^6 WHEAT AND WOMAN 



door and took us to a spacious and lofty room, 

 which opened from a pleasant and almost English- 

 looking hall. A wood fire leapt and crackled with 

 a mirth akin to madness in the quite open hearth. 

 Our hostess gave us the friendliest welcome, and we 

 were relieved to find all our threshing excuses ready- 

 made for us. The fair-haired girl brought in tea 

 English fashion and we spent a cheerful and delightful 

 hour. 



Listening to the voice of the lake I had a sudden 

 longing to sojourn beside it for a while. I had 

 intended to spend the winter in New York, learning 

 the ways of that fascinating corner of the universe 

 in the most enlightening of all possible methods — 

 newspaper work — but my father was very insistent 

 on the fact that I had no right to leave a new 

 responsibility. However I did not find the prospect 

 of living in the farm cottage surrounded by an ocean 

 of snow altogether attractive, and it occurred to me 

 as we drove towards home that perhaps I might be 

 able to board through the winter at the convent of 

 Le Bret. I felt sure one could write well near the 

 lake, not having grasped the fact that it would be 

 frozen solid. I asked Hilaria what she thought, 

 reminding her that I should want quite a lot of 

 money to work the farm. 



" I am sure of it," she said, " and I told you so 

 from the first. Now, didn't I ? And everybody 

 says you will simply freeze to death at the farm, 

 and I believe you don't even know that you are 

 frozen until it is too late. Go to the nuns by 

 all means if they will have you. They are always 

 kind, and you can easily put in a man for the winter 

 if Lai refuses to stay. You will be able to go up 



