I don't care to see people with hats and bonnets on, and all standing up and walking about.' 'As soon as we can get mamma's permission you shall come and stay as long as ever you like.

Good-bye!' The prisoners were then led off, Elfride again turning her attention to her guest, whom she had left standing at the remote end of the gallery.
On looking around for him he was nowhere to be seen.

Elfride stepped down to the library, thinking he might have rejoined her father there.
But Mr.Swancourt, now cheerfully illuminated by a pair of candles, was still alone, untying packets of letters and papers, and tying them up again.
As Elfride did not stand on a sufficiently intimate footing with the object of her interest to justify her, as a proper young lady, to commence the active search for him that youthful impulsiveness prompted, and as, nevertheless, for a nascent reason connected with those divinely cut lips of his, she did not like him to be absent from her side, she wandered desultorily back to the oak staircase, pouting and casting her eyes about in hope of discerning his boyish figure.
Though daylight still prevailed in the rooms, the corridors were in a depth of shadow--chill, sad, and silent; and it was only by looking along them towards light spaces beyond that anything or anybody could be discerned therein.

One of these light spots she found to be caused by a side-door with glass panels in the upper part.

Elfride opened it, and found herself confronting a secondary or inner lawn, separated from the principal lawn front by a shrubbery.
And now she saw a perplexing sight.