far away.

"The crowd is mobilized. See the wagons crawling out of the grove and the
civilians in citizens' clothes following in carriages," Thaine said as he
watched the picnic party pushing out toward the eastward. "I'm so glad we
aren't with them."

Leigh sat leaning forward, looking at the majestic distances lost in
purple haze, overshadowed by purple clouds with gold-broidered edges of
sunlight.

"The world is all ours for once. We see all there is of it and yet we are
alone in it up here on the purple notches I used to dream about," she said
softly.

Thaine leaned back in his buggy and looked at Leigh with the same
impenetrable expression on his countenance that was always there when she
was present.

"Leigh," he said at last, "if you didn't have Uncle Jim what would you
do?"

"I don't know," the girl answered.

"I never knew one of the fellows who didn't like you, but you, you don't
seem to care for any of them. Don't they suit you?" Thaine asked.

"Yes, but I can't think much about them."

"Why not?"

Leigh drew a long breath.

"Thaine, you have always been a good friend to me. Some day I'll tell you
why."

"Tell me now," Thaine insisted gently.

Leigh looked up, a mist of tears in her violet eyes.

"Oh, little girl, forgive me. It's because--because," Thaine hesitated.
"Because deep down where nobody ever knew I've loved you always, Leigh. I
didn't know how much until the night of my party and the day we were at
Wykerton."

"Thaine! Thaine! you mustn't say such things," Leigh cried, gripping her
hands together. "You mustn't! You mustn't!"

"But I must, and I will," Thaine declared.

"Then I won't listen to you. You are a flirt. Not satisfied with making
one girl love you, you want to make all of us care for you."

"I know what you mean. I thought I loved Jo. Then I knew I didn't, and I
felt in honor bound to keep her from finding it out. But that's a dead
failure of a business. You can't play that game and win. I've learned a
good many things this summer, and one of them is that Todd Stewart is the
only one who really and truly loves Jo, and she cares as much for him as
she does for anybody."

"How do you know?" Leigh asked as she leaned back now and faced Thaine.

"Because she doesn't know herself yet. She's too spoiled by the indulgence
of everybody and too pretty. She wants attention. But I found finally,
maybe mother helped me a little, that if she has Todd's attention she's
sat