CHAPTER XVIII.
"YES, SHE GAVE HIM UP" Thou art so good, So calm!--If thou shouldst wear a brow less light For some wild thought which, but for me, were kept From out thy soul as from a sacred star! -- BROWNING.
To every living soul that same He saith, "Be faithful;" whatsoever else we be, Let us be faithful, challenging His faith.
-- CHRISTINA ROSSETTI.
The Manor House where the Godfreys lived was a fine old red-brick Elizabethan house, standing about a quarter of a mile from the river.
A delightful garden surrounded it, but the chief point of attraction to visitors was a terrace walk, shaded by old chestnut trees, which formed its extreme boundary, and which, on the hottest summer's day, offered a cool and shady retreat.
The terrace was broad, and at one end was a sort of loggia or alcove built of grayish-white stone, with a wide stone bench running round it.
From this point there was a charming view of the river between the trees, and it was here that Malcolm found his hostess on his arrival at the Manor House.
Mrs.Godfrey was reading in the loggia, with her husband's magnificent deer-hounds lying at her feet.

She laid aside her book and welcomed her visitor with a warmth and cordiality that were evidently sincere.
Strangers who saw Mrs.Godfrey for the first time were generally apt to remark that she was one of the plainest women they had ever seen; and they would add in a parenthesis, "It is such a pity, for the Colonel is so handsome." But even the most critical agreed that no woman could be more charming.

She had spent a great deal of her life abroad, and her easy, well-bred manner, her savoir-faire and broad, sagacious views on every subject, had been gained in the world's academy.

In spite of her goodness of heart and real unselfishness, she was essentially a woman of the world.

Little as Malcolm guessed it at that time, she was Elizabeth Templeton's greatest friend; indeed, both the sisters were devoted to her, and some of Elizabeth's happiest and gayest hours had been spent in the Manor House.
"I certainly never hoped to find you alone," were Malcolm's first words.