The boy jumped out of the boat hastily.
"There, don't be frightened," he said. He had caught a glimpse of Mary's face. "Lady Anne won't mind. She's a good sort. You should see the hampers she sends me. The mater doesn't approve of school hampers. You must put the blame on me. It was my fault entirely, for I had a watch."
They hurried along the path leading back to the open space in front of the house. When they emerged into the open a breathless maid came towards them.
"I've been looking everywhere for you and the young lady, Sir Robin," she said. "Lady Anne Hamilton is waiting for Miss Gray."
Poor Mary! When they arrived in the drawing-room it was not with Lady Anne she had to count. Lady Anne sat with an air of humorous patience on her face, but Lady Drummond's brow was thunderous. The haughty indignation in her pale eyes terrified the very soul in Mary. She shrank away from it in terror.
"I had no idea you were with Miss Gray, Robin," she heard the lady say in glacial accents.
"I discovered Miss Gray trying to find her way out of the library. No one could find those doors without knowing something about them. And we went to see the puppies and the pony and the other beasts."
"We'd better be going, Mary," Lady Anne said, standing up. "You and Robin have made my visit quite a visitation."
"The horses had to rest and the coachman to have his tea," said Sir Robin, sturdily.
"You take too much care of your horses, Anne," Lady Drummond said. "They are too fat; they can't be healthy. And your coachman is very fat, too."