“Yes, Mr Austen has a very nice property; it extends right into the town of Shoreham, does it not?”
“Yes, and right up to Toddington Mount, where we are going. But aren’t you a little tired, John? These roads are very steep.”
“Out of breath, Kitty; let’s stop for a minute or two.” The country lay below them. They had walked three miles, and Thornby Place and its elms were now vague in the blue evening. “We must see one of these days if we cannot do the whole distance.”
“What? right across the downs from Shoreham to Henfield?”
“Well, it is not more than eight miles; you don’t think you could manage it?”
“I don’t know, it is more than eight miles, and walking on the downs is not like walking on the highroad. Father thinks nothing of it.”
“We must really try it.”
“What would you do if
