by herself along the woodland path that made it no distance from Marley
Vicarage to Normanthorpe House, and cutting a very attractive figure
among the shimmering lights and shadows of the trees. She was rather
tall, and very straight, with the pale brown skin and the dark brown
eye, which, more especially when associated with hair as light as Morna
Woodgate's, go to make up one of the most charming and distinctive types
of English womanhood. Morna, moreover, took a healthy interest in her
own appearance, and had not only the good taste to dress well, but the
good sense not to dress too well. Her new coat and skirt had just come
home, and, fawn-colored like herself, they fitted and suited her to
equal perfection. Morna thought that she might even go to church in the
coat and skirt, now and again during the summer, and she had a brown
straw hat with fine feathers of the lighter shade which she made
peculiarly her own; but this she had discarded as too grand for an
informal call, for Hugh had been summoned to a sick-bed at the last
moment, and might be detained too late to follow. But the Steels had
been back two days, and Morna could not wait another hour.

She was certainly consumed with curiosity; but that was not the only
feeling which Mrs. Woodgate entertained towards the lady who was to be a
nearer neighbor of her own sex and class than any she could count as
yet. On the class question Morna had no misgivings; nevertheless, she
was prepared for a surprise. Both she and her husband had seen a good
deal of Mr. Steel. Morna had perhaps seen the best of him, since she was
at once young and charming, and not even an unwilling and personally
innocent candidate for his hand, like honest Sybil Venables. Yet Morna
herself was not more attracted than repelled by the inscrutable
personality of this rich man dropped from the clouds, who had never a
word to say about his former life, never an anecdote to tell, never an
adventure to record, and of whom even Mrs. Venables had not the courage