Greene Ferne Farm Part 9

"But what trees are these?" said Margaret, with a sudden change of tone as they reached the summit.

"I am afraid they are beeches," said he. He ran forward, and found that they were. There were no firs. Margaret's heart sank; the disappointment was very great.

"Look once more," he said. "From this height there is a better view.

See, there are three copses round us; is either like the Firs?"

"They are all just alike," she said, in a troubled tone; then pleadingly, "Geoffrey--_think_."

"There are the stars still," he said.

"Ah, yes," eagerly, and looking up. "I know the north star; there it is," pointing to the faint sparkle that has been the lamp of hope to so many weary hearts on foaming ocean and trackless plain. "And the Great Bear; the men call it d.i.c.k and His Team; it shines every night opposite my window, over the dovecot. Why, of course, all we have to do is to turn our backs to it, and ride straight to Greene Ferne."

"Not quite, I fear," smiling at her impetuosity, for she was turning Kitty's head. "You see we should start from a different base, and our straight line might be projected for eternity before it came to your window."

"Then what's the use of astronomy?" said Margaret promptly.

"Well--really,"--puzzled to give a direct reply, "the difficulty is the longitude. But tell me, are there any roads crossing the Downs?"

"One or two, I think."

"Then we will go towards the north star; that will at least keep us in a straight line, and prevent us from going round in a circle. Sooner or later we must cross a road."

"Is that all the stars can do for us?"

"Under present circ.u.mstances--yes."

They descended the slope; on the level ground he began to run, urging the tired mare to trot.

"Do not do that," she said; "you will be quite knocked up."

"I do not mind in the least--for your sake. It is getting late, and we must hasten."

He was now seriously anxious, for her sake, to seek a road, and pushed on as hard as he could. The mare, however, walked up the next rise; at the summit, Margaret pointed to the east.

"The clouds are coming up," she said. Low down was a dark bank--a thicker night--rising swiftly, blotting out the stars one by one.

Another burst forwards, and another walk, as Geoffrey began to feel the exertion.

The "messengers"--small detached clouds, that precede the rest--were already pa.s.sing overhead. The white glow on the northern horizon, indicating the position of the summer sun just beneath, was covered. On three sides the edges of the cloud rose up and began to meet above. "I trust it will not rain," thought Geoffrey.

"It is getting still warmer," said Margaret presently; "the Great Bear is hidden now." Under the ma.s.s of vapour the temperature, warm before, became sultry and oppressive.

"Stand up!" said Geoffrey sharply to the mare, as they descended a steeper slope, and she stumbled. Then to Margaret, "The mist is gone."

It had insensibly disappeared as the clouds came over; they had now covered the sky, and it was dark.

"Will it thunder?" she asked anxiously. "It is very hot, and I believe I felt a drop of rain--and another."

"Only heat-drops," said Geoffrey, but his mind misgave him. The clouds swept over at a rapid pace, yet there was no breeze; they were carried on an aerial current far above the earth. The pole star was hidden; still Geoffrey kept on walking as fast as he could, trying to keep a straight line. He spoke to and cheered the mare frequently; she stumbled, and seemed nervous. There was an intense electrical tension in the atmosphere.

"Oh, where are we now?" said Margaret, as Kitty's knees rustled against something, and she stopped and dragged at the bridle. "What is this?"

In the gloom a white shimmering surface stretched out.

"A wheat field," said Geoffrey; "we must go round it." Kitty resisted, wanting to nibble at the succulent stalks, not yet dried into straw by the sun.

"If it is wheat we are certainly wrong," said Margaret. "We ought not to get on the plain among the ploughed fields; our proper road is on the turf somewhere. Pluck me a wheat-ear, please; the stalk is sweet, and I am thirsty."

He did so. Crushed by the teeth, the stalk yielded a pleasant sweetness to the parched mouth. "It is the wine of the corn," she said. He wanted to lead the mare round the field; but beyond was another of barley, and Margaret was so certain that it was the wrong direction that he gave it up, and felt his way back to the hill as he thought.

