Stephen remained a moment in their rear,and they passed on,when he pursued his way also,and soon forgot the circumstance.Having crossed a bridge,forsaken the high road,and entered the footpath which led up the vale to West Endelstow,he heard a little wicket click softly together some yards ahead.By the time that Stephen had reached the wicket and passed it,he heard another click of precisely the same nature from another gate yet further on.
Clearly some person or persons were preceding him along the path,their footsteps being rendered noiseless by the soft carpet of turf.Stephen now walked a little quicker,and perceived two forms.One of them bore aloft the white feather he had noticed in the womans hat on the quay:they were the couple he had seen in the boat.Stephen dropped a little further to the rear.
From the bottom of the valley,along which the path had hitherto lain,beside the margin of the trickling streamlet,another path now diverged,and ascended the slope of the left-hand hill.This footway led only to the residence of Mrs.Swancourt and a cottage or two in its vicinity.No grass covered this diverging path in portions of its length,and Stephen was reminded that the pair in front of him had taken this route by the occasional rattle of loose stones under their feet.Stephen climbed in the same direction,but for some undefined reason he trod more softly than did those preceding him.His mind was unconsciously in exercise upon whom the woman might be--whether a visitor to The Crags,a servant,or Elfride.He put it to himself yet more forcibly;could the lady be Elfride?A possible reason for her unaccountable failure to keep the appointment with him returned with painful force.