at the inn that he would find it here.  He asked the way, to be directed to a corner of the churchyard from which a track led to the shore.  To their surprise, this path proved to be a partially dry watercourse which, as it wound in a downward direction, was presently quite shut in by an overgrowth of bushes.  Mavis, sorry to lose the sunlight, if only for a few minutes, was yet pleased at exploring this mysterious waterway.  Now and again, where the water had collected in wide pools, she had, with Perigal’s assistance, to make use of stepping stones, to espy which was often difficult.  They picked their way down and down for quite a long time, till Mavis began to wonder if they would ever discover an outlet.  When, at last, the passage was seen to emerge into a blaze of sunlight, they ran like children to see who would be out first.  In a few moments they were blinking their eyes to accustom these to the sudden sunlight.  It was hard to believe that the sun had been shining while their way had been steeped in gloom.  When they were shortly able to look about them, they glanced at one another, to see if the spot they reached had made anything of an impression.  There was occasion for surprise.  The lovers were now in an all but land-locked stretch of water, shut in by tall rocks or high ground.  Before the water of the inlet could reach the sea, it would have to pass sheer, sentinel rocks which seemed to guard jealously the bay’s seclusion.

From several places very high up in the ground on either side of them, water gushed out in continuous currents, making music the while, presently to merge by divers channels into a stream which straggled down to the sea.  The surface of this stream was covered with watercress:  this was green where the water was fresh, a bright yellow as far as the salt tide had prevailed.  Between where they stood and the distressed waters of the bay was a stretch of yellow sand.  A little to their right was a dismantled, tumble-down cottage, which served to emphasise the romantic remoteness of the place.

“Isn’t it—­isn’t it exquisite?” cried Mavis.

“It might have been made for us,” Perigal remarked.

“It was.  Say it was.”

“Of course it was.  Let me make my darling comfortable.  She must be tired after her walk.”

“She isn’t a bit—­but—­”

“But what, sweetheart?”

“It’s a long time since she had a kiss.”

Perigal insisted upon making Mavis comfortable, with her back to a conveniently situated hummock of earth.  He lit a cigarette, to pass it on to her before lighting one for himself.

Mavis lay back with the cigarette between her red lips, the while her eyes lazily took in the strange loveliness about her.  The joy that burned so fiercely in her heart seemed to have been communicated to the world.  Sea, cliff, waterfalls were all resplendent in the bountiful sunlight.

“It’s not real:  it’s not real,” she presently murmured.