Gheena said "No" absently. She was watching a distant figure on the edge of the cliff. It looked like the Professor.
"Oh, Dearest George," said Matilda weakly, "I thought of taking a little ride; but if you think I'd better---- Of course, they are upset about Lancelot."
A second figure appeared on the cliffs, someone tall and active. Gheena flung the French windows open, omitted to close them, and slipped into the wood which went down to the edge of the sea.
"Gheena gets rougher every day," said Freyne angrily--"every day, and more thoughtless."
Darby, on his stick, hobbled out and went slowly down the lawn, his eyes fixed sadly on the trees that held the girl. How quickly she had slipped out, leapt over the sunk fence and disappeared! It was good to be young and strong and active. The measure of strength which had returned to him could not content him. Always with one side which would drag, always slow and crippled. He would be better, people told him. His crushed limb would improve by degrees, but he could never know the fullness of life again. He saw Gheena come dodging across the carpet of dead leaves and peep at the fretted, still blue sea. She leant out cautiously, then came into full view, and stood as if listening. Two people were talking just below the verge of the cliff.
"Are you looking for Germans?" said Darby politely.
"Oh, hush, Darby; do hush! You don't know"--Gheena came close to him--"you don't know the kind of things I think," she whispered.
"If there was any use in those blamed bits of rock," said Basil Stafford's voice.
"My friend, is there any use in dead butterflies, in used postage stamps, or an array of foxes' heads and tails? The rocks are my hobby to collect and ascertain the stratum. _Himmel_!" This exclamation was caused by Crabbit rolling a completely unwashed small rock on to the Professor's neck.
"Rabbits," said the Professor, "excavating. In time stuffed. Shall I not have a complete report of every coast in Britain?"
Stafford said "Oh! add a 'c,'" rather dubiously. "You'd be paid a bit for that just now," he added grimly.
"To tell them what was the softest rock to hit against. _Hein_!" The old man chuckled. "And I am well salaried, pensioned; I have no need of money."