d, as they whizzed down what seemed invisible
tracks in a trackless forest. "Smell the pines--aren't they good?"

Marjorie looked up, beaming.

"Stunning!" she said. "I don't see how you ever wanted to come to New
York, after you'd had this."

"After a long time of this New York is pleasant again," he said. "But
I hope you won't tire of this, my dear."

"Oh, no!" she said fervently. "I'm crazy to go on, and see the cabins
you told me about. I can amuse myself there the whole afternoon, if
you have other things you want to do."

"You dear!" said Francis.

After that they were quiet, and rode on together, enjoying the glorious
afternoon.

"Here we are," said Francis after about two hours on the motor-cycle.
He slipped off and held the machine for her to get out.

"Oh," said Marjorie, "it's like something out of a fairy-book!"

CHAPTER VI

They had gone through what seemed to Marjorie's city-bred eyes a dense
forest, but which Francis had assured her was only a belt of
woodland--quite negligible. And they had come out, now, on what
Francis called a clearing. It was thick with underbrush, little trees,
and saplings; while bloodroot flowered everywhere, and the gleam of
thickly scattered red berries showed even as they rode quickly over the
grass. In the center of things were the two cabins Francis had spoken
of; one quite large--Francis seemed given to understatement--and the
other of the conventional cabin size.

"The larger one is where my men stay," he explained. "Two of them are
there now. That's why you see a red shirt through the window. Pierre
is probably leaving it there to dry. I'll take you through if you
like, but it's just a rough sort of place. The lean-to is the
cook-place. All that cabin has inside is bunks, and a table or two to
play cards on, as far as I remember. The other cabin----"

He stopped short, and turned away, pretending to fuss over his
motor-cycle, which he had already laid down tenderly in just the right
spot and the right position. Marjorie, eager and swift, sprang close
to him like a squirrel. She did not look unlike one for the moment,
wrapped in the thick brown coat with its furry collar.

"The other one! Oh, show me that, and tell me all about it!" she
demanded ardently.

"The other one----" he said. "Well--it's nothing. That's where I
wanted to bring you to stay--before I knew there wasn't anything to it
but--this. I--fixed it up for--us."

I