But when they had got up again to the summit of the rocks, an incident occurred that considerably startled him out of these vague and anxious speculations. He walked straight over to the sheltered spot in which Sheila was waiting. The rushing of the wind doubtless drowned the sound of his footsteps, so that he came on her unawares; and on seeing him she rose suddenly from the rock on which she had been sitting, with some effort to hide her face away from him. But he had caught a glimpse of something in her eyes that filled him with remorse.
"Sheila," he said, going forward to her, "what is the matter? What are you unhappy about?"
She could not answer; she held her face turned from him and cast down; and then, seeing her father and Ingram in the distance, she set out to follow them to the lighthouse, Lavender walking by her side, and wondering how he could deal with the distress that was only too clearly written on her face.
"I know it is I who have grieved you," he said in a low voice, "and I am very sorry. But if you will tell me what I can do to remove this unhappiness, I will do it now. Shall I consider our talking together of last night as if it had not taken place at all?"
"Yes," she said in as low a voice, but clear and sad and determined in its tone.
"And I shall speak no more to you about this affair until I go away altogether?"
And again she signified her assent, gravely and firmly.
"And then," he said, "you will soon forget all about it; for of course I shall never come back to Lewis again."
"Never?"
The word had escaped her unwillingly, and it was accompanied by a quick upturning of the face and a frightened look in the beautiful eyes.