That afternoon I set out for the Bell cottage and I had not gone far when Malcolm came riding up to me.

"I'm just going to see Granny Bell," I explained.

"I shall come with you."

"As you wish," I replied, trying not to appear too enthusiastic.

"You've certainly taken what I said to heart," he commented.

"What did you tell me?"

"That people need the personal touch. They need to know you think of them as human beings."

"I was well aware of that before," I retorted.

"You gave no sign of it before you went away."

"We grow up, don't we? Even you were a little careless when you were young."

He looked at me searchingly. "I often wonder what happened while you were away," he said.

"I saw something of the world. Travel broadens the mind, they say."

"And changes the character, it seems."

"You do bear grudges, don't you?"

"Not in the least. I'm ready to forgive the new Susannah all the sins of the old."

I thought then: He suspects. He must.

He was looking at me closely and I knew I flushed under his scrutiny.

I said quickly: "Something will have to be arranged about Granny Bell."

"Never fear," he said, smiling. "We'll put our heads together."

We arrived at the Bell cottage where Granny Bell was too ill to notice us, yet she seemed comforted by our presence.

The district nurse looked in. She said she thought someone ought to be in the cottage all day. "Perhaps the Cringles could spare Leah," she added.

"Oh yes, that's a good idea," I cried with enthusiasm. I noticed Malcolm was watching me intently. "Don't you agree?" I asked to hide my embarrassment

"Excellent idea," he said.

"If the Cringles make any difficulties tell them Leah will be paid for her services," I went on. "She can come to the castle for her money."

"That's a great relief," said the nurse. "I can look in twice a day, but in her condition she needs someone here at least throughout the day. Thank you, Miss Mateland. I'll go straight to Leah."

"I'll stay here till you return with her," I said.

"We'll stay," corrected Malcolm.

When the nurse had gone I said: "There's no need for you to stay."

"I want to," he replied. "I'm interested."

I burst out: "I wish you wouldn't keep looking at me as though I'm some freak."

"Not a freak," he said. "It's just the miraculous change that I can't get over. I like it, of course. I like it very much, but it just puzzles me."

I shrugged my shoulders with assumed impatience. "I have responsibilities now," I said.

Leah came shyly into the cottage. I liked her. She was different from the rest of her family. I had previously sensed she was in what was called "trouble" and now I was sure of it.

I said: "Come in, Leah. You know what we want you to do."

She looked from me to Malcolm and I could see she was more in awe of him than she was of me, which pleased me.

"Nurse told me," she said.

"So you know we want you to stay here and give Mrs. Bell the medicine Dr. Cleghorn has prescribed. If she takes a turn for the worse you can get help quickly. Have you some needlework you can do?"

She nodded and I laid a hand on her shoulder. I was longing to ask her to confide in me. I gathered that few people would have confided in Susannah but there were times when I forgot who I was supposed to be, which was foolish, for with every day Malcolm was growing more and more suspicious. I was aware of the manner in which he kept looking at me. Very soon he would be asking me questions which I should be unable to answer. He gave the impression sometimes that he knew I was deceiving everyone and he was biding his time, waiting for me to betray myself utterly.

"Well," he said as we came out of the cottage, "you handled that rather well. It was as though you have been managing estates all your life."

"I'm glad you think so."

He took my arm as we went towards the horses. I stiffened and would have withdrawn myself but I thought I could not do so without making the incident seem too important.

"The ground is rough here," he said, explaining the affectionate gesture. "It's easy to slip."

I did not speak and when we reached the horses he gave my arm a little squeeze and as he helped me mount he was smiling warmly but the puzzlement in his eyes was as strong as ever.

Malcolm dined with us that night. So did Jeff Carleton.

The conversation dwelt on castle matters, which bored Emerald. She tried to engage one of us in conversation about her interesting illnesses and Dr. Cleghom's treatment of them, but when each of us was buttonholed by her it was easy to see we listened with only one ear.

