Brother and sister resembled each other but slightly. In place of Ann’s tempestuous coppery hair Robin was endowed with sober brown, and for her golden-hazel eyes, with their changeful lights, nature had substituted in him a pair of serious greenish-brown ones. But they were attractive eyes, for all that, with a steady, “trustable” expression in them that reminded one of the eyes of a nice fox terrier.
“Robin!” Ann sprang out of the railway-carriage and precipitated herself upon him with unconcealed delight. “Oh, my dear, how are you? Let me have a good look at you!”
She pushed him a little away from her and her eyes flashed over his face and figure searchingly. Then she nodded as though satisfied with her inspection. Whereas when she had last seen him he had limped a bit as a consequence of his wound, to-day he had crossed the platform with the old, easy, swinging stride of the pre-war Robin, and although his face was still rather on the thin side, it had lost the look of delicacy which, a year ago, had worried her considerably.
“Isn’t this all simply splendid, Robin?” she said gaily, as, after giving her luggage in charge of a porter, they made their way out of the station. “Never tell me dreams don’t come true after this—if you dream them hard enough!”
He smiled down at her. Her spontaneous enthusiasm was infectious.
“It certainly looks as if they do,” he agreed. “Here’s our trap. Jump in!”
She regarded the smart ralli-cart and bright bay cob with interest. The latter, held with difficulty by a lad Robin had left in charge, was dancing gently between the shafts, impatient to be off.
“Our trap?” queried Ann.
“Yes. It goes with the cottage,” explained Robin. “Coventry’s been awfully decent over everything. Of course, he provides me with a gee to get about on, but as soon as he heard I had a sister coming to live with me he sent down this pony and cart from his own stables. Naturally, I told him that that kind of thing wasn’t included in the bond, but he shut me up with the remark that no woman could be expected to settle down at the back of beyond unless she had something to drive.”
“He must be an extremely nice young man,” commented Ann, as she settled herself in the trap.