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love can only be genuine when it meets a response in the
other person. Any other kind is best lived down and
forgotten."
Something in her tone kept Hugh silent. He tamed and
walked beside her along the path to the door.
"Come in and have some coffee," she said. "My fatfaee
will be back at any moment."
He entered the lounge but did not follow her to the
kitchen. Pat washed her hands, made the coffee and heaped
a dish with jam fingers. She lingered a further minute os
two till her father's voice was audible, then carried the
tray along to the lounge.
Mr. Gordon had spread across the arms of a chair a
new map just purchased in Exeter, and he was pointing
out the best walking roads ia the mountains around Wast°
water.
"We'll reach this point at the end of the first week," he
was saying, with his forefinger on the map, "and I suggest
we remain there and do some simple climbing. Did you
borrow those studded boots, Dyson?"
"No, I forgot."
"Why was that? Is your enthusiasm running outf
"No. I'll get theia,"
Gradually Hugh's awkwardness was worn down; perhaps
renewed gusto was too much to expect of him just yet.
"I'm taking a suitcase, and a rucksack large enough to
hold pyjamas and a couple of shirts," Mr. Gordon told him.
Quite often you wander too far to get back to the hotel
or farmhouse the same night."
"I'm in a quandry over laundry," said Hugh gloomily.
"There seems to be no one left at the school who'll do it."
"Bring it here," invited Pat. "Mrs. Moss will include it
with ours."
After more conversation about the tour Hugh got up
from his chair.
"I'll be going. Thanks for the coffee, Pat ... and for
everything."
When me sound of his footsteps had receded Pat felt a
little depressed. She knew what it was to be unhappy and
lonely, and she hadn't wanted to lose his friendship. She
was horribly afraid she had, though.
Her father had folded the map and was writing, in his
neat script, on a sheet torn from an exercise book.
"This is a list of the places we shall stay at and the
approximate dates," he said. "I'll write you from most of ^
them and you must let me have a letter now and then."
"There are still eight or nine days before you leave."
He smiled at her. "In that case you may expect to have
these instructions reiterated several times before I go. By the
way, I didn't take the train to Exeter this morning. Simon
Leigh ran me there in his car."
"Simon?" It seemed ten yars since she had spoken the
name aloud. "Where did you meet him?"
"On the way .to the station. He asked how you were
getting along."
"Is everything as usual at Craigwood?"
"Presumably. Why dqn't you go up there and see?"
This was not easy to answer. Matron had said, "We
won't dig you out of the cottage. Pat that wouldn't be
fair but do come and see us as often as you can." Ralph
had winked: "We're all going to miss those big grey eyes
of yours." And Aunt Alison had kissed her and whispered,
"Patricia, my dear, when I go back to Truro, you're going
with me." After that Pat's smile bad been bright with
tears.
- But it was Simon who had brought her to the cottage,
Simon who had murmured with a malicious twist of the
Sips, "So you're aching to get away from wonderful Craig-
wood and the Leighs. See that you have heaps of flirtatious
fun, little one, and in the unlikely event of your needing
any of us, you know where to find us." Pat was in doubt as
to what he had intended to convey. Simon tore away every-
thing, left not a single doubt anywhere except those which
existed in connection with his own private life.
"Not much can have happened since Sunday," she said
now. Then she had to put the query; "Did Simon say
anything worth repeating?"
Her father lifted his shoulders. "He was rather silent
preoccupied, I thought. When we parted I suggested he
come over, but he made the excuse of being too busy."
Which confirmed Pat's previous convictions. He wouldn'6
call in at the cottage even if some business brought him
this way, and if she went to Craigwood it would be tanta-
mount to admitting defeat at his hands. It wasn't her stay-
ing with her father that he objected to. Pat had a horrible
fear that he suspected part of the truth that living in the
same house with him had become unendurable. She prayed
from the depths of her heart that he had not guessed why
it had become unendurable. She asked n© more about him.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
THE weather continued soggy, and Mr. Gordon continued
to fume mildly because the grass grew longer every day
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