After this she sat a while brooding and listening to the pulsing of her heart, which was beating with unusual strength this night.

As she did so in that mysterious hour which sometimes comes to us in English summers, a great change fell upon her.

When she sat down upon that fallen tree she was still a girl and virginal; when she rose from it she was a developed, loving woman.

It was as though a spirit had visited her and whispered in her ear.

She could almost hear the words.