Mr. Field watched him until he disappeared behind the trees, then, with knit brow and a preoccupied look he slowly made his way back to Farncourt. He was met by Julius at the lodge gates. "You are late for breakfast, father," said the boy. "Why did you go out before you had had anything to eat?" "I could not sleep last night," was the answer, "and I thought half an hour’s stroll might give me an appetite, as I am not feeling very fit. I was longer than I meant to be." "It seems a day for early walks," said Julius. "Robin has been up to see me already. Oh, father, isn’t it dreadful? He and Mrs. Power are going away this afternoon by the four o’clock train. He said they had to meet someone in London, I think it was, so they were leaving a few days sooner than they meant to do. I shall miss them awfully, especially Robin. It will be just horrid without him." The boy’s lips quivered as he spoke, and he tried manfully to keep back the tears which would well up in his eyes. The last month or two had been the happiest that the lonely child had ever spent, in the companionship of his cheery little friend and the protecting tenderness with which Madelaine had welcomed him into her large and loving heart. Even in the midst of his own conflicting thoughts, Mr. Field felt touched by the lad’s evident distress, and endeavoured to comfort him as best he could. "Never mind, Julius," he said. "I’m going to make some changes before long, so perhaps you won’t miss Robin so much as you think. This place doesn’t seem to suit me very well. I believe it is too near the sea, so I am going to try how I get on further inland. I have seen a very good estate advertised for sale about which I intend to enquire, and you may find other friends there who may make up to you for your loss. Besides, I have quite made up my mind that it is full time to send you to school. I can’t stand any more tutors, and it is not good for you going moping about here by yourself. How would you like to go to Eton or Harrow, or some other first-class place like that? I’ll see that you don’t want for pocket-money, my boy, so that you can foot it with the best of them, and lord it over the lords if so you will." Mr. Field chuckled over his joke, but though for a moment a gleam of comfort lightened the gloomy horizon of the lad, the thought of losing Robin settled again upon him like a cloud. "It would be simply ripping to go to school if only Robin could come too," he said. "I wish Mrs. Power would send him with me, but I’m afraid they’re rather poor, so perhaps they couldn’t afford it. They asked me to spend the morning with them at Sea View Cottage, father, that’s why Robin came up so soon, in case I should be going out in the motor, and they would not be able to say good-bye." "You may certainly go, Julius," replied Mr. Field. "Mrs. Power has been a good friend to us, and contrary to my custom I shall call on her myself to thank her for all her kindness to you."