The endless evening wore on, the four of them together. She thought that it would never end.

When she went up to dress Dale followed her into her room and put his arms round her.

“My poor darling – it’s been a horrible day for you, but it’s nearly over. And look here – I’ve got a plan. We’ll get away from the others and have a nice peaceful time just by ourselves. I never seem to see you now except in a crowd. I’m very fond of the family, but I do sometimes want my wife to myself. Funny – isn’t it?” There was the smile in his eyes which she used to think was for her alone. It had always charmed her, but now she was too tired. Her eyelids fell. She moved a little, but he held her.

“Wait a minute and I’ll tell you what I thought we’d do. I’m flying again tonight. I’ll say so, and at the same time I’ll tell you to get off to bed. That’ll be about half past nine, but I needn’t really get up to the aerodrome till nearly eleven. It’s not dark enough for proper night flying till well after that. And what I thought was this – we could slip down to the beach and get right away from everyone.”

Her lashes lay upon her cheek. She said very low,

“I’m so tired, Dale.”

“I know, darling, but that’s why. It will be cool down there, and right away from everyone – just you and me. Oh, Lisle, I want you to so much! You’ll really sleep afterwards.”

It wasn’t in her to struggle. She said, “Very well,” and moved away from him. This time he let her go.

When he spoke again he sounded as pleased and excited as a schoolboy.

“Look here, we won’t go off together – that won’t do at all. Lal-” he laughed a little – “well, I’m very fond of her, as you know, but she does butt in. I’ll get the car and drive out by the back gate. Then I can leave it a bit down the lane and cut through across the park – it’s no distance that way – and you can wait for me down by the sea wall.” He laughed again. “Rather fun having to make an assignation before you can have half an hour alone with your own wife! Better change into a short dress and put on beach shoes. I thought we’d go down by the rocks and see the tide come in. And you’ll have to slip away without being seen, or we’ll find we’ve got the family circle round us again. Will you do it?”

She said “Yes,” and was glad not to have to say any more than that.

He dropped a kiss on the top of her head and went off to his own room. She could hear him whistling as he moved about there.

Later, when she was in her room again taking off the dress she had worn at dinner, slipping back into her cotton frock, stripping off the thin silk stockings and fastening the beach shoes he had suggested, she could hear him there again, slamming a cupboard door, pulling out a drawer. But this time he didn’t whistle.

She sat down on the edge of the bed to wait. Because it was part of the plan that he should get away first, and of course he had to change. He took some time over it, but at last she heard him open the door to the corridor. And then, all in a hurry, he came running back to look in on her with a laughing, mischievous expression and a finger on his lips.

When he had really gone, she stayed where she was for about ten minutes and then made her way down to the sea wall. She saw no one as she went, and as far as she knew, no one saw her go.

Chapter 43

IT was the first thing that Dale asked her. “Did anyone see you?”

“No.”

“Nor me either.” He was laughing and breathing a little quickly from his run. “What conspirators we are! Come along quick down by the steps! It’s a marvellous evening!”

The sun had been gone for half an hour. The dusk was falling., but the sky still glowed, hyacinth blue at the zenith fading through turquoise-blue to turquoise-green. And from turquoise-green to primrose, daffodil, and one deep orange streak. Between the blue and the green the waning moon slipped down the sky, a slender crescent gaining brightness as the light withdrew.

At the foot of the steps Dale turned to the left. He put his arm about her and they walked in silence. Tane Head was behind them, and the Shepstone Rocks ahead. The flowing tide had almost reached and covered the sandy ridge which lay beyond. It was easier walking here than on the side towards Tane Head, because each high tide came up to cover the sand and beat it hard. Easier, that is, until they came among the rocks.

“Where are we going, Dale?”

“Down the ridge. We’ve just time.”

A spit of sand ran down between the rocks. Insensibly the dusk, the cool air, the calm beauty of sea and sky, were having their way with Lisle. The strain of the day relaxed a little. What had been numbness came a shade nearer to being peace. She no longer wished to go back. Dale’s arm guided her. It was strong, and he was kind. Her thoughts began to flow in the simplest channels – evening peace and calm – kindness – rest-

Neither of them spoke until they were standing on the ridge piled against the outworks of the Shepstone Rocks by the current which set from Tane Head.

“It’s nice here – isn’t it?” said Dale.

She said “Lovely-” in a dreaming voice.

“We’ll just have time to get round to the far side of the rocks.”

“Shall we? Can’t we stay here?”

“Just round the point, darling. There’s something I want to show you. But we must hurry.”

His arm was through hers now. They turned landwards and picked their way down off the sandy ridge to the rock and shingle which lay behind it.

At once the light seemed to have failed. The glow in the sky and its reflection from the sea lay behind them. They faced a flat strand strewn with dark seaweed-covered rocks running back to the steep rise of the cliff. They were in a hollow for the moment, but Dale made for a spit of shingle running up between the main Shepstone wall and another lesser ridge. They had hardly gone any distance before the wall on their left was so high that they could no longer see over it. The Tanfield side of the barrier was gone as if it had never been. Everything familiar was gone. There was only this gathering gloom, the lap of the tide behind them, and a stench of decaying seaweed.

Lisle stopped.

“Dale – I want to go back.”

“Why? It’s only a little farther.” His arm went round her waist again.

“It’s getting so dark.”

“That’s because we’ve got our backs to the sea. We’ll be turning in a minute, and then it will seem quite light again. Look – this is what I wanted to show you, just up here. Give me your hand and I’ll pull you up.”

He released her as he finished speaking, and scrambled up a long ridged slope, turning to catch her wrist and pull her after him. She came unwillingly but without the energy to resist. When he had shown her what he had brought her here to see he would let her go home again. It was never any good struggling with Dale – he had to have his way. And when he had had it they would go home and she would sleep.

She stood on the flat-topped rock to which he had brought her and looked down into blackness. High rocky walls shut in a roughly shaped triangle of which the base was the stone upon which they were standing. The blackness was a pit which went down and down to a faint gleam of water. The water seemed a long way off. A long way down – how far she did not know. She only knew that her head swam.

She would have stepped back but for the arm at her waist – Dale’s arm – very strong – and she had thought it kind-

It swung her forward with a sudden jerk. Her feet slipped and lost the rock. She caught at the empty dark and went down into it.

She went down into water, or there would have been nothing more to say about Lisle Jerningham. Down and under, with the scream choked on her lips, and then up again on her knees, seawater in her eyes, her ears, her mouth. And then with a convulsive effort to her feet again, head and shoulders clear of the water, hands catching at the rock sides of the pit.