
side
;
the
sweet
aloofness
of
the
valley
not
only
amazed
them
,
it
awed
them
;
they
were
dimly
conscious
of
being
in
contact
with
something
which
in
its
silent
,
gracious
way
was
disquieting
as
well
as
beautiful
.
Their
theory
and
practice
of
life
,
so
far
,
was
the
theory
and
practice
of
their
purely
urban
environment
,
of
crowds
,
committees
and
grievances
and
cocksure
little
people
like
themselves
—
and
lo
,
out
of
an
atmosphere
of
cocksureness
and
hustle
they
had
stepped
,
as
it
seemed
without
warning
,
into
one
of
mystery
and
the
endless
patience
of
the
earth
.
Out
here
,
in
this
strange
overpowering
peace
,
it
was
difficult
to
be
conscious
of
grievances
political
or
ethical
;
instead
came
a
new
,
undefined
and
uneasy
sense
of
personal
inadequacy
and
shrinkage
,
a
sense
of
the
unknown
and
hitherto
unallowed-for
,
a
fear
of
something
undreamed
of
in
their
rabid
and
second-hand
philosophy
...
.
Not
that
they
reasoned
after
this
fashion
,
or
were
capable
of
analysing
the
source
of
the
tremor
that
mingled
with
their
physical
pleasure
,
their
sheer
delight
of
the
eye
;
but
before
they
had
been
in
the
valley
many
hours
they
sympathized
in
secret
(
they
did
not
know
why
)
with
Madame
Amberg
's
consistent
avoidance
of
its
loveliness
,
saw
hazily
and
without
comprehension
why
,
for
all
her
praise
of
its
beauties
,
she
was
so
loth
to
dwell
there
.
The
place
,
though
they
knew
it
not
,
was
a
New
Idea
to
them
—
and
therefore
a
shadow
of
terror
to
their
patterned
and
settled
convictions
.
As
such
their
organized
and
regulated
minds
shrank
from
it
at
once
and
instinctively
—
cautiously
apprehensive
lest
the
New
Idea
should
tamper
with
accepted
beliefs
,
disturb
established
views
and
call
generally
for
the
exercise
of
faculties
hitherto
unused
.
They
had
an
uneasy
foreboding
—
never
mentioned
aloud
by
either
,
though
troublous
to
both
—
that
long
contact
with
solitude
and
beauty
might
end
by
confusing
issues
that
once
were
plain
,
and
so
unfitting
them
for
the
work
of
Progress
and
Humanity
—
for
committees
,
agitations
,
the
absorbing
of
pamphlets
and
the
general
duty
of
rearranging
the
universe
.
There
was
something
,
probably
,
in
the
frame
of
mind
in
which
they
approached
the
valley
;
they
came
of
a
migratory
,
holiday
race
,
and
had
seen
green
beauty
before
,
if
only
fleetingly
and
at
intervals
.
What
they
had
lacked
before
was
the
insight
into
beauty
born
of
their
own
hearts
'
content
,
the
wonder
created
by
their
own
most
happy
love
...
.
They
followed
their
guide
for
the
most
part
in
silence
,
relieved
that
he
had
ceased
his
well-meaning
attempts
to
make
them
understand
his
jargon
,
and
speaking
,
when
they
spoke
at
all
,
in
voices
lowered
almost
to
a
whisper
.
"
What
's
that
?
"
Griselda
queried
,
still
under
her
breath
.
"
That
"
was
a
flash
of
blue
fire
ahead
of
them
darting
slantwise
over
the
stream
.
Later
they
learned
to
understand
that
a
flash
of
blue
fire
meant
kingfisher
;
but
for
the
moment
William
shook
his
head
,
nonplussed
,
and
hazarded
only
,
"
It
's
a
bird
.
"
For
half-an-hour
or
so
it
was
only
the
birds
and
themselves
;
then
at
a
turn
in
the
narrowing
valley
they
came
in
sight
of
cows
nuzzling
the
pastures
.
Several
cows
,
parti-coloured
black
and
white
like
the
cows
of
a
Noah
's
Ark
;
and
,
further
on
,
a
tiny
farm
house
standing
close
up
to
the
trees
in
its
patch
of
vegetable
garden
.
They
knew
from
Madame
Amberg
of
the
existence
of
the
tiny
farmhouse
;
it
was
an
old
woman
living
there
who
would
"
do
"
for
them
during
their
stay
at
the
neighbouring
cottage
—
cook
and
clean
and
make
tidy
in
return
for
a
moderate
wage
.
The
barking
of
a
kennelled
nondescript
brought
the
old
woman
shuffling
to
the
door
—
to
welcome
them
(
presumably
)
in
her
native
tongue
and
to
take
their
measure
from
head
to
heel
with
a
pair
of
shrewd
,
sunken
eyes
.
Of
her
verbal
greetings
they
understood
nothing
but
the
mention
of
Madame
Amberg
;
but
,
having
looked
them
up
and
down
enough
,
the
old
lady
shuffled
back
into
her
kitchen
for
the
key
of
the
revolutionist
's
property
.
She
reappeared
with
the
key
in
one
hand
and
a
copper
stewpan
in
the
other
—
wherewith
she
waved
the
signal
to
advance
,
and
shuffled
off
in
guidance
,
ahead
of
her
grandson
and
the
visitors
.
A
quarter
of
an
hour
's
more
walking
on
a
dwindling
path
brought
them
in
sight
of
their
sylvan
honeymoon
abode
;
it
had
originally
been
built
for
the
use
of
a
woodman
,
and
was
a
four-roomed
cottage
on
the
edge
of
the
wood
overlooking
the
stream
and
the
pasture
of
the
black-and-white
cows
.
Madame
Peys
(
they
knew
at
least
her
name
)
unlocked
the
door
and
ushered
them
into
the
kitchen
,
where
the
boy
deposited
their
bags
.
CHAPTER
IV
The
cottage
was
what
any
one
who
know
Madame
Amberg
might
have
expected
her
cottage
to
be
.
It
was
sparsely
furnished
,
except
with
explosive
literature
;
there
were
very
few
chairs
,
and
those
few
verging
on
decrepitude
,
but
numerous
tracts
and
pamphlets
in
divers
civilized
languages
.
Kitchen
utensils
were
conspicuous
chiefly
by
their
absence
,
and
presumably
the
owner
relied
consistently
on
the
loan
of
the
copper
stewpan
which
had
accompanied
her
guests
from
the
farm
.
On
the
other
hand
,
the
kitchen
walls
were
adorned
by
photographs
,
more
or
less
fly-blown
,
of
various
political
extremists
,
and
a
signed
presentment
of
Rosa
Luxemburg
adorned
a
bedroom
mantelpiece
.
While
Madame
Peys
made
play
with
the
stew-pan
and
a
kettle
,
the
honeymoon
couple
unpacked
their
bags
and
examined
their
new
domain
:
still
,
to
a
certain
extent
,
overawed
by
the
silence
and
loneliness
around
it
;
still
,
unknown
to
themselves
,
speaking
more
gently
and
with
more
hesitation
than
usual
.
It
was
the
familiar
tang
of
the
books
and
pamphlets
,
with
which
the
shelves
were
crammed
and
the
floor
was
heaped
,
that
first
revived
their
quieted
spirits
and
created
a
sense
of
home
.
Woman
and
Democracy
,
even
on
the
backs
of
books
,
had
power
to
act
as
a
tonic
and
trumpet-call
,
to
reflect
the
atmosphere
of
noise
and
controversy
where
alone
they
could
breathe
with
comfort
.