Proceeding along the ridge, a clump of trees loomed large close at hand.

"Moonlight Firs!" cried Margaret joyfully, urging the mare. "Please go and see what trees they are," she said. "It is difficult to distinguish."

He ran forward, and in two minutes returned, silent. "Yes?" she said impatiently.

"Beeches," he replied; "the same beeches."

"We have toiled round in a circle. What shall we do?--now we are lost indeed!" Her voice went straight to his heart, and roused him to fresh exertions.

"It is strange that we see no lights," he said; "there must be farmhouses or cottages somewhere."

"They all go to bed by daylight in summer--to save candles. Do let us go on--somewhere." He easily understood her nervous desire to move.

The darkness seemed to increase; but he led the mare slowly. Every now and then a lark rose from the turf--they could not see, but heard the wings--and fluttered away into the gloom.

"Hush!" whispered Margaret suddenly. "What was that? I thought I heard footsteps."

"It was nothing," said he, peering into the darkness. He had himself heard steps distinctly, but he would not let her be alarmed if he could help it.

"There!" she caught fast hold of his arm and drew him close. The heavy steps were distinctly audible for a moment, and then stopped.

"Who goes there?" shouted Geoffrey, startling her with the sudden noise.

His voice sounded hollow and dead in the vastness of the mighty hills.

They listened: no answer.

"Let us go on quick," she said. Kitty moved again, painfully; her rider glanced back.

"I am sure I saw something far off moving," she whispered.

"Nothing but a hawthorn bush," said Geoffrey; yet he had himself discerned a shadowy something. Margaret had heard of the shepherds'

stories of the weird shapes that haunted the desolate places on the Downs. Kitty, obeying her impulse, pushed on more rapidly; when they looked back again there was nothing. But almost suddenly the darkness increased; it seemed to thicken and fall on them. In a few moments it was so intensely black that they could barely see each other. With it came a strange sense of oppression--a difficulty of breathing. Her hand on his shoulder trembled; even the man felt a sense of something unusual, bent his brow, and steeled himself to meet it. With her other hand she covered her face. In that pitch-black darkness, that almost sulphurous air, it seemed as if a thunderbolt must fall. The mare stood still.

In a minute there came a rushing sound--a rumbling of the ground; it swept by on their left at a short distance. A faint "baa" told what it was. "A flock of sheep," said Geoffrey. "They have leapt the hurdles."

"They always do when the clouds come down," said Margaret, recollecting what the shepherds said. "It will thunder."

But it did not. The noise of the frightened flock grew less as they raced headlong away. Shortly afterwards the extreme blackness lifted a little. Presently something like a copse came indistinctly into view ahead. This roused Margaret's fainting hope; it might be Moonlight Firs, and they advanced again slowly. After a short while Kitty stood stock-still and would not move, neither for word nor blow; she backed instead.

"There must be something there," said Geoffrey, leaving the bridle and walking forward. His feet caught in some bushy heath; he went on his knees and felt. In a yard his hand slipped into s.p.a.ce--there was a chasm; he drew it back, then put his hand again and took up some earth from the side. It was white; then, dimly, he saw a white wall as it were beneath. An old chalk-quarry. "Thank Heaven for Kitty's instinct!" he muttered. "We should have walked into it." He did not tell Margaret that it was a quarry; he said it was a steep place. She wanted to go on to the copse; with regret he noticed the weariness of her voice; she was tired. He led Kitty far on one side of the quarry, giving it a wide berth, and taking the line of the sheep, who had avoided the precipice more by luck than any sense they possess in that way. The extreme darkness had now pa.s.sed; but the clouds remained, and it was gloomy. He walked slowly, thinking now of possible flint-pits.

Suddenly Margaret drew rein, and slipped out of the saddle.