esitation, for the cold plunge of
her feet took her breath away, and began to fish on her own account.
She was dextrous and artful, with the light hand and the hunter's
instinct, which are indispensable. At almost every dip she caught up
some prawns, beguiled and surprised by her ingeniously gentle
pursuit.

Jean now caught nothing; but he followed her, step by step, touched
her now and again, bent over her, pretended great distress at his own
awkwardness, and besought her to teach him.

"Show me," he kept saying. "Show me how."

And then, as their two faces were reflected side by side in water so
clear that the black weeds at the bottom made a mirror, Jean smiled at
the face which looked up at him from the depth, and now and then from
his finger tips blew it a kiss which seemed to light upon it.

"Oh! how tiresome you are!" she exclaimed. "My dear fellow, you should
never do two things at once."

He replied: "I am only doing one--loving you."

She drew herself up and said gravely:

"What has come over you these ten minutes; have you lost your wits?"

"No, I have not lost my wits. I love you, and at last I dare to tell
you so."

They were at this moment both standing in the salt pool wet half-way
up to their knees and with dripping hands, holding their nets. They
looked into each other's eyes.

She went on in a tone of amused annoyance.

"How very ill-advised to tell me so here and now. Could you not wait
till another day instead of spoiling my fishing?"

"Forgive me," he murmured, "but I could not longer hold my peace. I
have loved you a long time. To-day you have intoxicated me and I lost
my reason."

Then suddenly she seemed to have resigned herself to talk business and
think no more of pleasure.

"Let us sit down on that stone," said she, "we can talk more
comfortably." They scrambled up a rather high boulder, and when they
had settled themselves side by side in the bright sunshine, she began
again:

"My good friend, you are no longer a child, and I am not a young girl.
We both know perfectly well what we are about and we can weigh the
consequences of our actions. If you have made up your mind to make
love to me to-day I must naturally infer that you wish to marry me."

He was not prepared for this matter-of-fact statement of the case, and
he answered blandly:

"Why, yes."

"Have you mentioned it to your father and mother?"

"No; I wanted to know first whether you would accept me."

She h