With
unconscious
relief
they
turned
from
the
window
and
the
prospect
of
the
valley
,
green
and
untenanted
,
to
entrench
themselves
against
the
assaults
of
the
unknown
behind
the
friendly
and
familiar
volumes
that
had
overflowed
from
Madame
Amberg
's
deal
book-shelves
to
Madame
Amberg
's
uncarpeted
floor
.
Conning
them
,
handling
them
and
turning
their
pages
,
they
were
again
on
the
solid
ground
of
impatient
intolerance
;
they
were
back
amongst
their
own
,
their
cherished
certainties
.
William
in
the
presence
of
Belfort
Bax
felt
his
feet
once
more
beneath
him
;
Griselda
,
recognizing
a
pamphlet
by
Christabel
Pankhurst
,
ceased
to
be
troubled
by
the
loneliness
around
her
,
grew
animated
and
raised
her
voice
...
.
And
the
savoury
mess
which
Madame
produced
from
her
stewpan
,
combined
with
the
no
less
excellent
coffee
that
followed
,
dispelled
for
the
moment
the
sense
of
mystery
and
the
shadow
of
the
New
Idea
.
The
shadow
obtruded
itself
more
than
once
during
the
next
three
weeks
or
so
;
but
on
the
whole
they
managed
with
fair
success
to
be
in
the
country
and
not
of
it
—
to
create
in
the
heart
of
their
immemorial
valley
a
little
refuge
and
atmosphere
of
truly
advanced
suburbia
.
Their
existence
in
the
Ardennes
valley
was
one
of
mutual
affection
and
study
—
by
which
latter
term
they
understood
principally
the
reading
of
books
they
agreed
with
.
From
the
cares
and
worries
of
housekeeping
they
were
blissfully
and
entirely
free
;
Madame
Peys
did
their
catering
,
taking
toll
,
no
doubt
,
of
their
simplicity
and
ignorance
of
French
,
but
taking
it
with
tact
and
discretion
.
Her
bills
were
a
weekly
trouble
to
Griselda
but
not
on
account
of
their
length
;
what
she
disliked
was
the
embarrassing
moment
when
she
strove
to
conceal
her
complete
ignorance
of
the
items
and
difficulty
in
grasping
the
total
as
set
forth
in
un-English-looking
ciphers
.
Their
tidying
was
also
done
daily
and
adequately
,
their
cooking
more
than
adequately
;
Madame
Peys
called
them
in
the
morning
,
set
the
house
to
rights
and
their
various
meals
going
,
and
looked
in
at
intervals
during
the
day
,
departing
for
the
last
time
when
supper
was
cooked
and
laid
.
Their
daily
doings
fell
naturally
into
routine
;
they
rose
of
a
morning
to
coffee
steaming
on
the
stove
;
and
,
having
digested
their
breakfast
,
they
usually
proceeded
to
walk
a
little
,
concluding
the
exercise
by
sitting
under
the
trees
with
a
book
which
William
read
aloud
to
Griselda
.
They
lunched
sometimes
in
picnic
fashion
,
sometimes
at
home
;
in
the
afternoon
took
another
stroll
or
sat
at
home
reading
,
with
happy
little
interludes
of
talk
.
On
two
or
three
days
they
made
small
excursions
to
one
of
the
neighbouring
villages
;
on
others
William
,
with
a
pen
and
a
frown
of
importance
,
would
establish
himself
at
the
table
after
lunch
was
cleared
away
;
he
had
a
tract
in
hand
on
the
Woman
Question
,
and
Griselda
gently
but
firmly
insisted
that
even
in
the
first
ecstasy
of
their
honeymoon
he
should
not
lay
it
aside
.
Having
a
due
sense
of
the
value
of
his
epoch-making
work
,
he
did
not
require
much
pressing
;
and
while
he
frowned
and
scribbled
and
frowned
and
paused
,
she
would
sit
by
reading
,
and
now
and
again
glance
up
that
she
might
meet
his
eye
and
smile
.
Long
afterwards
,
months
afterwards
,
when
he
had
forgotten
the
epoch-making
work
and
all
he
had
meant
to
prove
by
it
,
he
would
remember
how
she
had
risen
and
come
behind
him
,
smoothing
and
fondling
his
ruffled
hair
and
bending
over
to
kiss
him
.
He
would
drop
his
pen
and
lift
his
face
to
hers
,
sometimes
in
silence
and
sometimes
murmuring
foolishness
.
In
time
,
as
the
peaceful
days
crept
by
,
they
were
sorry
that
,
yielding
to
a
romantic
impulse
,
they
had
directed
that
neither
paper
nor
letter
should
be
forwarded
during
their
absence
.
As
a
result
of
this
prohibition
their
entire
correspondence
while
they
stayed
in
the
valley
consisted
of
one
picture-postcard
despatched
by
Madame
Amberg
from
Liverpool
at
the
moment
of
her
embarkation
for
an
extended
lecture
tour
in
the
States
.
It
was
sent
three
days
after
their
wedding
,
and
expressed
exuberant
affection
,
but
was
singularly
lacking
in
news
of
the
outside
world
.
To
remove
the
prohibition
would
be
to
confess
failure
and
suggest
boredom
,
therefore
neither
ventured
to
hint
at
it
;
all
the
same
,
they
knew
in
their
secret
hearts
that
they
had
overrated
their
resourcefulness
.
It
was
not
that
they
palled
on
each
other
—
far
from
it
;
but
part
at
least
of
their
mutual
attraction
was
their
mutual
interest
in
certain
subjects
and
limited
phases
of
activity
.
Madame
Amberg
's
revolutionary
library
,
valuable
as
it
was
in
distracting
their
thoughts
from
the
silence
and
beauty
around
them
and
defending
them
against
the
unknown
,
could
not
entirely
supply
the
place
of
daily
whirl
and
unceasing
snarl
and
argument
;
William
pined
unconsciously
for
the
din
and
dust
of
the
platform
and
Griselda
missed
the
weekly
temper
into
which
she
worked
herself
in
sympathy
with
her
weekly
Suffragette
.
She
missed
it
so
much
that
at
last
she
was
moved
to
utterance
—
late
on
a
still
,
heavy
evening
in
August
,
when
once
or
twice
there
had
come
up
the
valley
a
distant
mutter
as
of
thunder
.
"
Dear
,
"
she
said
gently
,
as
they
sat
by
the
window
after
supper
,
"
I
do
n't
know
how
you
feel
about
it
,
but
I
am
beginning
to
think
that
our
life
here
is
almost
too
peaceful
.
It
is
beautiful
to
sit
here
together
and
dream
and
forget
the
world
—
but
is
it
a
preparation
for
the
life
we
are
to
lead
?
Is
it
a
preparation
for
our
work
?
"
William
sighed
a
gentle
sigh
of
relief
,
and
his
hand
went
out
to
his
wife
's
in
a
squeeze
of
agreement
and
gratitude
.
As
usual
,
their
minds
had
jumped
together
and
the
thought
of
twain
had
been
uttered
by
the
lips
of
one
.
"
I
've
been
thinking
the
same
thing
myself
,
"
he
said
.
"
It
has
struck
me
more
than
once
.
As
you
say
,
it
's
beautiful
here
in
the
heart
of
the
country
—
nothing
could
be
more
beautiful
.
But
I
have
wondered
,
especially
lately
,
if
it
is
n't
enervating
.
