Malcolm stood still on the wooden pavement and stared at her in genuine dismay.
"You've let Achree, you say! In Heaven's name what for, and who gave you leave?"
"Nobody gave me leave. I took it; and you are the last person who ought to ask why," she made answer rather passionately.
"But--but--" he stuttered, "whatever did the governor say?"
"He said very little one way or other. I'm not even sure if he grasped the fact. But at least he was quite pleased to go to Creagh."
"To Creagh--to that little one-horse place! Do you mean to say that you propose to live there, then?"
"We are living there," she answered steadily.
"And you did this on your own, Isla? Well, I think you had a jolly good cheek. The decent thing would have been to wait till I came home at least. You won't deny, surely, that I have a say in it."
"I don't know about the say. What I did know was that if you came home the bargain would probably never have been concluded."
"But what was it for, anyway?"