to bear this blank of absence, silence, apparent indifference,
after those moments of glowing love! She was not afraid that Adam
would tease her with love-making and flattering speeches like her other
admirers; he had always been so reserved to her; she could enjoy without
any fear the sense that this strong brave man loved her and was near
her. It never entered into her mind that Adam was pitiable too--that
Adam too must suffer one day.

Hetty, we know, was not the first woman that had behaved more gently
to the man who loved her in vain because she had herself begun to love
another. It was a very old story, but Adam knew nothing about it, so he
drank in the sweet delusion.

"That'll do," said Hetty, after a little while. "Aunt wants me to leave
some on the trees. I'll take 'em in now."

"It's very well I came to carry the basket," said Adam "for it 'ud ha'
been too heavy for your little arms."

"No; I could ha' carried it with both hands."

"Oh, I daresay," said Adam, smiling, "and been as long getting into the
house as a little ant carrying a caterpillar. Have you ever seen those
tiny fellows carrying things four times as big as themselves?"

"No," said Hetty, indifferently, not caring to know the difficulties of
ant life.

"Oh, I used to watch 'em often when I was a lad. But now, you see, I can
carry the basket with one arm, as if it was an empty nutshell, and give
you th' other arm to lean on. Won't you? Such big arms as mine were made
for little arms like yours to lean on."

Hetty smiled faintly and put her arm within his. Adam looked down at
her, but her eyes were turned dreamily towards another corner of the
garden.

"Have you ever been to Eagledale?" she said, as they walked slowly
along.

"Yes," said Adam, pleased to have her ask a question about himself. "Ten
years ago, when I was a lad, I went with father to see about some work
there. It's a wonderful sight--rocks and caves such as you never saw in
your life. I never had a right notion o' rocks till I went there."

"How long did it take to get there?"

"Why, it took us the best part o' two days' walking. But it's nothing of
a day's journey for anybody as has got a first-rate nag. The captain 'ud
get there in nine or ten hours, I'll be bound, he's such a rider. And I
shouldn't wonder if he's back again to-morrow; he's too active to rest
long in that lonely place, all by himself, for there's nothing but a
bit of a inn i' that part where he's gon