It
is
good
for
some
people
,
perhaps
;
but
when
you
have
an
aim
in
life
and
the
fighting
spirit
in
you
—
—
"
"
Yes
,
"
Griselda
flared
responsively
,
"
it
's
the
fighting
spirit
—
and
the
Cause
calling
to
us
.
I
've
been
hearing
the
call
getting
louder
and
louder
;
we
ca
n't
stand
aside
any
longer
,
we
have
n't
the
right
to
stand
aside
.
How
can
I
—
how
dare
I
—
rest
and
enjoy
myself
when
,
there
are
noble
women
struggling
for
freedom
,
suffering
for
freedom
,
keeping
the
flag
flying
—
—
?
"
And
the
unconscious
little
humbug
clasped
her
hands
and
,
from
force
of
habit
,
rose
to
her
feet
,
addressing
an
imaginary
audience
.
William
,
an
equally
unconscious
humbug
,
also
rose
to
his
feet
and
kissed
her
.
It
was
one
of
those
happy
and
right-minded
moments
in
which
inclination
agrees
with
duty
,
and
they
were
able
to
admire
themselves
and
each
other
for
a
sacrifice
which
had
cost
them
nothing
.
The
decision
taken
,
there
remained
only
the
details
of
their
speedy
departure
to
settle
.
Their
first
impatient
impulse
was
to
leave
for
Brussels
on
the
morrow
,
but
on
consideration
they
decided
that
the
morrow
would
be
too
soon
.
Investigation
of
a
local
time-table
revealed
the
fact
that
the
connection
with
Brussels
—
the
only
tolerable
connection
—
meant
a
start
in
the
very
early
morning
;
but
an
early
start
meant
an
overnight
warning
to
the
farm-boy
,
Philippe
,
that
his
services
would
be
needful
to
carry
their
bags
to
the
station
—
and
the
farm-people
,
all
of
them
,
went
to
bed
soon
after
the
sun
and
were
certainly
by
now
asleep
.
There
was
,
further
,
the
old
lady
to
settle
with
where
financial
matters
were
concerned
,
and
it
always
took
time
to
make
out
her
illegible
bill
.
On
reflection
,
therefore
,
they
decided
for
the
following
day
.
"
I
hope
,
"
Griselda
meditated
,
"
that
I
shall
be
able
to
make
Madame
Peys
understand
that
we
want
the
boy
the
first
thing
in
the
morning
.
I
expect
she
will
see
what
I
mean
if
I
show
her
the
train
in
the
time-table
and
say
'
Philippe
,
'
and
point
to
the
bags
.
That
ought
to
make
it
clear
.
It
rather
detracts
from
the
enjoyment
of
being
abroad
—
not
being
able
to
make
people
understand
what
you
say
.
Interlaken
was
much
more
convenient
in
that
way
;
all
the
waiters
spoke
English
quite
nicely
.
And
the
understanding
is
even
more
difficult
than
the
speaking
.
To-night
Madame
was
talking
away
hard
to
me
all
the
time
she
was
cooking
our
supper
,
but
I
could
n't
make
out
one
word
she
said
—
only
that
she
was
very
excited
.
I
said
,
'
Oui
,
oui
,
'
every
now
and
then
,
because
she
seemed
to
expect
it
,
and
I
was
sorry
to
see
her
upset
.
I
thought
perhaps
one
of
the
people
at
the
farm
was
ill
,
but
I
've
seen
her
son
and
his
wife
and
the
boy
since
,
so
it
ca
n't
be
that
.
Of
course
,
she
may
have
other
relations
in
some
other
part
of
the
country
—
or
perhaps
something
has
happened
to
one
of
the
cows
.
I
could
see
she
was
worried
.
"
They
sat
until
late
side
by
side
by
the
open
window
and
talked
in
snatches
of
the
world
they
were
going
back
to
—
the
dear
,
familiar
,
self-important
world
of
the
agitated
and
advanced
.
Its
dust
was
already
in
their
nostrils
,
its
clamour
already
in
their
ears
;
in
three
days
more
they
would
be
in
it
once
again
with
their
own
little
turbulent
folk
.
The
mere
thought
increased
their
sense
of
their
own
value
,
and
they
grew
gay
and
excited
as
they
talked
and
planned
,
instinctively
turning
their
backs
on
the
window
and
shutting
out
sight
and
sound
of
the
country
peace
,
the
oppressive
peace
in
which
they
had
no
part
.
"
What
shall
we
do
to-morrow
,
darling
?
"
Griselda
asked
at
length
.
The
question
was
prompted
by
her
longing
for
to-morrow
to
be
over
and
her
mind
was
in
search
of
some
method
for
inducing
it
to
pass
with
swiftness
.
They
considered
the
point
with
that
object
in
view
,
and
decided
that
should
the
day
prove
fine
they
would
spend
it
away
from
the
cottage
,
taking
their
lunch
with
them
.
There
was
a
winding
path
leading
up
through
the
woods
to
the
heights
which
they
had
not
yet
explored
except
for
a
short
distance
;
they
would
start
out
,
provisioned
,
soon
after
breakfast
,
to
go
where
the
path
led
them
,
and
eat
their
meal
on
the
hill-top
.
Then
home
to
supper
,
settlement
with
Madame
,
and
an
early
departure
next
morning
...
.
So
they
planned
comfortably
and
without
misgiving
,
while
the
world
seethed
in
the
melting-pot
and
the
Kaiser
battered
at
Liège
.
"
If
it
's
fine
,
"
William
cautioned
again
as
they
mounted
the
stairs
to
bed
.
"
I
've
heard
thunder
several
times
in
the
distance
,
so
we
may
have
a
storm
in
the
morning
.
"
There
was
no
storm
or
sign
of
a
storm
in
the
morning
.
It
must
have
passed
over
,
Griselda
said
;
she
had
listened
to
its
faint
and
distant
mutterings
for
half-an-hour
before
she
fell
asleep
.
Their
meal
of
coffee
and
new-laid
eggs
was
waiting
on
the
stove
as
usual
,
and
Madame
Peys
had
vanished
as
usual
before
they
came
down
to
partake
of
it
.
They
hard-boiled
more
eggs
while
they
breakfasted
,
and
,
the
meal
disposed
of
,
set
to
work
to
cut
plentiful
sandwiches
and
otherwise
furnish
their
basket
.
As
their
road
up
the
hill
did
not
lead
them
past
the
farm
,
and
Madame
Peys
had
not
yet
put
in
an
appearance
for
the
process
of
tidying
up
,
William
inscribed
in
large
round-hand
on
an
envelope
the
word
"
Sorti
,
"
as
a
sign
to
their
housekeeper
that
the
preparation
of
a
midday
meal
was
unnecessary
;
and
having
placed
the
announcement
on
the
kitchen
table
,
duly
weighted
with
a
saucer
,
he
took
the
basket
on
one
arm
,
his
wife
on
the
other
,
and
set
out
.
They
met
not
a
soul
that
morning
as
they
mounted
the
winding
little
path
—
somewhat
slowly
,
for
the
winding
little
path
was
not
only
longer
than
they
had
expected
but
very
steep
in
places
.
Further
,
the
day
was
hot
even
under
the
trees
,
and
they
rested
more
than
once
before
they
reached
their
goal
,
the
heights
that
crowned
the
valley
;
rested
with
their
backs
against
a
beech-trunk
,
and
talked
of
themselves
and
what
interested
them
—
of
meetings
past
and
to
come
,
of
the
treachery
of
the
Labour
Party
,
of
the
wickedness
of
the
Government
and
the
necessity
for
terrifying
its
members
by
new
and
astounding
tactics
.
