“And how Julia came upon that great fellow lying amongst the moss and primroses?”
“Yes; I wish I had been there!” and the young man’s teeth gave a grit together. “But he did not say anything to her?”
“No; only stared in a way that frightened her horribly, and it seemed to have such an effect upon her when she dragged herself away, that she was quite ill, and it was hours before I found out what it was.”
“Poor child! But she must not think about it. She may never see him again.”
“But she keeps seeing him, so she says. He seems to haunt her. She saw him in the park again a few days ago.”
“But did she see him, or was it fancy?”
“Oh, no, it was not fancy; I saw him too. A great big leering fellow.”
“Oh, but it must be stopped; your brothers and I must thrash him.”
“And I half think she saw, or fancied she saw, him to-night, for she was so bright and cheerful when we started, and when we came in she seemed to have turned to stone.”
“Well, poor child, she will soon have a manly protector now,” he said, rather bitterly, as he glanced at where Perry-Morton was hovering over Julia, while the Rector stood by smiling rigid approval.