"Yes, I—I think so. I heard her mother say something about it, but I did not take much notice."
"If she does not go, will you ask her to come with her mother? She is a dear girl. I am very fond of her."
He shook his head.
"Rather too headstrong for me. She has not the sweet clinging nature of her mother."
Sidney turned away.
"Thank God, no!" she murmured to herself.
The next morning, as soon as she was set free from her housekeeping duties, she tramped off to see Monica. She had a great difficulty in finding her, but eventually came upon her looking after some ewes with their tiny lambs. It was a cold day, and she was superintending a rough shelter being put up for them in a field.
"Poor mites!" said Monica, looking at the tiny bleating creatures ambling round their mothers, who did not seem to know how to protect them properly from the wind. "What an unfriendly world they have come into! How they must long to go out of it again."
"Yes," said Sidney gravely. "But if we were all granted our wishes, what a lot of hurried exits there would be from this world."
"What has happened?" Monica asked, pulling on her leather gloves and taking Sidney's arm. "Let us get out of this field and tramp the high road for a bit, shall we? I have nothing particular to do at this present moment."