The
idea
had
been
to
lunch
when
the
heights
above
them
were
gained
;
but
the
weight
of
the
basket
made
itself
felt
in
the
heat
,
and
they
were
still
some
distance
from
their
goal
when
they
decided
it
was
time
to
lighten
it
.
They
did
so
in
the
customary
fashion
,
ate
well
and
heartily
,
and
although
they
allowed
an
unhurried
interval
for
digestion
were
even
less
enthusiastic
about
their
uphill
walk
than
they
had
been
before
partaking
of
lunch
.
It
was
a
relief
to
them
when
at
last
they
emerged
from
the
trees
and
found
themselves
high
above
the
valley
and
entering
on
a
wide
stretch
of
upland
;
the
wide
stretch
of
upland
had
no
particular
attraction
,
but
it
denoted
the
limits
of
their
excursion
and
a
consequent
return
downhill
.
"
Do
n't
you
think
we
've
about
been
far
enough
?
"
Griselda
suggested
.
"
There
's
rather
a
glare
now
we
're
out
of
the
wood
,
and
it
's
not
particularly
pretty
here
.
"
William
agreed
whole-heartedly
—
adding
,
however
,
as
a
rider
,
that
a
rest
was
desirable
before
they
started
homeward
,
and
that
if
they
went
as
far
as
the
rise
in
the
ground
a
hundred
yards
to
their
right
they
would
probably
have
quite
a
good
view
,
and
he
expected
there
would
be
a
nice
breeze
.
In
accordance
with
these
expectations
they
mounted
the
knoll
,
found
the
breeze
and
the
view
they
expected
,
and
subsided
in
the
shade
of
a
bush
.
If
they
had
but
known
it
,
they
were
the
last
tourists
of
their
race
who
for
many
and
many
a
day
to
come
were
to
look
on
the
scene
before
them
.
Had
they
but
known
it
,
they
would
certainly
have
scanned
it
more
keenly
;
as
it
was
,
they
surveyed
the
wide
landscape
contentedly
,
but
with
no
particular
enthusiasm
.
On
every
side
of
them
were
the
rounded
uplands
—
a
table-land
gently
swelling
and
cleft
here
and
there
by
wooded
valleys
.
On
their
right
was
the
deep
cleft
from
which
they
had
mounted
through
the
woods
;
and
before
them
the
ground
dropped
sharply
to
the
edge
of
a
cliff
,
the
boundary
of
a
wider
cleft
running
at
right
angles
to
their
own
green
valley
of
silence
.
It
was
along
this
wider
cleft
that
the
railway
ran
,
the
little
branch
line
that
to-morrow
(
so
they
thought
)
was
to
take
them
on
the
first
stage
of
their
journey
.
From
their
perch
on
the
hill-top
they
could
see
the
three
ribbons
of
dark
track
,
white
road
and
shadowed
river
which
between
them
filled
the
valley
.
The
wall
of
rock
jutted
forward
on
their
left
,
hiding
,
as
they
knew
,
the
wayside
railway
station
at
which
they
had
arrived
and
the
cluster
of
neat
houses
beside
it
;
to
the
right
again
there
was
a
bend
no
less
sharp
—
and
between
the
two
a
stretch
of
empty
road
.
"
It
's
very
pretty
,
"
said
Griselda
,
yawning
and
fanning
herself
,
"
but
I
wish
it
was
n't
quite
so
hot
.
I
suppose
there
's
nothing
left
to
drink
?
"
William
was
sorry
there
was
n't
—
they
had
finished
the
last
drop
at
lunch
.
Griselda
sighed
,
stretched
herself
out
on
her
elbow
,
with
her
face
towards
the
eastern
bluff
,
and
saw
coming
round
it
a
group
of
three
or
four
horsemen
—
little
toy-like
horses
,
carrying
little
toy
men
past
trees
that
looked
like
bushes
.
They
were
moving
quickly
;
the
toy-like
horses
were
cantering
on
the
white
ribbon
of
road
.
Griselda
pointed
them
out
to
William
,
and
the
pair
leaned
forward
to
watch
them
pass
,
hundreds
of
feet
below
.
"
They
're
scampering
along
,
"
she
said
;
"
they
must
be
in
a
hurry
.
What
funny
little
things
they
look
from
here
—
like
insects
!
They
'll
be
out
of
sight
in
a
minute
—
no
,
they
've
stopped
...
.
I
believe
they
're
turning
back
.
"
The
funny
little
things
had
halted
simultaneously
at
the
foot
of
the
jutting
cliff
which
hid
the
village
and
the
station
from
the
eyes
of
William
and
Griselda
.
As
Griselda
had
said
,
in
another
moment
they
would
have
been
round
it
and
out
of
sight
,
and
fifty
more
yards
or
so
beyond
the
bend
would
have
brought
them
to
the
outskirts
of
the
village
.
Instead
,
they
halted
and
drew
together
for
an
instant
;
then
one
funny
little
thing
,
detaching
himself
from
the
group
,
scampered
backwards
by
the
road
he
had
come
,
and
continued
scampering
till
he
rounded
the
eastward
bluff
.
His
insects
of
companions
remained
grouped
where
he
had
left
them
,
their
horses
shifting
backwards
and
forwards
on
the
white
surface
of
the
road
.
"
They
're
waiting
for
him
to
come
back
,
"
Griselda
concluded
idly
,
"
I
expect
they
've
forgotten
something
.
"
What
they
had
forgotten
proved
to
be
a
column
of
horsemen
curving
in
swift
and
orderly
fashion
round
the
foot
of
the
eastward
bluff
.
It
came
on
,
a
supple
and
decorative
line
,
bending
with
the
bend
and
straightening
as
the
valley
straightened
.
"
Soldiers
,
"
said
William
,
with
the
orthodox
accent
of
contempt
—
following
with
a
pleasure
he
would
not
for
worlds
have
admitted
the
sinuous
windings
of
the
troop
.
There
is
in
the
orderly
movement
of
men
an
attraction
which
few
can
resist
;
it
appealed
even
to
his
elementary
sense
of
the
rhythmic
,
and
he
,
like
Griselda
,
bent
forward
to
watch
and
to
listen
to
the
distant
clatter
of
hoofs
echoed
back
from
the
walls
of
the
valley
.
As
the
horsemen
swung
out
of
sight
round
the
westward
bluff
and
the
clatter
of
hoof-beats
deadened
,
he
held
up
a
finger
,
and
Griselda
asked
,
"
What
is
it
?
"
"
Guns
,
"
he
said
.
"
Cannon
—
do
n't
you
hear
them
?
"
She
did
;
a
soft
,
not
unpleasing
thud
,
repeated
again
and
again
,
and
coming
down
the
breeze
from
the
northward
.
"
It
must
be
manoeuvres
,
"
he
explained
.
"
That
's
what
those
soldiers
are
doing
.
I
expect
it
's
what
they
call
the
autumn
manoeuvres
.
"
"
Playing
at
murder
,
"
Griselda
commented
,
producing
the
orthodox
sigh
.
She
had
heard
the
phrase
used
by
a
pacifist
orator
in
the
Park
and
considered
it
apt
and
telling
.
"
What
a
waste
of
time
—
and
what
a
brutalizing
influence
on
the
soldiers
themselves
!
Ah
,
if
only
women
had
a
say
in
national
affairs
!
"
...
and
she
made
the
customary
glib
oration
on
her
loved
and
familiar
text
.
