but she did catch a glimpse of Mrs. Otway's flushed
face as the car sped along to the left, towards the gate
house.

The path round the green was gradually filling up
with people, for the congregation had been far larger
than anyone had thought it would be. News in such a
place as Witanbury spreads quickly, and though the
number of invited guests had been very, very few, the
number of uninvited sympathisers and interested spectators
had been many.

Suddenly Anna caught sight of her young lady and
of Mr. Jervis Blake. As she did so the tears welled
up into her eyes, and rolled down her cheeks. She
could never get used to the sight of this young bride-
groom with his crutch, and that though he managed it
very cleverly, and would soon -- so Rose had declared --
be able to do with only a stick.

Anna hoped that the two would come in and see her
for a minute, but instead they joined Mr. and Mrs.
Robey, and were now walking round the other side of
the Close.

Anna went downstairs again. In a moment, Mr.
Hayley, whom she had never liked, and who she felt
sure did not like her, would be coming in to have his
luncheon, with another gentleman from London.

Yes, there was the ring. She went to the front door
and opened it with an unsmiling face. The two young
men walked through into the hall. It would have been
very easy for James Hayley to have said a kind word
to the old German woman he had known so long, but it
did not occur to him to do so; had anyone suggested it,
he would certainly have done it.

"We've plenty of time," she heard him say to the

[[309]]

p308 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p309w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p310

v?