Mrs McNab sniffed again, but vouchsafed no further answer. Mr
Elgood's face brightened, and he cried eagerly-"That is kind of you! Raspberries are very nearly as good as
strawberries, and it would be splendid to get them so near at hand. I--
er--" he frowned, with a momentary return to his old embarrassment--"I
will come too, and carry the basket, for we must hope to have a fairly
heavy load."
Margot could hardly believe in the reality of this sudden change of
position, as she set out for the village ten minutes later, with George
Elgood by her side. He carried the basket lent by Mrs McNab, and swung
along with big easy strides, while she trotted by his side, a pretty
girlish figure in her cool white frock. It was left to her to do the
greatest share of the talking; but one reassuring fact was quickly
discovered, namely, that her companion's shyness seemed to consist
mainly in the dread of breaking strange ground, for once the first
plunge over he showed none of the expected embarrassment or distress.
If he could not be called talkative, he was at least an appreciative
listener; not a single point of her conversation missed its due share of
interest; while his deep, quiet laugh proved an incentive to fresh
flights of fancy. For a whole ten days had Margot been waiting for her
opportunity, and now that it had come she was keen to turn it to the
best possible advantage. Had the Chieftain been at hand to watch her
with his quizzical glance, she might have been tongue-tied and ill at
ease; even Ronald's presence would have brought with it a feeling of
self-consciousness; but in the kindly solitude of the mountain road she
could be herself, without thought of any one but her companion.
Remembering the warning which she had received, she kept the
conversation on strictly impersonal topics, avoiding even the mention of
Ron's name, but never had ordinary topics seemed so interesting, or the
way to the village so extraordinarily quickly traversed!
Inside the fusty grocer's shop the good Mrs Forsyth manifested none of
a Southerner's delight at the advent of a customer for her superfluous
fruit; she appeared, indeed, to receive Margot's first inquiry in a
somewhat flisty and off-hand manner, as though advantage were being
taken of a careless word, which she had not expected to have taken in
serious earnest. George Elgood, distinctly rebuffed, muttered
unintelligible words of apology, but already Margot was beginning to
understand the dour Northern manner, and pressed the attack with
undiminished eagerness. Thus coerced, Mrs Forsyth was forced to
acknowledge that she wouldna deny that she had raspberries in the
garden; and that it seemed a pity they should waste, as she hadna the
time to "presarve." There was no telling--maybe when the children came
hame from school in the afternoon they wouldna be above picking a
basketful, and taking it down to the inn.