“Oh, Aleck,” she said, aloud, to the dog that was sitting by her side with his head upon her knee, for he was now her constant companion, “I wonder where your master is, your master and mine, Aleck.  Would to God that he were back here to protect me, for I am growing afraid, I don’t know of what, Aleck, and there are eleven long silent months to wait.”  At this moment the dog raised his head, listened, and sprang round with an angry “woof.”  Angela rose up with a flash of hope in her eyes, turned, and faced George Caresfoot.

He was still pale and shrivelled from the effects of his illness, but otherwise little changed, except that the light-blue eyes glittered with a fierce determination, and that the features had attained that fixity and strength which sometimes come to those who are bent heart and soul upon an enterprise, be it good or evil.

“So I have found you out at last, Cousin Angela.  What, are you not going to shake hands with me?”

Angela touched his fingers with her own.

“My father is not here,” she said.

“Thank you, my dear cousin, but I did not come to see your father, of whom I have seen plenty in the course of my life, and shall doubtless see more; I came to see you, of whom I can never see enough.”

“I don’t understand you,” said Angela, defiantly, folding her arms across her bosom and looking him full in the face with fearless eyes, for her instinct warned her that she was in danger, and also that, whatever she might feel, she must not show that she was afraid.

“I shall hope to make you do so before long,” he replied, with a meaning glance; “but you are not very polite, you know, you do not offer me a seat.”

“I beg your pardon, I did not know that you wanted to sit down.  I can only offer you a choice of those stones.”

“Then call that brute away, and I will sit down.”

“The dog is not a brute, as you mean it.  But I should not speak of him like that, if I were you.  He is sensible as a human being, and might resent it.”

Angela knew that George was a coward about dogs; and at that moment, as though to confirm her words, Aleck growled slightly.

“Ah, indeed; well, he is certainly a handsome dog;” and he sat down suspiciously.  “Won’t you come and sit down?”

“Thank you.  I prefer to stand.”

“Do you know what you look like, standing there with your arms crossed?  You look like an angry goddess.”

“If you mean that seriously, I don’t understand you.  If it is a compliment, I don’t like compliments.”

“You are not very friendly,” said George, whose temper was fast getting the better of him.

“I am sorry.  I do not wish to be unfriendly.”

“So I hear that my ward has been staying here whilst I was ill.”

“Yes, he was staying here.”

“And I am also told that there was some boy-and-girl love affair between you.  I suppose that he indulged in a flirtation to wile away the time.”