I replied: ” I do not know to whom you refer, Alvean.”

” You do,” she accused. ” You know I mean my father.”

“What nonsense,” I murmured; but I was afraid my colour would deepen.

” Come,” I said, ” we are wasting time.”

And so I concentrated on the book and told myself that we could not read together the nightly adventure concerning the elderly lady in curl papers That would be most unsuitable for a child of Alvean’s age.

That night when Alvean had retired to her room I went for a stroll in the woods. I was beginning to look upon these woods as a place of refuge, a place in which to be quiet and think about my life while I wondered what shape it would take.

The day had been eventful, a pleasant day until Connan TreMellyn had come into it and disturbed the peace. I wondered if his business ever took him away for long periods-really long periods, not merely a matter of a few days. If this were so, I thought, ,1 might have a chance of making Alvean into a happier little girl.

Forget the man, I admonished myself. Avoid him when possible. You can do no more than that.

It was all very well but, even when be was not present, he intruded into my thoughts.

I stayed in the woods until it was almost dusk. Then I made for the house, and I had not been in my room more than a few minutes when Kitty knocked.

” I thought I ‘card ‘ee come in. Miss,” she said. ” Master be asking for ‘ee. He be in his library.”

” Then you had better take me there,” I said, ” for it is a room I have never visited.”

I should have liked to comb my hair and tidy myself a little, but I had a notion that Kitty was constantly looking for one aspect of the relationship between any man or woman and I was not going to have her thinking that I was preening myself before appearing before the master.

She led me to a wing of the house which I had as yet not visited, and the vastness of Mount Mellyn was brought home to me afresh. These, I gathered, were the apartments which were set aside for his especial use, for they seemed more luxurious than any other part of the house which I had so far seen.

Kitty opened a door, and with that vacuous smile on her face announced : ” Miss be here, Master.”

” Thank you, Kitty,” he said. And then, ” Oh, come along in. Miss Leigh.”

He was sitting at a table on which were leather-bound books and papers. The only light came from a rose quartz lamp on the table.

He said : ” Do sit down, Miss Leigh.”

I thought. He has discovered that I wore Alice’s riding habit. He is shocked. He is going to tell me that my services are no longer required.

I held my head high, even haughtily, waiting.

” I was interested to learn this afternoon,” he began, ” that you had already made the acquaintance of Mr. Nansellock.”

” Really?” The surprise in my voice was not assumed.

” Of course,” he went on, ” it was inevitable that you would meet him sooner or later. He and his sister are constant visitors at the house, but” — ” But you feel that it is unnecessary that he should make the acquaintance of your daughter governess,” I said quickly.

” That necessity. Miss Leigh,” he replied reprovingly, ” is surely for you or him to decide.”

I felt embarrassed and I stumbled on: “I imagine that you feel that, as a governess, it is unbecoming of me to be … on terms of apparently equal footing with a friend of your family.”

” I beg you. Miss Leigh, do not put words into my mouth which I had no intention of uttering. What friends you make, I do assure you, must be entirely your own concern. But your. aunt, in a manner of speaking, put you under my care when she put you under my roof, and I have asked you to come here that I may offer you a word of advice on a subject which, I fear, you may think a little indelicate.”

I was flushing scarlet and my embarrassment was not helped by the fact that this, I was sure, secretly amused him.

” Mr. Nansellock has a reputation for being … how shall I put it susceptible to young ladies.”

” Oh!” I cried, unable to suppress the exclamation, so great was my discomfort.

” Miss Leigh.” He smiled, and for a moment his face looked almost tender. ” This is in the nature of a warning.”

” Mr. TreMellyn,” I cried, recovering myself with an effort, ” I do not think I am in need of such a warning.”

” He is very handsome,” he went on, and the mocking note had come back to his voice. ” He has a reputation for being a charming fellow. There was a young lady here before you, a Miss Jansen. He often called to see her. Miss Leigh, I do beg of you not to misunderstand me. And there is another thing I would also ask: Please do not take all that Mr. Nansellock says too seriously.”

