"No, thank you. I would rather go straight to the hotel. There are two, I believe; which do you recommend?"
She told him their respective merits, and they settled together to which he should go. And then she talked of the village, and the church, and pointed out the different mountains, and did all she could to put him at his ease again; for she saw how deeply he had felt having to tell her of the heavy loss of which his father had been the cause.
Then they came to a stone bridge which crossed the stream just at the entrance of Rosthwaite. It was almost dark when they got there, but she pointed out the chimneys of her home, standing amongst the trees on the hillside, and then she said good-bye to him in a cheerful voice and went over the bridge, whilst he walked on a few yards further, and found the clean country inn at which he was to spend the night.
[CHAPTER VIII]
HONISTER CRAG
WHEN Captain Fortescue set out at half-past seven for Fernbank a fearful gale was blowing. The trees rocked and strained overhead, and so violent was the wind, as it came sweeping through the narrow gorge down which he had come that afternoon, that he could hardly fight his way against it, as he attempted to retrace his steps as far as the bridge.
It was a terribly cold night, the ground was as hard as iron, and the bridge was so slippery that he stumbled as he crossed it.
He followed the path beyond, which wound steeply up the hillside, and climbed towards the house, guided as he did so by the lights in the windows. He wondered whether she had told them that he was coming. Perhaps she had, and they were expecting him fearfully, trying to conjecture what news he had come to bring them. But no; on second thoughts, he felt sure that she would not tell them, lest they should ask her whether she knew what his errand was.
He found the garden gate with difficulty, for it was a very dark night, and began to ascend the steep path leading towards the front of the house. This path took him past a bow window, the blind of which was only partly drawn down.
He only glanced at this window for a single moment, turning his eyes away immediately, but in that one glance he had taken in the whole scene, and it remained imprinted on his memory.