needle-work and taking it back with the message that no more was wanted.

She had been in the garden about ten minutes when Tom, after vainly
looking for his aunt in the house, came through the glass door of the
library to seek for her out of doors. It startled him for a moment to see
a strange young lady in the garden, but before she turned and saw him he
had remembered who she must be, and he went forward quickly, taking off
his hat, to introduce himself.

No touch of awkwardness marred their first words to each other. Tom's
frank face and pleasant greeting won Rhoda's confidence at once, and in a
few moments they were chatting like old acquaintances. Tom soon found that
she loved a garden as much as he did, though this was the first large
English garden she had seen. He was eagerly questioning her about
Australian flowers when Miss Merivale entered the library and caught sight
of them through the window.

The colour flowed into her pale face as she watched them talking to each
other. For the first time she saw how Woodcote might be Tom's and yet be
Rhoda's too.




CHAPTER V.

"A MERRY HEART GOES ALL THE WAY."


Dusk had fallen before Rhoda got back to Acacia Road. The omnibus stopped