Wych Hazel

and down the piazza, Wych Hazel came and

e said softly, 'w

cka

nformation,

, sir. We take the "

nd we tell nobody of

made an impressive

irk'

recaution?'

o be enjoying themselves,'-And a soft laugh o

t expected to be ca

uardian approves,' said

an?' said an old lady, possessing

!' said the young

' said Mr. Falkirk

broken t

ten happens in this world, something ha

ng was it?' s

did not quite satisfy the questioner at the time,

just to see how they would sound there,' kept up the delusion. By what rule it was a pic-nic it might be difficult to discover, except that it had been so styled. Eatables and drinkables were, to be sure, a prominent portion of the entertainme

wooded ravine of the hills stretched out before her eyes. The sides were so bold, the sweep of them so extended, the woods so luxuriantly rich, the scene so desolate in its loneliness and wildness, that she sat down to dream in a trance of enjoyment. Not a sound now but the plash of the water, the scream of a wild bird, and the rustle of leaves. Not a human creature in sight, or the trace of one. Wych might imagine the times when red Indians roved among those hillsides-the place looked like them; but rare were the white hunters that broke their solitudes. It was delicious. The very air that fanned her face had come straight from a wilderness, a wilderness where it blew only over sweet things. It refreshed her, after those people up on the balcony. She had promised to be back soon: but now a rosy flower, or spike of flowers, of tempting elegance, caught her eye. It was down below her, a little way, not far; a very rough and steep way,

hance of being soon set free, and indeed, from her present position even to go down (voluntarily) was no trifle. So Wych Hazel sat down to wait, amusing herself with thoughts of the sensation on

t piece of rock nearest her, she saw him standing there, looking down at her with the calm face and handsome gray eyes which she had noticed before. The girl had been singing half to herself a wild little Scottish ballad, chiming it in with water and wind and bird music, taking first one part and then another; looping together a long chain of pi

d buy a s

ir broke

rings,' but for the certain fear of tearing her dress, or spraining her ankle, or doing some other

time he did not withdraw his eyes from her face. And when he spoke it was in a new tone, very pl

in to think I have known you i

on were you in a for

not mutual. I am sorry.-T

ntical gr

'-in a tone which as

ow which abound most-the pleasures of Hope, Memory, or I

perceive?' said Mr. Rollo, peering about very

,-'must they be banished to the "former stat

y steep pitch of the hill. Don't you like this wilderness? You want a gun though-o

men say: "What a nice day it is!-l

asked her 'if she didn't know how to shoot?' But Wych Hazel, with a slight gesture o

-have you

ent

and for the paper,-'will you make one sketch while I make anothe

ven tolerably rude. But al

ns, I must tear a leaf

ee flitting of colour,-'if you

leaf out and proceeded to accommodate him

them!' she cried jumping up. 'I shall take

the conditions, you know. And besides-you have the pencils yet.' Th

cious to accept them unheard. One of them is very hard. The fir

of the strongest

etch to be the best. Now

to see what I am to swear to, before we begin.' And the bits of her drawing which were found there received

And your subject

u thin

id with a light twirl on the tips of her toes. 'If

take one part of the subject and I the other-and if you'll

s sweetbriars and sumach would permit. That gentleman turned about and faced her gravely; also withdrew a step, looked at his ma

draw a thing if you sit there watching m

d not ask me to do that? Besides, you ar

wing. That she had merged herself as well in the interest of the game, was soon plain,-shyness and everything else went to the winds: only when (according to habit) some scrap of a song broke from her lips, then did she rebuke herself with an impa

said the gentleman, in a pre-enga

own sketch-'why- not too soon for anybody tha

nce you have s

all. I think my landscape eyes were not ope

ich I referred a while ago. So you see your late threat

rawing. 'Yes- but the expression is very difficu

ghed a

re of knowing your neighbours, the Maryl

iss Kennedy. 'For shame, Mr. Rollo, Dr. Maryl

ut confined his attention to his work for

h ready to sho

el is down. But

ich lay on the rock before him, quite undisturbed by a remarkable looking

der these tru

ould be a tight fit,' sai

it may be with women I can't say!' And he made over the sketch in h

state of light from the actual hour of the day, and had thus thrown a great mass into fine relief. Round it the ferns and mosses and creepers with a light hand were beautifully indicated. But in the nook where Wych Hazel had stationed herself, there was no pretty little figure with her book on her lap; in its place, shar

handling is perhaps a trifle dry. That is not w

you say to our moving from this ground,

her first position on the rock, with hands busy about

in you-do not wait

and send some more fortunate friend

any difficult

little amusement, though it hardly appeared. 'Is it tr

ith quick fingers, 'I know the way by which I came, perfectly. In t

lf. I meant, in "not knowing your way,"

ou kn

r my guidance

uffered" so much on the last occasion-a

ou will direct me if I shall inform any one of your

g at it intently, 'I suppose there is not much danger. But if you see Mr. Falkir

f upon an outstanding oak branch, from which, lightly and lithely, as if he had been the red squirrel himself, he dropped to s

eir innocent, busy manners, read how much else they had that she lacked; though she looked at them and at all the other wild things. The tree branches that stretched as they listed, no axe coming ever upon their freedom; the moss and lichens that flourished in luxuriant beds and pastures, not breathed on by even a naturalist's breath; the rocks that they had clothed for ages, no one disturbing. The very cloud shadows that now and then swept over the ravine and the hillside, meeting nothing less free than themselves, scarce anything less noiseless, seemed to assert the whole scene as Nature's own. Since the days of the red men nothing but cloud shadows had travelled there; the nineteenth century had made no entrance, n

Wych?' was his undoub

lkirk, how did you? What is the last news from civilization?' She looked wild wood eno

id you come

e that you and I should have a joint summer house here, with stra

bringing not only himself but a little basket in which appeared-precisely-biscuits and strawberries. Silently all this presented itse

of the staff coming? Here is the Commissary-

shall find him,' sai

t into this bir

here, sir,-by a

what are they about up there,

the little speaker, busy with her strawberrie

e the depth to the bottom, with a reference to your probabl

y! Mr. Falkirk, it is imperatively necessary that I should at once rejoin the res

minutes taking a minute and bus

despondingly, 'without a rope. I must go back f

you get

If I cannot, I'

him, sir,-b

a rope,' said that gentle

then,' sai

smooth going in a very few minutes. A little below there is a path. Let me see you safe down fir

indicated-a ledge not very far but very sheer below them. From a position which looked like a squir

the bottom?-most people like

ttle lower down, if

as soon as you

r. Only then did Mr. Rollo's hand release her; and then he bounded down himself like a cat. Once more, very nearly the same operation had to be gone through; then a few plunging and scrambling steps placed them in a clear path, and the sound of the waters of the fall told them which way to take. With that, Rollo lifted his hat a

there à la reine; Mr. Kingsland at her feet, a circle of standing admirers on all sides; her own immediate attention concentrated on a thorn in one of her wee fingers. Les