the support of a party, but for the
exchange and search of knowledge that should direct electresses to
exercise their long-withheld right in a worthy manner. I listened with
pleasure to the thoughtful and earnest ideals to be discerned
underlying the girl's practically expressed ideas, and delighted in
the humorous intelligence flashing from her clear eyes, and was
altogether favourably impressed with her as a type of womanhood--one
of the best extant.

She conversed with the elder members of the party and Ernest, and this
left "Dora" Eweword in charge of Carry and Dawn. His giggle was much
in evidence. Between blasts of it he could be heard inviting the girls
to a pull on the river, and they presently set off round the corner of
Miss Flipp's bedroom leading to the flights of wooden steps down to
the boats under the naked willows. The nature of the one swift glance
that travelled after them from Ernest's eyes did not escape my
observation, so I suggested that he, Miss Grosvenor, and myself should
follow a good example, and we did. I knew it would be a relief to him
to overtake Eweword, pull past him with ease, and leave him a speck in
the distance, as he did. I felt a satisfaction in noting Dawn watch
his splendid strokes, and Miss Grosvenor's animated conversation with
him and enthusiastically expressed admiration of his rowing. She was
not so exacting in the matter of detail as Dawn, and red hair did not
prevent her from enjoying the company of a splendid specimen of the
opposite sex when she had the rare good fortune of encountering him.

"That's a fine stamp of a girl," he cordially remarked as, having at
her request pulled the boat to the edge of the stream, she landed and
sprang up the bank for ferns; but not by any inveiglement could I
induce him to give an opinion of Dawn, which was propitious of her
being his real lady. When we pulled down stream again between the
fertile farm-lands spread with occasional orange and lemon groves,
beautiful with their great crops of yellowing fruit, we found that the
other party were already deserting their craft.

"We had to give it best. Mr Eweword soon got winded. I never saw any
one pull a boat so splendidly as you do, Mr Ernest," called the
outspoken Carry, who had not acquired the art of paying a compliment
to one member of a party without running _amok_ of the feelings of
another. Eweword, despite his shapely and imposing bulk, had not
developed his athletic possibilit