f like a woman.

"Oh, dear, how tiresome it will be when there will be nothing to do
but to sit and spin, and to look after the house, and to walk
instead of running when I am out, and to behave like a grown-up
person, altogether!"

"You are almost grown up," John said; "you are taller, now, than
any of the maids except Zillah; but I shall be sorry to see you
growing staid and solemn. And it was selfish of me not to ask you
to go out before, but I really did not think of it. The fishermen
have been working hard, to make up for the time lost during the
harvest; and I have really been useful, helping them with their
nets, and this is the last year I shall have my liberty.

"But come, don't let's be wasting time in talking; run in and get
my mother's permission, and then join me on the shore. I will take
some grapes down, for you to eat; for the sun is hot today, and
there is scarce a breath of wind on the water."

A few minutes later, the young pair stood together by the side of
the boat.

"Your mother made all sorts of objections," Mary said, laughing,
"and I do think she won't let me come again. I don't think she
would have done it, today, if Miriam had not stood up for me, and
said that I was but a child though I was so tall; and that, as you
were very soon going to work with your father, she thought that it
was no use in making the change before that."

"What nonsense it all is!" John said. "Besides, you know it is
arranged that, in a few months, we are to be betrothed according to
the wishes of your parents and mine. It would have been done, long
ago, only my father and mother do not approve of young betrothals;
and think it better to wait, to see if the young ones like each
other; and I think that is quite right, too, in most cases--only,
of course, living here, as you have done for the last three
years--since your father and mother died--there was no fear of our
not liking each other."

"Well, you see," Mary said, as she sat in the stern of the boat,
while John rowed it quietly along, "it might have been just the
other way. When people don't see anything of each other, till they
are betrothed by their parents, they can't dislike each other very
much; whereas, when they get to know each other, if they are
disagreeable they might get to almost hate each other."

"Yes, there is something in that," John agreed. "Of course, in our
case it is all right, because we do like each other--we couldn't
have liked ea