"Dr. Cleghorn says Mrs. Bell can't possibly survive," said Jeff. "She would be dead already but for your timely arrival at the cottage, Miss Susannah. You brought him just in time. However, he says she has been a creaking door for a long time and she can't last more than a few months with all the care in the world. Her cottage will be vacant. There will be the question of who is to have it."

"Who do you think is the most deserving case, Jeff?" asked Malcolm.

"Well, there are the Baddocks. They want to get away from her father's place. There's not enough room there for them. The cottage would come in handy for them and Tom Baddock is a good worker."

"Have you said anything about it to him?" asked Malcolm.

"No, but I know he wants it. No one can say anything until Granny Bell has gone."

"Certainly not," I said. "It would seem as though we were trying to shuffle the old lady out of the way."

"The cottages are really meant for the workers," Jeff reminded me.

"Well, Mrs. Bell's husband worked for us. It seems hard that they have to lose their homes as well as their husbands."

"It's a matter of business," Jeff pointed out. "The cottage is part of the wages. Mr. Esmond let Mrs. Bell stay and so she stayed."

"It was quite right," I said somewhat hotly.

"Of course." Malcolm supported me.

"That's all right," said Jeff, "but it couldn't do the estate much good to have all the cottages occupied by women who had lost their husbands."

"Well, according to the doctor, poor Mrs. Bell won't be here much longer," said Malcolm, "and the question is are the Baddocks going to have the cottage?"

"Let's leave the matter until the cottage is really vacant," I said firmly. "I don't like this talking about Granny as though she is dead already."

I was flushed, I knew, and a little vehement. I kept thinking of being poor and old and rather a nuisance to everybody.

"And," I went on, "don't say a word to the Baddocks. They'll talk and I don't like it. We'll shelve the matter of the cottage until it is really ready to be handed over to someone."

We talked of other matters. Once or twice I caught Malcolm's eyes on me. He was smiling and I felt a brief moment of happiness.

I called on Granny Bell the next day. Leah was there sewing. She hastily pushed what she was doing under a garment on her lap and pretended to be working on that She was blushing deeply and I thought how pretty she was.

"How has she been?" I asked.

"She does nothing, miss. Just lies there."

"I'll sit with her for a while," I said. "Put your needlework down and go to the farm. You could bring some milk. Tell them to charge it to the castle. It'll stretch your legs a bit."

Leah rose obediently and put her sewing on the table. She went out swiftly and silently. She reminded me of a fawn.

Granny Bell lay still, with her eyes closed. I looked about the cottage and thought of her coming there with Mr. Bell years ago newly married, starting a new life, rearing two children who had in time married and gone far away. The clock ticked noisily and Granny breathed heavily. I rose and went to the pile of needlework which Leah had laid on the table. I turned it over and saw what I had expected. She had pushed the little garment she had been stitching out of the way as I came in.

Oh, my poor child! I thought. Sixteen years old and about to become a mother. No husband and only a terrible self-righteous family to turn to.

Poor little Leah! How I wished I could help her! I will, I promised myself. I will somehow.

I went to the bed and Granny opened her eyes and looked at me. A flicker of recognition appeared there.

"Miss Su ... Su ..." she murmured.

"Yes," I said, "I'm here. Don't try to talk. We're taking care of you."

She stared at me, her eyes expressing the wonderment she could not voice. "Bl ... Bl ..." she muttered.

"Don't talk," I begged.

"B-bless you."

I took her hand and kissed it and something like a smile touched her lips.

"No ... not M-Miss ..."

Not Miss Susannah. That was what she meant. Susannah had never concerned herself with sick old women. She did not sit by their bedsides. I knew I was acting out of character but I didn't care. I so longed to comfort her. I wanted to tell her that we had arranged for the thatcher to come and mend the roof, that everything was going to be taken care of and the last years of her life should be spent without worry.

I think I conveyed that by my presence there.

She kept hold of my hand and we were sitting thus when Leah returned with the milk.

"You could heat a little," I said, "and see if she would take some."

Leah went into the kitchen and lighted the spirit lamp. Granny had fallen asleep and I went out with Leah.