“I shouldn’t wonder,” she remarked, “if you never came back any more.”

“Oh yes, I shall,” he answered in a tone of equal conviction and carelessness.

“Why? you have no friends at all but us.”

“No, I haven’t,” he answered, and looked up at her as she stood knitting, and leaning against a tree.

“Of course you’ll come,” exclaimed Johnnie, “you’re coming for your wedding tour.  Your wife will make you; you’re going to be married as soon as you’re of age, old fellow.”

Then Crayshaw, blushing hotly, essayed to hit Johnnie, who forthwith started up and was pursued by him with many a whoop and shout, in a wild circling chase among the trees.  At length, finding he was not to be caught, Crayshaw returned a good deal heated, and Johnnie followed smiling blandly, and flung himself on the grass breathing hard.

“Well, I’m glad you two are not going to finish up your friendship with another fight,” said Valentine.

“He’s always prophesying something horrid about me,” exclaimed Crayshaw.  “Why am I to be married any more than he is, I should like to know?  If I do, you’ll certainly have to give up that visit to California, that Mr. Mortimer almost promised you should make with me.  Gladys, I suppose he would not let you and Barbara come too?”

“Oh no.  I am sure he would not.”

“What fun we might have!”

“Yes.”

“I don’t see if you were a family man, why it shouldn’t be done,” said Johnnie, returning to the charge, “but if you won’t marry, even to oblige your oldest friends, why you won’t.”

“Time’s up,” said Valentine, looking at his watch, “and there’s my dog-cart coming round to the door.”

The youth rose then with a sigh, took leave of Valentine, and reluctantly turned towards the house, all the young Mortimers following.  They were rather late for the train, so that the parting was hurried, and poor little Gladys as she gazed after the dog-cart, while Johnnie drove and Crayshaw looked back, felt a great aching pain at her heart, and thought she should never forget him.

But perhaps she did.

The young Mortimers were to leave Melcombe themselves the next day, and Valentine was to accompany them home, sleeping one night at their father’s house by way of breaking his journey, and seeing his family before he started on his voyage.

He was left alone, and watched his guests as their receding figures were lost among the blossoming trees.  He felt strangely weak that afternoon, but he was happy.  The lightness of heart that comes of giving up some wrong or undesirable course of action (one that he thought wrong) might long have been his, but he had not hitherto been able to get away from the scene of it.

To-morrow he was to depart.  Oh, glad to-morrow!

He laid himself back in his seat, and looked at the blue hills, and listened to the sweet remote voices of the children, let apple-blossoms drop all over him, peered through great brown boughs at the empty sky, and lost himself in a sea of thought which seemed almost as new to him and as fathomless as that was.