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But they must not meet, those two! To see them together... no, no, no! It would be more than she could bear! But how prevent the meeting? Naia had gone off early that morning, but whether down the lagoon or up the valley she did not know. She could not herself go in search. There would be no time. A moment later, to her relief, two children appeared on the path.

"You have seen Naia, Tomi?" she asked the elder of them.

The boy shook his head.

"Then find her for me, will you? Meina, you must help, too. And listen, Tomi. Tell Naia that she is to have her lunch at your mother's house and to wait for me there. I want her to go with me to the upper valley this afternoon. Go now, and be sure you find her. And don't forget: she is to wait for me at your mother's house."

The boy nodded and the children ran on up the path by the river.

Mauri had herself well in hand by the time she returned to the house, but the effort to maintain her composure taxed all of her strength and all her woman's skill at dissimulation. She found McLeod waiting for her on the verandah.