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down to your hunkers.... I'll accept the fact that you've married a saint."
    "Oh, Aunt Aggie." Grace had her head half lowered as if she had been caught at some misdemeanour, but when Aggie burst out laughing she joined in and threw her arms about her aunt and hugged her, crying,
    "Oh, now I want nothing more."
    "Sit down and don't rumple me." Aggie pushed her into a chair, then asked, "What are the folks like around here, nice?"
    "Yes. I'll take you through the village in a little while and you'll see some of them for yourself. I said they were nice and they are, all except one, a Miss Shawcross."
    "Miss Shawcross? Who is she?"
    "The post mistress
    "Ah, the post mistress middle-aged, a church worker and ... after the parson."
    Grace's eyes were wide as she exclaimed, "You're a witch. Aunt Aggie that's Miss Shawcross."
    "Is it, by gujn?" Aunt Aggie bristled in mock anger.
    "Come on then, let's have a dekko at her."
    Grace's laugh was high and free. Oh, it was good to be with Aunt Aggie again. She wanted nothing more now nothing . ?
    Some time later in the afternoon, after Aggie had visited the church and met Mr. Blenkinsop, had been introduced to Dr. Cooper as he came out of Brooke's the grocer's, had met Sep Stanley the baker and, like Grace on her first visit, had been given a hot buttered roll, they made their way to the post office and Miss Shawcross, and they were careful not to exchange glances as they entered.
    Aggie Turner's shrewd eyes immediately saw that Miss Shawcross was quite different from her own jocular description; she was younger than she had expected, she was bigger than she had expected, and immediately she found that the woman claimed her sympathy, and this she hadn't expected either. As she looked into the large, plain face, she thought, "It's a pity. By, it is that, for if he had come here before he had seen Grace that time of the accident, here's the one who would have been Mrs. Rouse. At least she would have had a damn good try, and I would have said good luck to her." This woman, she thought, would have made a far better parson's wife than her niece ever would, no matter how hard she kept on trying, and she was trying so hard at present that it was painful to watch her, and all because she was clean barmy about the man. Yet it looked as if she herself had misjudged the fellow, for, going by his present behaviour, he wasn't squandering Grace's money. But, of course, Aggie's business acumen prompted the thought, he had got quite a bit out of it already and in a way that brought no pointing finger at him. He had a fine house and furniture, and he was living much more comfortably than he could ever have hoped to do on his own income. Still, she must be fair. Apparently he had his principles and was living up to them.
    Moreover, she was glad to know he had his own frailties. She had liked the touch of the wine business at lunch.
    "What do you think?" asked Grace, when they had left the shop and were walking circumspectly through the village.
    "I'm a bit sorry for her. Now! Now! Wait till I finish." Aggie discreetly raised a finger.
    "I also think I'd go very carefully. Don't pull her to shreds in front of him, of of Donald. Your best plan, you know, would be to try to get to like her."
    "Oh, Aunt Aggie."
    "All right. It's only a suggestion, but remember you'll have to live with her for a long time."
    On this Grace let the matter drop she was very puzzled at her aunt's reactions to Miss Shawcross, and not at all pleased.
    The afternoon was sunny and even warm, and so they made their way on to the fells. Grace's primary idea being to show Aunt Aggie the village from the top of Roebeck Fell. An hour later, after much talking and laughing, they found themselves on top of Peak Fell from where you could see nothing for miles but the rolling hills, and Grace said,
    "What does it matter, we'll go halfway down the valley and take a cut up to Roebeck Fell."
    "That you won't, not today," said Aggie.
    "I've got the