As he moved towards the southern boundary of the field, he found his mind beset with a burden of tumultuous misgiving. Mrs. Torp’s malicious “Hee! Hee! Hee!” continued to croak like a devil’s frog in the pit of his stomach; and he remembered with hardly less discomfort the queer look that the old Dimity had given him. He must find Christie! That was the one essential necessity. Every step he took towards that ragged little hedge increased his nervous agitation.

“Why did chance throw them both in my way at this same moment?” he thought, as he walked automatically forward. And then a still more furtive and dangerous whisper entered his mind. “ Why didn’t I meet Christie first? ”