The Brother of Daphne

I'm going to swear,"

d shrieked with laughter. Berry stoppe

pproval. "Provoke me to violence. Go

ered audibly. Be

ost of your time. For you I have

's some mistake. I said I'd give you

nker, old man? Good idea. Only a cleek's no good. Sen

aw regarded us

"is how the Punch office can s

had sprained his wrist-were walking round with us. Berry is rather good real

nked by the great cliffs. Only the grey church, set up on the heights, half a mile distant, endures the tempests. The wind passes over Feth and is gone. A busy fellow, the wind. He has no time to stop. Not so the sunshine. That lingers

fine old place with an ancient deer-park and deep, rolling woods. Ruins, too, we had heard. A roofless quire, a few grass-grown yards of cloister and the like. Only the Abbot's kitche

"How many is that?" said Berr

ea, you know. Seven strokes. You've on

sums? Here, give me anot

favourite cleek. The caddie ha

your kind permission I shall now pro

en; but when we came up and found the ball in the hole nobody was more surpr

ginning to get used to playing with one eye. You

e," said

ay, I could believe it," said Jonah. "Anyone m

f criticism. The venom, brother, which you would squirt upon me, bespatters but yourself. Boy, place me the globe upon yon pinnacle of sand. So. Now indic

a brassie. He had ca

or a moment, any

ed and silently s

id you see that t

hat's why he's goin

er luncheon, and Daphne was already asleep. Jill and Jonah d

you call your sense of de

lso irritate me, because I s

h and harry your balls. I am about to slumber like a

d I. "About fri

in her chair, a

option but to ask you to withdraw. The touts' room is downstairs. Be

moking," I said, moving towards the door. "Besides, a little exerci

arled my br

and looked at him. "Immediate

t might have been a midsummer afternoon. I started on my solitary round, well enough pl

I left my clubs at the fifth tee and scrambled on up the green slope to gaze upon and over the sea below. I have a weakness for high places on the edges of Eng

mit, I heard a child'

gs which were in the city, and about the King, an

et to see her?'

ith a great many walls and towers round about it; no one but the King may go in and out there,

o see her,' thoug

grass, twenty paces from the edge of the cliff, sat a little boy, his brown knees propping a book. By his side, facing the sea, lay a gi

w him again, and cared v

autiful; but what is the use of that, if she has always to sit in the great copper castle with the many towers? Can I not ge

ier; 'but I should very much like to see t

and looked down at the sands of

ook and scrambling to his feet. He waved delig

x," and tore away down the green slope like a mad thing.

ide. Her slim legs were crossed comfortably, and the bright sun lighted a face at once strong and gentle, clear-cut under its thick bla

tly down, picked up "Hans Andersen," and took my seat by

rincess. She sat upon the dog's back and slept; and every one could see she was a real Princess, for

ed, opened her eyes

," said I. "It's only a fairy tale. Beside

as this bee

begun," sai

k with the Princess.

re's

happened to be here to take his place. He asked me to say he

n mornin

p. Then she clasped her knees and re

" she said

inning, any

be a so

ieve y

turess, for

incess,"

de you d

g round your lips. And this smile told me that he had two twin sisters who

have now, h

y must be out," said I. In spite of herself

ha

he had a big brother

she sai

I should never have dared. Honestly, it was all the l

eyes swept

y, "it is. In fact, e

y golf i

ever sai

said 'man.' All the same, I'm not vile. I'm rather nice

rea

ean

it was a

d stiffly, "it was an owl. A

dn't believe every

what other people believe," said I. "But if you

, I don't want to argue. I want to watch the smil

ery laughter. "Is my nose as bad

. And you know that mulberry bushes don't figure in that game any more than the b

n your part, and I'll let

n consideration, t

," she said

t a hand, and I dr

rock there. Do you think yo

shouldered her clubs and together we scramble

dored you, didn't I

't thi

. Perhaps you

I was awake all the time. I near

ked at her. "You are a

at wi

h to ador

sea. Then the fifteenth takes a sharp turn to the left, skirting the deer-park of Mote Abbey, while

a hole and led till the fourteenth, but on that gree

tee, it would have been a beautiful shot. We watch

ose," said I. "What a

was a lovely shot. You can't do

he deer

It's much

e it is,

the wall on this side. To say nothing of the fact that the park's private property, while there's a notice-board about th

t that board there. We tried to make it polit

blazed back at me. In silence I turned and teed u

as on the top of the wall. She smiled her thanks before disappearing. I followed with the clubs. There was a ladder on the other side. She was awaiting my descent. In sile