Before
it
was
quite
finished
,
William
held
up
his
finger
again
—
needlessly
,
for
Griselda
had
stopped
short
on
her
own
initiative
.
This
time
it
was
a
crackle
of
sharp
little
shots
,
not
far
away
and
softened
like
the
sound
of
the
heavier
guns
,
but
comparatively
close
at
hand
and
,
if
their
ears
did
not
deceive
them
,
just
beyond
the
westward
bluff
.
"
They
're
pretending
to
fight
in
the
village
,
"
Griselda
said
.
"
How
silly
!
Firing
off
guns
and
making
believe
to
shoot
people
.
"
"
Militarism
,
"
William
assented
,
"
is
always
silly
.
"
And
he
,
in
his
turn
,
enlarged
on
his
favourite
text
,
the
impossibility
of
international
warfare
,
owing
to
the
ever-growing
solidarity
of
the
European
working-classes
—
his
little
homily
being
punctuated
here
and
there
by
a
further
crackle
from
below
.
When
he
had
enlarged
sufficiently
and
Griselda
had
duly
agreed
,
he
returned
as
it
were
to
private
life
and
suggested
:
"
If
you
're
feeling
more
rested
,
shall
we
make
a
start
?
It
's
cooler
under
the
trees
.
"
They
started
,
accordingly
,
on
their
homeward
way
,
which
was
even
longer
than
the
route
they
had
taken
in
the
morning
:
one
little
wood
path
was
very
like
another
and
they
managed
to
take
a
wrong
turning
,
bear
too
much
to
the
right
and
make
a
considerable
detour
.
When
the
cottage
came
in
sight
they
were
both
thirsty
,
and
secretly
relieved
that
their
last
excursion
was
over
.
"
We
'll
put
on
the
spirit-lamp
and
have
some
tea
,
"
Griselda
announced
as
they
pushed
open
the
door
.
"
Oh
dear
!
it
's
lovely
to
think
we
shall
be
in
London
so
soon
.
How
I
would
love
a
strawberry
ice
!
Where
's
the
match-box
?
"
It
was
not
until
the
match-box
was
found
and
the
spirit-lamp
kindled
that
William
discovered
on
the
kitchen
table
a
mystery
in
the
shape
of
a
document
.
It
was
an
unimposing
looking
document
,
not
over
clean
,
indicted
in
pencil
on
the
reverse
of
the
half-sheet
of
paper
on
which
William
that
morning
had
written
his
announcement
of
"
Sorti
.
"
Like
William
's
announcement
,
the
communication
was
in
French
,
of
a
kind
—
presumably
uneducated
French
if
one
judged
by
the
writing
;
and
like
William
the
author
of
the
communication
(
in
all
likelihood
Madame
Peys
)
had
placed
it
in
the
centre
of
the
table
and
crowned
it
with
a
saucer
before
leaving
.
"
I
suppose
it
must
be
for
us
,
"
William
remarked
doubtfully
.
"
I
ca
n't
make
out
a
word
of
it
—
can
you
?
"
"
Of
course
not
,
"
Griselda
returned
with
a
spice
of
irritation
—
she
was
tired
and
her
boots
hurt
her
.
"
I
could
n't
read
that
ridiculous
writing
if
it
was
English
.
It
's
that
silly
old
woman
,
Madame
Peys
,
I
suppose
;
but
what
is
the
good
of
her
writing
us
letters
when
she
knows
we
ca
n't
read
them
?
"
"
Perhaps
,
"
William
suggested
,
"
it
's
to
say
she
wo
n't
be
able
to
cook
our
supper
to-night
?
"
"
Very
likely
,
"
his
wife
agreed
,
the
spice
of
irritation
still
more
pronounced
.
"
If
that
's
it
,
we
shall
have
to
do
with
eggs
—
we
used
up
the
cold
meat
for
sandwiches
at
lunch
,
and
there
's
nothing
else
in
the
house
.
We
'd
better
go
round
to
the
farm
when
we
've
had
our
tea
and
find
out
what
she
wants
—
stupid
old
thing
!
Whether
she
comes
here
or
not
,
we
must
see
her
to
get
the
bill
and
order
the
boy
for
the
morning
.
But
I
do
n't
mean
to
move
another
step
till
I
've
had
my
tea
.
"
CHAPTER
V
They
had
their
tea
,
Griselda
with
her
boots
off
and
her
aching
feet
resting
on
a
chair
;
and
after
she
had
lapped
up
two
comfortable
cups
her
irritation
subsided
and
she
was
once
again
her
pleasant
and
chattering
little
self
.
William
,
to
give
her
a
further
rest
,
volunteered
,
though
with
some
hesitation
,
to
make
the
visit
to
the
farm
alone
;
in
his
mind
,
as
in
her
own
,
Griselda
was
the
French
scholar
of
the
pair
,
a
reputation
due
to
the
fact
that
it
was
she
to
whom
Madame
Peys
preferred
,
as
a
rule
,
to
address
her
unintelligible
remarks
.
Griselda
knew
what
the
offer
cost
him
and
generously
declined
to
take
advantage
of
it
—
stipulating
only
for
a
few
minutes
more
repose
before
encasing
her
weary
feet
again
in
boots
.
The
few
minutes
drew
out
into
half-an-hour
or
more
,
and
the
shadows
were
lengthening
in
the
valley
when
they
started
on
their
walk
to
the
farm
.
They
started
arm-in-arm
,
the
wife
leaning
on
the
husband
;
but
when
they
came
in
sight
of
the
house
Griselda
took
her
arm
from
William
's
and
they
drew
a
little
apart
.
They
need
not
have
troubled
to
observe
the
minor
proprieties
;
not
a
soul
stirred
,
not
a
nose
showed
itself
as
they
opened
the
little
wooden
gate
of
the
garden
and
made
for
the
open
door
.
They
were
both
of
them
unobservant
of
country
sights
and
sounds
,
and
it
was
not
until
they
had
knocked
in
vain
on
the
open
door
and
called
in
vain
on
the
name
of
Madame
Peys
that
they
were
struck
by
the
absence
of
the
usual
noises
of
the
farm
.
There
was
neither
lowing
of
cows
nor
crowing
and
clucking
of
poultry
;
and
the
nondescript
of
a
dog
who
usually
heralded
the
approach
of
a
visitor
by
strangling
tugs
at
his
chain
and
vociferous
canine
curses
,
for
once
had
allowed
their
advent
to
pass
unchallenged
.
They
realized
suddenly
that
there
was
a
strange
silence
from
the
kennel
and
turned
simultaneously
to
look
at
it
.
"
It
's
odd
,
"
said
William
.
"
I
suppose
they
've
all
gone
out
,
and
taken
the
dog
with
them
.
"
"
Where
are
the
cocks
and
hens
?
"
said
Griselda
suddenly
.
As
if
in
answer
to
her
query
,
a
scraggy
pullet
at
the
awkward
age
appeared
on
the
top
of
the
farmyard
gate
,
flapped
groundwards
and
proceeded
to
investigate
the
neighbouring
soil
with
a
series
of
businesslike
pecks
.
Their
eyes
turned
towards
the
yard
whence
the
pullet
had
emerged
in
search
of
her
usual
bevy
of
feathered
companions
;
but
the
satisfied
cluck
of
the
bird
as
she
sampled
a
seed
remained
unechoed
and
unanswered
and
brought
no
comrade
to
the
spot
.
