It had been a busy morning, for the guests of the previous night all paid duty calls to give conventional thanks.
I saw Simon Redvers ride up on a magnificent grey horse, and I decided to stay in my room until he had left; I did not see him leave and was afraid that I should find he was staying to luncheon; however, when I went down he had gone. Dr. Smith and Damaris had ridden over in his brougham-the doctor to see how Sir Matthew was after his attack, Damaris to pay her duty call. With all the guests arriving it seemed like a continuation of the party.
It was just before dinner when I began to be anxious about Friday’s absence. / Dinner was a solemn meal that evening and there was little conversation. Sir Matthew was still in his room and I guessed that everyone was worried on his account although they assured me that such turns were frequent.
When the meal was over and there was still no sign of Friday, I was really alarmed. I went up to our room; his basket, with the folded blanket, was neat and had clearly not been used by him. Was it possible that he was lost?
I wondered if he had been stolen, and when I thought of the ill-treatment he had received at the hands of the gipsy woman I felt sick with worry. It was possible that there were gipsies not far from Kirkland Moorside, for the moor was always an attraction to them.
I slipped on a light coat and went downstairs, intending to ask Gabriel to come with me to look for him, but as I could not find him I went out alone, calling Friday as I did so.
I found my footsteps wandering towards the Abbey. At any other time I might have found it awe-inspiring; on this evening my thoughts were all for Friday.
I kept calling his name, straining my ears for an answering bark.
There was nothing.
It was an uncanny experience to stand there among those ruins . alone.
It had been a glorious day and there were signs of a fine day to follow. The old saying came into my head: Red sky at night, shepherd’s delight.
Then suddenly the fear came to me. I felt that I was not alone; that through those narrow slits, which had once been windows, eyes watched me. The glow from the sky touched the stones so that they looked rosy; and the ridiculous fancy came to me that life was being breathed into them.
I did not know what had happened to me, but I expected to hear the chanting of monks as they walked down the nave. I felt my heart hammering as I looked up at the arches through which I glimpsed the blood-red sky. I imagined that somewhere, not far distant, I heard a stone dislodged and, following that, a footstep.
” Who’s there?” I called; and the hollow sound of my own voice startled me.
I looked about me. There was nothing but those piles of stones, those half-walls, those rectangles of brick within which the grass grew. Here a community of men had lived long ago and I could almost believe that I was moving back in time, that the half-walls would become walls in their entirety, that a roof would appear to shut out the sky and this nineteenth century.
I began to call Friday again, and I noticed that it had become considerably darker than when I had first entered the ruins. Evening skies change rapidly, and the red was now streaked with grey. The sun had disappeared and soon darkness would descend upon me . and the Abbey.
I tried to leave by the way I had come at least I thought it was the way I had come, but after a few minutes I realised that I was in a section of the ruins which I had not visited before. I saw part of a staircase, leading down to darkness;
I turned and hurried away; I tripped over a ridge of stone and only saved myself in time. I had a horrible fear of breaking an ankle and being forced to spend the night here . a prisoner. I began to feel faint at the thought of it.
This was most unlike myself. What is this? I demanded. Nothing but bricks and grass. Why be afraid? But what was the use? I was afraid.
I blundered on. My one thought, my great desire, was to escape from the ruins of Kirkland Abbey.
It was only now that I had lost my way that I became fully aware of the vastaess of the place; and there was a time during that nocturnal adventure when I thought I should never find my way out of the maze of stone. With every passing second the light was fading and I was so anxious to get away from the place that I panicked and lost my sense of direction.
At length when I did escape I came out on the far side of the Abbey and it was now between me and the house.
Nothing would have induced me to go back the way I had come, which would have been difficult in any case, for I should have lost myself in that pile of stones. I ran on swiftly until I found a road. This I took and, guessing my direction, I hurried on, now and then breaking into a run.
As I came to a clump of trees through which the road wound, a figure emerged and for a moment I knew terror. Then it took on a familiar shape and a voice I knew said:
” Hallo! Have you got the devil at your heels?”
The note of mockery in that voice set annoyance swamping my fear.
” I lost my way, Mr. Redvers,” I said. ” But I think I’m on the right road now.”
He laughed. ” You are, but I can show you a short cut .. if you’ll allow me.”
” Doesn’t this road lead to the house?”
” It does … eventually. But if you cut through the trees here you come out about half a mile nearer. Will you allow me to escort you?”
” Thank you,” I said stiffly.
We walked side by side and he fitted his step to mine.
“How did you come to be out alone at this hour?” he asked.
I told him that my dog had been out all afternoon and evening, and I was anxious.
” You shouldn’t wander too far alone,” he reproved me ” You see how easy it is to lose yourself.”
“Had it been day I should easily have found the right road.”
” But it was not day. As for the dog, doubtless he has found a little companion somewhere. Dogs will be dogs.”
I did not answer him; we had come through the trees and I saw the house. In five minutes we were there.
Gabriel, Ruth, Luke and Dr. Smith were in the grounds They were all looking for me. The doctor had come in to see Sir Matthew and had heard that I had disappeared.
Gabriel was so anxious that he was almost angry with me for the first time in our lives.
I breathlessly explained that I had been looking for Friday, had got lost among the ruins and met Simon Redvers on the way back.
” You shouldn’t have gone out alone at dusk,” said Dr. Smith gently.
” One of us would have gone with you!” Luke reproved me.
” I know,” I said and smiled with relief because I was so happy to be back. I turned to Simon Redvers. ” Thank you, Mr. Redvers,” I went on.
He bowed ironically. ” Such a pleasure,” he murmured.
” Has Friday come home?” I asked Gabriel.
He shook his head.
” He’ll turn up to-morrow,” Luke put in.
” I do hope so,” I answered.
Gabriel put his arm through mine. ” There’s nothing else we can do to-night. And you look exhausted. Come along in.”
They all seemed to be watching us. I turned and said;
“Good night.”
There was an echoing answer as Gabriel drew me into the house.
” I’ve never seen you look so white and tired,” he told me.
I thought I should never get back. “
He laughed and put his arm about me. He said suddenly:
” Wasn’t that honeymoon of ours wonderful. But it was very short. We ought to have a longer one. I’ve often thought I’d like to go to Greece.”
” The Isles of Greece, the Isles of Greece ! Where burning Sappho loved and sung,” ” I quoted, and my voice had a high pitch to it.
Although I was worried about Friday, I was very relieved to be safe, which seemed unaccountably foolish.