I heard myself say in a high-pitched voice unlike my habitual tone: ” It is extremely kind of you, Mr. TreMellyn, to concern yourself with my welfare.”

” But of course I concern myself with your welfare. You are here to look after my daughter. Therefore it is of the utmost importance to me.”

He rose and I did the same. I saw that this was dismissal.

He came swiftly to my side and placed his hand on my shoulder.

” Forgive me,” he said. ” I am a blunt man, lacking in those graces which are so evident in Mr. Nansellock. I merely wish to offer you a friendly warning.”

For a few seconds I looked into those cool light eyes and I thought I had a fleeting glimpse of the man behind the mask. I was sobered suddenly and, in a moment of bewildering emotion, I was deeply conscious of my loneliness, of the tragedy of those who are alone in the world with no one who really cares for them. Perhaps it was self-pity. I do not know. My feelings in that moment were so mixed that I cannot even at this day define them.

” Thank you,” I said; and I escaped from the library back to my room.

Each day Alvean and I went to the field and had an hour’s riding. As I watched the little girl on Buttercup I knew that her father must have been extremely impatient with her, for the child, though not a born rider perhaps, would soon be giving a good account of herself.

I had discovered that every November a horse show was held in Mellyn village, and I had told Alvean that she should certainly enter for one of the events.

It was enjoyable planning this, because Connan TreMellyn would be one of the judges and we both imagined his astonishment when a certain rider, who came romping home with first prize, was his daughter who he had sworn would never learn to ride.

The triumph in that dream was something Alvean and I could both share.

Hers was of course the more admirable emotion. She wanted to succeed for the sake of the love she bore her father; for myself I wanted to imply: See, you arrogant man, I have succeeded where you failed!

So every afternoon, I would put on Alice’s riding habit (I had ceased to care to whom it had previously belonged, for it had become mine now) and we would go to the field and there I would put Alvean through her paces.

On the day we tried her first gallop we were elated.

Afterwards she returned to the stables with me and I watched her run on ahead after we had left the horses there. Every now and then she would jump into the air a gesture, I thought, of complete joyousness.

I knew she was seeing herself at the show anticipating that glorious moment when her father stared at her in astonishment and cried: ” You . Alvean! My dear child, I am proud of you.”

I was smiling to myself as I crossed the lawn in her wake. When I entered the house she was nowhere to be seen, and I pictured her taking the stairs several at a time.

This was more like the normal, happy child I intended her to become.

I mounted the first flight of stairs and came to a dark landing, when there was a step on the next flight, and I heard a quick gasp and voice which said: ” Alice!”

For a second my whole body seemed to freeze. Then I saw that Celestine Nansellock was standing on the stairs; she was gripping the banisters and was so white that I thought she was going to faint.

I understood. It was she who had spoken. She had seen me in Alice’s riding habit and she believed in that second that I was Alice . or her ghost.

” Miss Nansellock,” I said quickly to reassure her, ” Alvean and I have been having a riding lesson.”

She swayed a little; her face had turned a greyish colour.

” I’m sorry I startled you,” I went on.

She murmured: ” For the moment I thought ” ” I think you should sit down, Miss Nansellock. You’ve had a shock.” I bounded up the stairs and took her arm. ” Would you care to come into my bedroom and sit down awhile?”

She nodded, and I noted that she was trembling.

” I am so sorry to have upset you,” I said as I threw open the door of my room. We went in, and I put her gently into a chair.

” Shall I ring for brandy?” I asked.

She shook her head. ” I’m all right now. You did startle me, Miss Leigh. I see now it is the clothes.”

” It is a little dark on that landing,” I said.

She repeated: ” For the moment, I thought….” Then she looked at me again, fearfully, perhaps hopefully. I believed she was thinking that I was an apparition which had assumed the face of Martha Leigh, the governess, and would change at any moment.

I hastened to reassure her. ” It’s only these clothes,” I said.

” Mrs. TreMellyn had a habit exactly like that. I remember the collar and cuff’s so well. We went riding together … only a day or so before … You see, we were great friends, always together, and then..” She turned away and wiped her eyes.