"I should like to see it very much," he said, and five minutes later he and Margaret were walking down the green pathway of the Dutch garden. Almost without knowing it, she took him through the garden gate towards the wood, and across a green corner, through a tangle of undergrowths, up to the great elms and beeches. They had hardly spoken on the way; they felt constrained and awkward; but when they reached the top things seemed to adjust themselves in their minds, and they looked at each other for a moment, and laughed as if they thought it good to be together again. Then Tom shook off his awkwardness; the boyish happiness was on his face again, and she was almost satisfied. "I say, what a wood!" he exclaimed. "It's father's and mine; we call it our cathedral." "Good! good!" he answered. "When are you coming to London again?" She clasped her hands and looked at him. "I don't know, but I want to go again dreadfully. Do you think I could go by myself?" "Well, no! But you might come up and stay with the Lakemans. You must make haste about it if you do, for they're going to Scotland at the end of July. Only another month, you know. By-the-way, I rather think you'll see them here first. Stringer can't get away again till the middle of August except for week-ends, and then he has to go to Folkestone; he has a sister there--ill. But the Lakemans told me a day or two ago that they were coming here for a Saturday to Monday; he had offered them the house." "When?" "I don't know when, but pretty soon, I expect. Farley is coming, too; he has taken a theatre, and is going to produce a legendary thing this autumn, 'Prince of--something', it is called." "Will there be a princess in it?" "I expect so. Why?" "When Miss Hunstan came out first she walked on the stage holding up a princess's train." "They generally begin in that way, you know. By-the-way, Stringer said that you were walking about the fields with a friend--was it anybody particular?" "It was Mr. Garratt." "Who is Mr. Garratt?" "He used to be a house agent at Petersfield. He's at Guildford now. He has just taken a house there." "A married gentleman?" "No," she laughed; "that's why he comes. He doesn't come for me," she added, hurriedly, but he didn't understand her. "Any success?" he asked, quickly--"of course not." "Not yet; Hannah won't encourage him." He mistook her tone altogether, and walked to the edge of the crown and looked out at the view. "That's rather hard lines" he said; "but it doesn't matter if you make it up to him, of course. I say, it's magnificent up here," he went on; "do you ever bring Mr.--what is he called?--Garratt up here?" "No," she answered, quickly. "Well, you took him across the field?" "I met him by accident, and Hannah was very angry--" she began, but stopped in sheer confusion.