Little by little he loosed his grasp on her as he felt the tension slacken, and presently she stood free, still dazed and bewildered. Christopher picked up a spade and whistled. "All the same, you are right, Patricia," he said thoughtfully, "it does seem a shame to disturb the old Johnny, and creepy too. I'll fill up." He continued to work hard, watching her out of the corner of his eye, but talking cheerfully. Presently she took up her spade and made a poor pretence of helping him, but she said nothing till they had done and he suggested a return. "Do you mind resting a bit, first?" Her subdued voice called for a scrutinising glance. Then he dropped his spade and flung himself on the grass by her side. A little wind swept up the downland to them, making the brown benets nod in a friendly fashion. The purple scabious, too, nodded cheerfully. Patricia picked one and began stroking it with her fingers. Christopher lay on his back and whistled again softly, watching a lark, as he had watched one five years ago, when a small boy, by the side of the Great Road. "Christopher, how did you do it?" demanded Patricia abruptly. "Do what?" "Stop me." "I didn't. You stopped yourself." "I never have before." "Then you ought to have. You see you can, if you only will think." "I _can't_ think." "But you did," he insisted, with some reason. "Because you made me. I'd have been much angrier with anyone else--it was like--like--holding on to a rock, when the water was sucking one away." "Bosh," said Christopher, sitting upright suddenly. "Look here, Patricia, it was only that I made you take time to think: no one, even you (he put in rudely enough), could be silly enough to make such a little idiot of yourself if you _thought_ a moment. Everyone seems to take it for granted you'll go on being--stupid--or else they are afraid to stop you, and I--well I won't have it, Patricia, that's all. You must jolly well learn to stop." His boyish words were rougher than his voice, just as his real feeling in the matter was deeper than his expression of it, and secretly he was a little proud of his achievement and felt a subtle proprietorship over his companion that was not displeasing. Patricia slipped her arm in his and leant her golden head against him. "Christopher, I want to tell you all I can remember about it. I don't know what anyone else has told you." "All right, fire away," returned Christopher resignedly.