She turned, evidently in thorough earnest, and set off at a rapid pace back towards the house. Cosmo glanced at Elsie. She had turned white—with the whiteness of fear, not of wrath. She had not expected such action on the part of Aggie. She would be at once found out! Her father was a man terrible in his anger, and her conscience told her he would be angry indeed, angrier than she had ever seen him! She stood like a statue, her eyes fixed on the retreating form of the indignant Agnes, who reached the top of the rising ground, and was beginning to disappear, before the spell of her terror gave way. She turned with clasped hands to Cosmo, and murmured, her white lips hardly able to fashion the words,
“Mr. Warlock, for God’s sake, cry her back. Dinna lat her gang to my father.”
“Was the thing ye said no true?” asked Cosmo.
“Weel,” faltered Elsie, searching inside for some escape from admission, “maybe he didna jist say the verra words,—”
“Aggie maun gang,” interrupted Cosmo. “She maunna lat it pass.”
“It was a lee! It was a lee!” gasped Elsie.
Cosmo ran, and from the top of the rise called aloud,
“Aggie! Aggie! come back.”
Beyond her he saw another country girl approaching, but took little heed of her. Aggie turned at his call, and came to him quickly.
“She confesses it’s a lee, Aggie,” he said.