She was quite tall and straight. She panted a little
from the climb up the steep. He saw her bosom rise and fall under
the khaki jacket; her nostrils were slightly distended. In that
first glimpse of her, he took in the graceful, perfect figure; the
lovely, brilliant face; the glorious though unsmiling eyes. "You
must leave at once. This is private property. Go, please."
"I cannot go before telling you how rotten I feel for striking that
match. I beg of you, Miss Crown,--you ARE Miss Crown?--I can only
ask you to believe that it was not a conscious act of desecration.
It was sheer thoughtlessness. I would not have done it for the
world if I had--"
"It is not necessary for you to explain," she broke in curtly. "I
saw what you did,--and it is just because of such as you that this
spot is forbidden ground. Idle curiosity, utter disregard for the
sacredness of that lonely grave,--Oh, you need not attempt to deny
it. You are a stranger here, but that is no excuse for your passing
through that gate. I AM Miss Crown. This hill belongs to me. It was
I who had that fence put up and it was I who directed the sign to
be put on the gate. They are meant for strangers as well as for
friends. It was not thoughtlessness that brought you up here. You
thought a long time before you came. Will you be good enough to
go?"
He flushed under the scornful dismissal.
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