Obviously
the
family
excursion
was
unlikely
to
be
accompanied
by
a
lengthy
procession
of
poultry
;
and
moved
by
a
common
impulse
of
wonder
William
and
Griselda
made
for
the
gate
and
surveyed
the
farmyard
beyond
...
The
doors
of
byre
and
stable
were
standing
wide
,
untenanted
either
by
horse
or
by
cow
,
and
the
two
farm-carts
had
vanished
.
There
was
a
small
dark
square
in
the
corner
of
the
yard
marking
the
spot
where
yesterday
an
imprisoned
mother
had
kept
watch
and
ward
over
a
baker
's
dozen
of
attractive
yellow
downlings
;
now
the
dark
square
was
the
only
trace
of
mother
,
chicks
and
cell
.
"
I
wish
,
"
said
William
,
"
that
we
could
read
what
's
written
on
that
paper
.
What
can
have
happened
to
them
all
?
"
"
What
's
happened
to
them
is
that
they
've
gone
,
"
Griselda
returned
with
decision
.
"
And
gone
for
a
good
long
time
—
people
do
n't
take
their
cows
and
chickens
and
cart-horses
with
them
when
they
go
for
a
week-end
.
I
suppose
they
're
moving
and
taking
another
farm
.
"
"
Ye-es
?
"
William
agreed
doubtfully
.
"
But
I
should
n't
have
thought
they
'd
have
moved
at
such
short
notice
—
with
all
those
animals
.
Of
course
,
if
they
're
moving
,
they
'll
come
back
for
what
they
've
left
—
those
spades
and
the
wheelbarrow
and
the
furniture
.
There
are
a
lot
of
things
still
in
the
kitchen
...
they
may
come
to
fetch
them
to-night
.
"
"
They
're
sure
to
,
"
his
wife
said
hopefully
.
"
Besides
,
Madame
Peys
would
never
leave
us
without
milk
or
provisions
for
the
morning
—
she
's
much
too
considerate
.
I
daresay
the
new
farm
is
n't
far
off
,
and
she
'll
either
come
herself
or
send
Philippe
.
Then
we
must
explain
about
the
train
to-morrow
morning
.
"
William
,
still
doubtful
in
spite
of
Griselda
's
optimism
,
paused
at
the
half-open
door
of
the
kitchen
,
pushed
it
more
widely
ajar
and
surveyed
the
interior
in
detail
.
"
They
must
have
started
in
rather
a
hurry
,
"
he
commented
.
The
comment
was
justified
by
the
disordered
appearance
of
the
room
,
suggesting
a
departure
anything
but
leisurely
and
packing
anything
but
methodical
.
There
was
an
arm-chair
upturned
by
the
hearth
where
the
ashes
of
the
wood
fire
still
glowed
and
reddened
in
places
,
but
all
the
other
chairs
had
vanished
.
The
heavy
table
was
still
in
the
centre
of
the
room
,
but
a
smaller
one
had
gone
,
and
several
pans
were
missing
from
the
row
that
shimmered
on
the
wall
opposite
the
fireplace
.
The
canary
's
cage
and
the
clock
on
the
mantelpiece
had
departed
;
and
the
china
cupboard
standing
wide
open
was
rifled
of
part
of
its
contents
—
apparently
a
random
selection
.
On
the
floor
in
one
corner
was
a
large
chequered
table-cloth
knotted
into
a
bundle
and
containing
,
judging
by
its
bulges
,
a
collection
of
domestic
objects
of
every
shape
known
to
the
housewife
.
It
lay
discarded
at
the
foot
of
the
stairs
like
a
bursting
and
badly
cooked
pudding
;
its
formidable
size
and
unwieldy
contour
accounting
in
themselves
for
the
household
's
decision
to
abandon
it
...
There
was
about
the
place
—
as
in
all
dismantled
or
partially
dismantled
rooms
—
an
indefinite
suggestion
of
melancholy
;
William
and
Griselda
were
conscious
of
its
influence
as
they
stood
in
the
centre
of
the
kitchen
which
they
had
hitherto
known
only
as
a
model
of
orderly
arrangement
.
"
I
wonder
how
long
they
will
be
,
"
Griselda
said
,
as
she
and
her
husband
came
out
into
the
dying
sunlight
.
"
It
is
n't
any
good
hanging
about
here
;
if
nobody
has
turned
up
we
can
stroll
down
again
after
supper
...
I
wonder
if
I
could
make
an
omelette
—
I
've
often
watched
her
do
it
,
and
it
does
n't
seem
so
very
difficult
.
How
lonely
that
chicken
looks
poking
about
by
itself
.
"
Her
eye
followed
the
gawky
pullet
as
it
clucked
and
pecked
in
its
loneliness
about
the
vegetable
garden
—
and
suddenly
her
hand
shot
out
and
caught
at
her
husband
's
arm
.
"
William
,
"
she
said
in
a
queer
little
whisper
,
"
what
's
that
?
"
"
What
?
"
William
queried
,
half-startled
by
the
clutch
and
the
whisper
.
"
Do
n't
you
see
?
—
that
heap
...
beyond
the
gooseberry
bushes
!
"
He
looked
where
she
pointed
,
and
she
felt
him
thrill
,
as
she
herself
had
thrilled
when
her
hand
went
out
to
his
arm
;
neither
spoke
as
they
went
towards
the
end
of
the
garden
,
instinctively
hushing
their
footsteps
...
The
soft
earth
beyond
the
gooseberry
bushes
had
been
heaped
into
a
long
mound
,
and
the
solitary
pullet
was
clucking
and
pecking
at
the
side
of
a
new-made
grave
.
They
stood
looking
down
at
it
in
silence
—
dumb
and
uneasily
fearful
in
the
presence
of
a
mystery
beyond
their
powers
of
fathoming
.
The
empty
,
untidy
house
behind
them
was
suddenly
a
threat
and
a
shadow
;
so
was
the
loneliness
and
all-enclosing
silence
of
the
valley
...
The
damp
garden
earth
was
still
fresh
and
black
from
its
turning
;
whoever
lay
under
it
could
have
lain
but
an
hour
or
two
;
and
,
lest
the
unmistakable
shape
of
the
mound
should
fail
to
indicate
what
it
covered
,
some
one
had
laid
on
it
a
red
spray
torn
from
a
rose-bush
and
with
a
stick
and
a
knot
of
string
had
fashioned
a
cross
for
the
head
.
Two
crossed
hazel
shoots
and
a
handful
of
roses
betokened
that
a
spirit
had
returned
to
the
God
Who
gave
it
.
As
they
stood
at
the
graveside
in
the
peace
of
the
evening
,
the
constant
mutter
of
distant
guns
sent
a
low-spoken
threat
along
the
valley
;
but
they
were
too
much
engrossed
in
their
thoughts
and
surroundings
to
give
it
ear
or
heed
,
and
it
was
the
pullet
who
roused
them
from
their
stupor
of
dumb
astonishment
.
Encouraged
by
their
stillness
,
she
drew
near
,
surveyed
the
mound
and
with
a
flap
of
her
clipped
wings
alighted
under
the
cross
.
William
instinctively
bent
forward
to
"
shoo
"
her
away
,
and
as
she
fled
protesting
to
a
safer
neighbourhood
the
husband
and
wife
for
the
first
time
moved
and
spoke
.
"
What
can
have
happened
?
"
Griselda
whispered
.
"
Do
you
think
—
—
William
,
you
do
n't
think
there
has
been
a
murder
?
"
William
shook
his
head
,
though
not
with
excess
of
confidence
.
"
There
's
the
cross
,
"
he
objected
,
"
and
the
roses
.
