"But that's not like Alice," continued the Squire. "She is too sensible: too practical for such folly." "It's not like any rational woman. And Grace would have condoled with her! Women infect each other." "What was the dream?" "Some nonsense or other, you may be sure. I would not let her relate it, to me, or to Grace. Alice burst into tears and called me hard-hearted. I came out here to get away from her." "For goodness' sake don't let her upset herself over a rubbishing dream, Tanerton," cried the Squire, all sympathy. "She's not strong, you know, just now. I dreamt one night the public hangman was appointed to take my head off; but it is on my shoulders yet. You tell her that." "Yesterday was the day Jack was to sail," interrupted Tod. "Of course it was," acquiesced the Rector: "he must be half-way down the channel by this time. If---- Here comes Alice!" he broke off. "I shall go. I don't want to hear more of such stuff." He went on down the garden in a huff, disappearing behind the kidney-beans. Alice, wearing a light print gown and black silk apron, her smooth brown hair glossy as ever, and her open face as pretty, shook hands with them both. "And what's this we hear about your tormenting yourself over a dream?" blundered the Squire. Though whether it was a blunder to say it, I know not; or whether, but for that, she would have spoken: once the ice is broken, you may plunge in easily. "My dear, I'd not have thought it of _you_." Alice's face took a deeper gravity, her eyes a far-off look. "It is quite true, Mr. Todhetley," she sighed. "I have been very much troubled by a dream." "Tell it us, Alice," said Tod, his whole face in a laugh. "What was it about?" "That you may ridicule it?" she sighed. "Yes," he answered. "Ridicule it out of you." "You cannot do that," was her quiet answer: and Tod told me in later days that it rather took him aback to see her solemn sadness. "I should like to relate it to you, Mr. Todhetley. Herbert would not hear it, or let Grace." "Herbert's a parson, you know, my dear, and parsons think they ought to be above such things," was the Squire's soothing answer. "If it will ease your mind to tell it me---- Here, let us sit down under the pear-tree." So they sat down on the bench under the blossoms of the pear-tree, the pater admonishing Tod to behave himself; and poor Alice told her dream. "I thought it was the present time," she began. "This very present day, say, or yesterday; and that Jack was going to sea in command----" "But, my dear, he always goes in command." "Of course. But in the dream the point was especially presented to my mind--that he was going out _in command_. He came to me the morning of the day he was to sail, looking very patient, pale, and sorrowful. It seemed that he and I had had some dispute, causing estrangement, the previous night: it was over then, and I, for one, repented of the coldness."