The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-12-18

and sweet, and lifting herself on her i elbow, she saw in a little round Swale in the garden outside a faint l showing of green nestled into the i damp brown earth.
 ! She got up, rang for maid, who came, smiling, white-capped rosy checked She had coffee and rolls with rich country cream while she dressed. Her room opened directly into the garden, and she put on stout boots and a walking suit and a soft little hat of green felt, and went out Ayling, who had evidently risen early, was coming toward her. Swinging a great, freshly whittled staff cut from the woods beyond the inn. He called to her:
 You see' The sun does shine at Homebury St Mary!" And then, as if in gratitude for so glorious a day, he wished to be fair to the rest of the world, he added as he came up. l -I wonder if it's shining in London, too"
 "London?" she said. London? There's no such place!"
 Glad you came?" he asked
 .GladI'' Her tone was enough
 That's a jolly green hat" he said, and made her a little bow.
 Glad you like it. she laughed And that's jolly staff
 He showed St off proudly. Work of art" he said. T made one just > like it when I was here the summer I was twe1ve-I remembered it this morning when I woke up. and I came out to get this one"
 She admired it critically. paricu- larly the initials Of the dark bark left on, but suggested an improve ment about the knob.
 By jove. you're right" he ad- mitted, and set to work with his knife.
 They were like two youngsters out of school. All morning they idled out-of-doors, exploring the little lanes that led off into the buff colored hills, returning at noon, raVenoHs, to lunch in the dining room of the inn, parting afterward in the corridor, and going to their own rooms to rest and read. At four Aynng tapped at her door to say that there was in the sitting room "an absolutely enormous tea"
 That night, before beautiful fire in the sitting room, they caught each other yawning at half past nine and at ten they said good night.
 It had been so perfect that the next day found them following the same routine. And the next day, and the next Bessie LonSdale had not felt for years so much peace and so much strength. In their morning walks together her strength showed greater than his. The bracing air exhilarated her, and she felt she could have walked forever in the lovely rolling hills Once she had walked on and on, faster and faster not noticing how she had quickened her pace, her head up, facing the light wind blowing in from the sea And. turning to ask 8 question of Ayling at her side, his white face stopped her instantly.
 "Oh, I am Sorryi Forgive me" she said.
 waited a moment for breath before he said. Its just the wind; it's pretty stiff"
 And she had said no more, because it embarrassed him, but she suited
 her pace to his after that, never for giving herself for her thoughtless- ness And she chose, instead Of the hill roads, the level, winding lanes.
 For five perfect spring days they spent their mornings out-of-doors in the sun, lunched, parted until tea, met at dinner again, and said good night at a preposterously early hour.
 And they could not have said whether they amused or interested or merely conforted each other.
 Perhaps they did all three. At any
 rate, it was an idyli of it's kind, and of more genuine beauty than many less platonic idylls have been.
 On the morning of the sixth day Bessie Lonsdale went out into the garden as usual, to find the sky overcast with light, f1eecy clouds. But the air was soft, and she Wa7a t dered about for half an hour before a it occurred to her that perhap ps e tAyling was waiting for her inside. d She went in to look, but saw him DO- = where, and decided that he was s sleeping late. She waited until f eleven. and then went out to walk . by herself. But she did not relish 7 the walk, because she was uneasy l about Ayling. She was afraid he was i'll. She forced herself to go on s a little way, but when she came to the second turn in the road, she r faced abruptly about and came back 2 to the inn. Still Ayling was mo- where aDOuC- lie was not Tn the :; garden; he was not in the coffee : room. She went to her own room r and sat down with a book, but she , fcouId not read. So she went into the corridor, searching for some one of whom she might inquire. But no V one was visible.
 @ Ayling's room opened off of the = little public sitting room at the end of the corridor. She went on until I she reached the sitting room, which n she entered, and then stood still, y listening for some sound from be- yond Ayling's door. The silence e seemed to grow round her; it filed the room, it spread through the l house. And then. propelled by that = silence toward the door, she put out t her hand and knocked softly. There was no response. She repeated the = lknock-tWice-and only that pervad- q ing silence answered. her. She took :. hold of the knob and turned it with Q out a sound; the door gave inward { and she stepped inside the room. Il The bed faced her and Ayling was d lying there, on his side. Even be- fore she saw his fare her oyur, J,aa ,&