A
murderer
would
hardly
put
roses
—
—
"
"
I
do
n't
know
,
"
Griselda
whispered
back
.
"
You
hear
of
criminals
doing
such
strange
things
—
and
perhaps
it
was
done
hastily
,
in
a
quarrel
,
and
the
murderer
repented
at
once
...
.
For
all
we
know
that
paper
on
our
kitchen
table
may
be
a
confession
...
.
I
wonder
whose
grave
it
is
—
if
it
's
one
of
the
Peys
.
It
's
so
odd
their
all
having
gone
—
there
must
be
something
wrong
...
.
You
do
n't
suppose
they
've
gone
off
to
hide
themselves
?
"
William
reminded
her
of
the
absence
of
the
farm-yard
stock
—
and
she
admitted
that
a
family
seeking
to
elude
justice
would
hardly
be
so
foolish
as
to
attempt
to
conceal
itself
from
the
police
in
the
company
of
seven
cows
,
two
cart-horses
and
an
entire
colony
of
poultry
.
Nor
,
when
untrodden
woods
lay
around
them
,
would
they
call
attention
to
the
crime
by
placing
the
grave
of
their
victim
in
a
prominent
position
in
the
garden
;
while
it
was
difficult
to
think
of
the
Peys
family
,
as
they
had
known
them
,
as
murderers
and
accomplices
of
murderers
:
the
old
lady
so
cheery
and
shrewd
,
her
son
and
his
wife
so
unintelligibly
friendly
,
and
Philippe
so
loutishly
good-natured
.
For
a
while
a
gruesome
fascination
held
them
to
the
side
of
the
grave
—
and
then
Griselda
quivered
and
said
suddenly
,
"
Let
's
go
home
.
"
They
walked
away
softly
and
closed
the
gate
softly
behind
them
;
and
,
once
they
were
well
beyond
it
,
instinctively
quickened
their
footsteps
.
They
walked
arm-in-arm
,
speaking
little
,
on
their
way
back
to
the
cottage
,
and
it
was
not
until
they
were
almost
on
the
threshold
of
their
solitary
homestead
that
it
struck
them
that
perhaps
they
would
only
be
fulfilling
their
legal
duty
by
informing
the
local
authorities
of
the
presence
of
the
new-made
grave
.
They
discussed
the
idea
,
considered
it
,
and
after
discussion
rejected
it
:
for
one
thing
,
there
was
the
language
difficulty
,
for
another
the
natural
shrinking
of
the
foreigner
from
entangling
himself
in
unknown
processes
of
law
—
involving
possible
detention
for
the
purpose
of
giving
evidence
.
They
decided
that
it
would
be
better
for
the
present
to
await
events
,
and
hope
for
the
return
of
some
member
of
the
vanished
family
.
In
after
days
,
when
after
events
had
given
him
a
clue
,
William
framed
his
solution
to
the
mystery
of
the
grave
and
the
empty
farmhouse
—
a
solution
which
perhaps
was
not
correct
as
to
detail
but
was
certainly
right
in
substance
.
Some
fleeing
Belgian
,
wounded
to
death
,
had
found
strength
to
outrun
or
outride
the
Uhlan
,
and
seeking
a
refuge
in
the
hidden
valley
had
brought
his
news
to
the
farmhouse
,
and
died
after
giving
it
utterance
.
Those
who
heard
it
had
buried
him
in
haste
,
and
straightway
fled
from
the
invader
—
fled
clumsily
,
with
horse
and
cart
and
cattle
,
leaving
their
scribbled
,
unreadable
warning
to
the
absent
tenants
of
the
cottage
.
Whether
they
fled
far
and
successfully
,
or
whether
they
were
overtaken
and
in
due
course
held
fast
behind
the
barrier
of
flesh
and
iron
that
shut
off
the
German
and
his
conquests
from
the
rest
of
the
civilized
world
—
that
William
and
Griselda
never
knew
.
In
the
meantime
,
unfurnished
with
any
clue
,
unknowing
of
the
wild
fury
that
in
its
scathing
of
the
civilized
world
was
shattering
their
most
cherished
illusions
,
they
sought
in
vain
for
an
explanation
,
and
—
without
putting
the
fact
into
words
—
lit
the
lamp
earlier
than
usual
and
took
care
to
bolt
the
door
.
Usually
it
was
fastened
only
on
the
latch
,
so
that
Madame
could
let
herself
in
with
the
early
morning
;
but
to-night
the
darkness
was
unfriendly
and
the
lonely
valley
held
they
knew
not
what
of
threatening
.
Griselda
,
uneasily
pondering
on
other
matters
,
had
no
mind
to
give
to
the
experiment
of
an
omelette
,
and
their
supper
was
plain
boiled
eggs
—
boiled
hard
while
she
sat
with
wrinkled
brow
,
unheeding
of
the
flight
of
minutes
.
While
they
supped
,
their
ears
were
always
on
the
alert
for
a
footstep
or
a
hail
from
without
;
and
perhaps
for
that
reason
they
noticed
as
they
had
never
noticed
before
the
faint
ghostly
noises
of
the
country
—
the
night-calling
bird
and
the
shiver
of
leaves
when
the
air
stirred
and
sighed
.
They
talked
with
effort
and
frequent
pause
,
and
with
now
and
again
a
glance
thrown
sideways
at
the
open
window
and
the
forest
blackness
behind
it
;
there
were
no
blinds
to
the
windows
,
and
but
for
the
still
,
heavy
heat
they
would
have
fastened
the
shutters
and
barred
out
the
forest
blackness
.
Perhaps
they
would
have
borne
with
the
heat
of
a
closed
room
had
not
both
been
ashamed
to
confess
their
fear
of
the
window
.
In
both
their
minds
was
the
sense
of
being
very
far
removed
from
humanity
,
the
knowledge
that
between
them
and
humanity
was
a
lonely
path
and
a
house
with
its
doors
set
open
—
a
house
deserted
and
half
dismantled
with
a
nameless
grave
before
it
.
Unimaginative
as
they
both
were
,
they
pictured
the
grave
in
the
darkness
with
its
roughly
tied
cross
and
its
handful
of
wilting
rosebuds
.
They
went
upstairs
earlier
than
usual
,
chiefly
because
they
felt
more
comfortable
when
the
windows
below
were
fastened
.
William
,
coming
last
with
the
candle
,
took
the
added
precaution
of
turning
the
key
in
the
door
at
the
foot
of
the
stairs
;
and
Griselda
,
though
she
made
no
remark
,
heard
the
click
of
the
lock
with
a
secret
throb
of
relief
.
Upstairs
they
began
by
a
little
pretence
of
undressing
—
and
then
Griselda
,
with
her
hair
down
her
back
,
sat
close
to
William
,
with
his
coat
off
,
and
they
held
hands
and
talked
in
undertones
in
the
intervals
of
listening
for
a
footstep
.
The
footstep
never
came
;
but
it
was
not
until
close
upon
midnight
that
—
knowing
the
early
habits
of
the
former
tenants
of
the
farm
—
they
gave
up
all
hope
of
hearing
it
and
began
to
discuss
their
plans
for
the
following
day
,
on
the
presumption
that
they
must
leave
the
cottage
and
remove
their
luggage
alone
.
Such
unaided
removal
meant
an
earlier
uprising
than
they
had
counted
on
—
since
if
Madame
did
not
prepare
their
breakfast
they
needs
must
prepare
it
themselves
;
and
this
misfortune
realized
,
they
decided
to
sit
up
no
longer
.
