Chapter VI

THE girl said nothing, when they met, about the
words scrawled on the Tauchnitz, and Mrs. String-
ham then noticed that she had not the book with
her. She had left it lying and probably would
never remember it at all. Her comrade's decision
was therefore quickly made not to speak of having
followed her; and within five minutes of her return,
wonderfully enough, the preoccupation denoted by
her forgetfulness further declared itself. " Should
you think me quite abominable if I were to say that
after all?"

Mrs. Stringham had already thought, with the
first sound of the question, everything she was capa
ble of thinking, and had immediately made such a
sign that Milly's words gave place to visible relief
at her assent. " You don't care for our stop here
you'd rather go straight on? We ll start then
with the peep of to-morrow's dawn or as early as
you like; it's only rather late now to take the road
again." And she smiled to show how she meant it
for a joke that an instant onward rush was what the
girl would have wished. " I bullied you into stop
ping," she added; " so it serves me right."

Milly made in general the most of her good
friend's jokes; but she humoured this one a little

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v?