Callista

It came before long， and the footsteps receded， eclaomg
down the long corridor. Quickly she retrieved the clothes
she d hidden under the bed and slipped from the smooth
satin garments Aunt Nesseilda had purchased for her into
the breeches and shirt that stil.kheld the smell of the sea
about them. Next she tucked her long black hair beneath
the sailor s hat and eyed herself in the glass.
Yes， the large shirt did hide her ftrm young breasts. Her
amber eyes brightened， and her delicate lips turned up in a
smiie. She might well pass for a boy， she thought， and felt
a sense of freedom so real and exquisite that she already
could have been home at Tantallon on Scotland s rocky
coast. All she need do is escape Aunt Nesseilda and cousin
Edwin and head for the London docks.