"No," replied Philippa again. "It is all new to me. I only arrived yesterday."
And in her heart she was thinking, "Here is some one who could probably tell me many things I want to know," and yet how impossible to speak of such matters to a stranger.
Isabella Vernon seemed anxious to make friends.
"If you do not know the neighbourhood, I will explain the geography," she said pleasantly. "This is an excellent point of view. See, over there,"—she indicated the direction with her hand as she spoke,—"on the other side of the moor lies the village of Denwick. It has a very fine church—you can just see the tower—and it used to be a place of some importance in the dim ages. There are villages dotted all over this part of the country, right down to the sea.
"'Renwick and Deanwick, Bessmoor and Ling,
Northam and Southam lie all in a ring,'
as the country-people say about here. Eastminster is over there——" again she pointed. "On fine days you can see the spire of the cathedral, but not from here—from a point about two miles further across Bessmoor. If you are staying some time you ought to explore."
Again her eyes questioned, and Philippa answered—
"I do not know yet how long I shall stay."
"You will find many beautiful spots about here which will well repay a visit. Now, you can see Bessacre lying in the little hollow below us. The woods over there belong to—Major Heathcote——" She paused tentatively.
"Yes," said Philippa quietly; "I am staying there."