I would have gone on or gone back if I had
known you were coming out; but the place looked so quiet--"
"It does not matter," she said; "they bark at the slightest noise, and
we are used to it. The place is so quiet because only my father and I
live here, and there are only a few servants, and the place is so big."
All this was said not repiningly, but softly and a little dreamily. By
this time Donald and Bess had recovered their tempers, and after a
close inspection of the intruder had come to the conclusion that he was
of the right sort, and Donald was sitting close on his launches beside
Stafford, and thrusting his nose against Stafford's hand invitingly.
The girl's beauty seemed to Stafford almost bewildering, and yet softly
and sweetly a part of the beauty of the night; he was conscious of a
fear, that was actually a dread, that she would bow, call the dogs and
leave him; so, before she could do so, he made haste to say:
"Now I am here, will you allow me to apologise for my trespass of this
afternoon?"
She inclined her head slightly.
"It does not matter," she said; "you were very kind in helping me with
the lamb; and I ought to have told you that my father would be very
glad if you would fish in the Heron; you will find some better trout
higher up the valley.
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