They
went
to
bed
,
but
left
the
candle
burning
—
as
they
said
to
each
other
,
lest
one
of
the
Peys
family
should
knock
them
up
during
the
night
.
Neither
slept
much
,
partly
from
nervous
uneasiness
and
partly
from
fear
of
oversleeping
;
but
if
they
had
guessed
what
a
day
would
bring
forth
,
neither
would
have
slept
at
all
.
CHAPTER
VI
They
had
left
their
bedroom
windows
uncurtained
,
that
the
morning
light
might
waken
them
,
and
they
were
hardly
later
than
the
August
sun
in
opening
their
eyes
on
the
world
.
Though
they
had
slept
but
little
,
and
by
snatches
,
they
turned
out
of
bed
without
regret
;
the
flood
of
sunlight
brought
warmth
into
their
hearts
and
the
shadowy
horror
of
the
night
before
was
lifted
with
the
mists
of
the
valley
;
but
all
the
same
the
place
,
once
only
faintly
mysterious
,
was
now
actively
malicious
and
distasteful
,
was
tainted
with
a
lurking
dread
.
Thus
to
their
pleasure
at
the
thought
of
noise
and
London
was
added
relief
at
the
prospect
of
escape
from
a
solitude
grown
fearful
since
yesterday
.
They
dressed
with
haste
and
rising
spirits
;
and
it
was
with
undisguised
joy
that
they
collected
their
few
possessions
and
stuffed
them
into
their
hold-alls
.
William
,
whose
toilet
and
preparations
for
the
journey
were
completed
in
advance
of
his
wife
's
,
descended
first
to
the
kitchen
,
where
,
in
the
continued
and
regretted
absence
of
their
housekeeper
,
he
struggled
valiantly
with
the
making
of
breakfast
while
Griselda
finished
her
packing
.
The
meal
so
prepared
fell
short
of
complete
success
;
coffee
as
brewed
by
William
was
not
the
same
beverage
as
coffee
prepared
by
Madame
Peys
,
nor
were
its
tepid
attractions
enhanced
by
the
absence
of
their
usual
and
plentiful
ration
of
milk
.
Thanks
to
the
defection
of
the
Peys
family
,
they
were
not
only
milkless
but
eggless
;
and
such
remains
of
bread
and
butter
as
they
could
find
in
the
cupboard
were
the
only
accompaniment
to
William
's
suggestion
of
coffee
.
In
the
circumstances
there
was
but
little
temptation
to
risk
the
loss
of
the
Brussels
train
by
lingering
over
the
table
and
less
than
five
minutes
sufficed
for
their
simple
meal
.
Having
despatched
it
,
they
strapped
their
hold-alls
and
stepped
out
briskly
on
their
way
to
the
station
and
home
—
the
sun
still
low
on
the
eastward
ridge
of
the
valley
and
the
dew
still
heavy
on
the
grass
.
They
hardly
turned
to
look
back
at
the
cottage
,
so
glad
were
they
to
leave
it
behind
them
;
and
in
the
elation
of
their
spirits
they
sped
down
the
path
with
a
quite
unnecessary
haste
.
They
were
escaping
from
nature
and
solitude
,
and
their
hearts
sang
cheerily
of
Bloomsbury
.
When
they
rounded
the
bend
in
the
path
that
brought
them
within
sight
of
the
farm
their
first
thought
was
that
the
missing
family
had
returned
;
for
outside
the
gate
were
three
horses
,
standing
riderless
and
with
heads
near
together
.
There
was
something
reassuring
in
the
sight
of
the
beasts
as
they
stood
in
the
sunlight
shifting
and
flicking
their
tails
,
something
that
gave
the
lie
to
the
terrors
of
the
night
before
;
the
presence
of
horses
betokened
the
presence
of
men
,
and
the
presence
of
men
dissipated
the
sense
of
mystery
that
had
brooded
over
an
empty
house
with
a
nameless
grave
in
its
garden
.
Griselda
drew
a
comfortable
breath
of
relief
as
she
supposed
they
had
time
to
call
in
and
settle
the
last
week
's
bill
with
Madame
Peys
.
"
I
do
wish
,
"
she
pondered
regretfully
,
"
that
I
could
understand
what
she
says
.
I
must
say
I
should
like
to
know
what
the
explanation
is
—
about
that
grave
...
I
suppose
they
've
come
back
to
fetch
away
the
rest
of
the
furniture
,
and
things
—
those
are
n't
their
horses
,
though
!
"
"
No
,
"
William
assented
,
considering
the
sleek
strong
beasts
,
"
they
have
only
got
cart-horses
...
I
wonder
.
"
...
A
man
stepped
suddenly
out
from
behind
the
shifting
horses
—
so
suddenly
that
they
both
started
.
He
had
been
standing
by
the
gate
with
the
bridles
gathered
in
his
hand
,
hidden
by
his
charges
from
William
and
Griselda
as
they
had
been
hidden
from
him
.
When
,
hearing
their
voices
,
he
stepped
into
sight
,
he
stood
with
his
heels
together
,
very
erect
and
staring
at
them
—
a
young
man
squarely
and
sturdily
built
,
with
under
his
helmet
a
reddish
face
and
a
budding
black
moustache
.
He
was
clad
in
a
tight-fitting
greyish
uniform
,
and
a
sword
hung
by
his
side
.
He
stared
and
the
pair
stared
back
at
him
—
curiously
but
not
quite
so
openly
.
"
It
's
a
soldier
,
"
Griselda
commented
—
adding
,
like
William
,
"
I
wonder
—
—
"
They
both
wondered
so
much
that
they
hesitated
and
slackened
their
pace
;
the
presence
of
a
military
man
but
complicated
the
problem
of
the
farm
.
Coupled
with
the
absence
of
the
Peys
family
,
it
revived
their
suspicions
of
the
night
before
,
their
suspicions
of
crime
and
a
hasty
flight
from
justice
...
and
involuntarily
their
eyes
turned
to
the
garden
,
and
sought
the
outline
of
the
grave
beyond
the
gooseberry
bushes
.
"
It
really
does
look
,
"
Griselda
whispered
,
"
as
if
there
was
something
—
not
right
.
"
As
she
whispered
the
soldier
rapped
out
a
loud
monosyllable
;
it
was
enunciated
so
curtly
and
sharply
that
they
started
for
the
second
time
and
came
to
an
involuntary
halt
.
For
the
space
of
a
second
or
two
they
stood
open-mouthed
and
flustered
—
and
then
Griselda
,
recovering
from
the
shock
,
expressed
her
indignant
opinion
.
"
How
rude
!
"
she
said
.
"
What
does
he
shout
at
us
like
that
for
?
"
"
I
suppose
,
"
her
husband
conjectured
,
"
he
wants
us
to
stop
.
"
"
Well
,
"
said
Griselda
,
"
we
have
stopped
.
"
Her
tone
was
nettled
and
embittered
.
It
annoyed
her
to
realize
that
,
involuntarily
and
instinctively
,
she
had
obeyed
an
official
order
;
it
was
not
,
she
felt
what
her
Leaders
would
expect
from
a
woman
of
her
training
and
calibre
.
It
was
that
and
not
fear
that
disconcerted
her
—
for
,
after
the
first
shock
of
surprise
at
the
man
's
rough
manner
,
neither
she
nor
her
husband
were
in
the
least
overawed
;
on
the
contrary
,
as
they
stood
side
by
side
with
their
baggage
in
their
hands
,
gazing
into
