Presently Grace turned to the little group, and said softly, "Children,
would you like to come to the knolls of heather on the other side of the
hill? I am going there now."
"Oh yes, mamma, I want to go," chimed an eager though subdued chorus of
voices; and then the childish feet followed the two mothers as they
wandered slowly through the birch trees and crossed the path which led
to the stepping-stones. The water still splashed and gurgled noisily
round them, and the knolls of heather stretched with unchanged contour
on the other side. Beyond rose the white gables and thatched roof of the
old farm of Gowrie; but the former master and mistress were gone now;
and the young farmer, who had taken the lease, chafed considerably that
he had not been able to include the bit of heathery pasture lands in the
fields, seeing it had been previously secured by another tenant. It was
the only piece of land owned by Grace in the valley, and through all
these years of absence she had jealously guarded any encroachment upon
her territory. Old Gowrie had, at her earnest request, relinquished his
right to that portion of his domain in her favour, for he ceased to
wish to make it one of his economies to have his cattle grazing there.
So it happened that though the pastoral valley had considerably changed
its face, and had much of its ruggedness smoothed away in the course of
years, this stretch of heather remained unreclaimed.
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