Follow a Stranger

had never, by word or look, hinted that she did not

thoroughly approve of Peter. Yet she just smiled and said, “I

see, dear,” without so much as a blink of the eyes. Kate was

puzzled.

On returning to school, Kate had an interview with Miss

Carter. The Headmistress seemed quite resigned to the fact

that Pallas had left so suddenly after such a short stay at

the school.

“I think we did her good, Kate,” she said, smiling. ‘“Don’t

you think so?”

“I hope we did,” Kate agreed.

“I’m sure of it—she was very depressed and difficult

when she came here, but at the end of term I thought she

looked a changed girl, lively, cheerful, full of beans. A great

improvement, and I must congratulate you. You did what I

expected you to do. Now, did you enjoy your holiday in

Greece?”

“Very much,” Kate said politely.

After a few remarks about her own holidays in Greece in

past years, Miss Carter dismissed her, and Kate went down

to her class with a heavy heart. Now, she thought, it’s all

over. I can forget the entire episode. With Pallas gone, there

was nothing to remind her of Marc.

She met Peter in the High Street some weeks later. He was

talking abstractedly to a thin, brown-faced girl whose

untidy clothes and intense face put her in the student body.

Kate’s eyes met Peter’s, and he blinked, then smiled,

without rancour. “Hi, Kate!” he called, lifting a hand.

She smiled back but did not stop. Some other girl, she

thought, was going to have to learn that for Peter the only