," I said simply,

ignity-all in a bow. So it was always. Helen's features would not have fired a sheepcote: the charm that lighted them blotted out a city. Cleopatra's form would

l first. As I hand

f I had not been there, how wou

schievously. "I hav

her golf-bag. "These are

re they

omst

h the fragrance of pot-pourri. Out of its latticed windows I could see the rolling woods, bright in their fresh green livery. For nearly an hour and a half we sat talking. I told her of Daphne and the others. She told me of h

ay come an

if you didn't. It's g

said with

e dances and theatres, Ranelagh, Ascot, Lo

nd elms and cedars, its rose-garden and its old paved court. How grateful to lean out of her bedroom window into the cool, quiet,

window, chin in air, showing her soft, white throat,

" she murmured,

ace we sat sile

have been very kind. Pe

mine. "Ring the bell," she said. "I am going to take you to se

lace. A footman entered the room. "I want the

am. A gentleman called to a

ed to me. "Let's go, then. We'll p

A great peace hung over them. Perhaps it was of them. For

see the kitch

please,

of grey stone, very lofty and about sixty paces in circumference. Its great oak door was

l, stopping suddenl

I; "but wh

people must

hy

or. Besides, if you do, you can't open it agai

they're l

can'

t," said I

ur fell upon our ears. People talking excited

my companion.

tones were raised in a

t's silly not to

e's v

silent laughter. When the girl recoiled

It's my own party in there-Berry and Co. It's the most perfect thing

s the comedy of the situation dawned upo

up, and together we approached

ps of tea," said Berry.

id Jill t

shall be alive, if insane, when found. At any

aphne. "Some one

t on airily, "a lingering death awaits us. I only wish my caddie was here, too. Is anyone

e, "Besides, they'll

ah. "If we once lose that, w

n awful sil

give it to yo

rent him. As it died down, we heard him bitterly comparing them to wolves and c

ed with my feet," said Da

band. "My thoughts run on food just now, you see." Here he gav

t," said Jonah. "Th

?" said Daphne coolly. My sist

replied h

. Tears were coursing down my cheeks. I drew her away from the door and whispered brokenly in

," she

lo," sa

d somebody callin

you?" sa

ve been mistaken. Perhaps it w

riek of "Don't go" fro

e. "Let me." We heard h

you to have come. We did call. You see, it

ful for you,"

There's no key

esome. Have you

moments. We just cam

row the key out of the window? Then I co

on't mind waiting a minute-er-it's so

say you've lost the

One of us laid it down for a moment and, really, in this dark

aid. A long silence f

said Berry. "Are

mpanion, her voic

go. A man of depraved instincts and profligate ways, he is no fit companion for a young and inn

l," said

proffered assistance-in the matter of the key, I mean. If he really has matches, tell him to throw them in. Adopt a he

en into your own han

id Berry, "you

which my companion at last gave vent. I joined her, and the mea

, standing beneath the window, "or

fathead," said m

icely,

see

oy, dear,"

ard a match struck, and the groping sounds recommenced. The girl and

e true," said I,

at

e copper castle, and here"-with a bow-"the pretty Prince

u're the soldier,

d, "the comm

mmo

but thorough; thoroughly common, but uncommonly

to mine. Suddenly, as I ben

little smile's fault,

sed her hand and

y. "It would have

d back. Then she slipp

Hans Andersen's

idst of the turmoil I seemed to discern Berry's fat laugh

the door. When I had put it

Boy!" sa

" said I. "Whe

think?" said

et all the t

Berry. "Now

aid I. "I'm going