The girl sat quietly in the sunshine for a few minutes. Than she picked up a parcel lying next to her. and looked round to see if the driver was coming back. There was no sign of him. She unwrapped the parcel, and took out the mirror it contained. The sun shone on her lovely face and hair. Although it was December, she looked almost summery, sitting there in her bright red jacket with the fresh green plants around her. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled, thinking that only the birds could see her. But behind the gate Gabriel Oak was watching too. "She must be rather vain,' he thought. "She doesn't need to look in that mirror at all!" As the girl smiled and blushed at herself. she seemed to be dreaming, dreaming perhaps of men's hearts won and lost When she heard the driver's footsteps, she packed the mirror away. The cart moved on downhill to the toll gate. Gabriel followed on foot. As he came closer he could hear the driver arguing with the gatekeeper. "My mistress's niece, that's ber on top of the furniture,