SWALLOW BROW 195 



with shining eyes, and once more the spirit 

 of the wild rose was in her cheeks. The 

 strange painter-man liked her! 



Now, behind the hedge Michael, her 

 eldest brother, was crouching, having crept 

 sinuous and Indian-like, down to the hedge 

 to track the two artists. He watched with 

 disgust what was happening, and determined 

 to take it out of Mary later on. Michael 

 was already disgusted because another 

 stupid girl had arrived in the house a little 

 while ago, and was staying a week. 



" Now, I must thank you," beamed the 

 bearded stranger, " for your beauty has 

 inspired me, you sweet fairy. Now we'll 

 all go home, and you must meet my little 

 daughter Elsie."' 



He picked her up and kissed her lightly 

 and Jo kissed him back, although his face 

 tickled, for he was kind and had said that 

 she was a fairy. 



