ce.

"It's the first time I ever stepped into a canoe," she said a little
tremulously. He steadied her with his hand, smiling a little at her
graceful awkwardness. Then he showed her how to place herself in the
little seat in the centre, with a cushion at her back. He did it
clumsily enough for he was embarrassed and nervous in her presence. In
all his years of paddling about the lake it was but the second time he
had taken a young lady into his canoe, and the first one he had rescued
out of the water, and this one off a lonely point of land. So he was
not versed in the proper things to say to a lady when taking her for a
paddle.

The canoe slipped silently out from the rock and slid along the
darkening shore. Only the faintest suggestion of the sunset glow lay
on the softly glimmering surface of the water. But they had gone only
a few yards, when there came a new miracle to remake the scene. From
behind the black bulk of the pine clad island peeped a great round
harvest moon, and suddenly the whole world of land and water was
painted anew in softer golden tints veiled in silver. The girl sat
silent and awe-struck. Was there never to be an end to the wonders of
this place? "Oh," she said in a whisper, "isn't it beautiful?"

Roderick looked, and was silent too.

Yes, it was very wonderful he thought, more wonderful to him than she
dreamed. He felt as if he could paddle on forever over the shining
lake with the magic colours of moon-rise and sunset meeting in the
golden hair of the girl opposite him. They went on for a long time in
silence. They passed into the shadow of the island with silver lances
through the trees barring their path. The dewy scent of pine and cedar
stole out from the dark shore. The silver light grew brighter, the
whole lake was lit up with a soft white radiance.

"Have you always lived here?" she asked at last in a whisper, an
unspoken fear in her voice lest a sound disturb the fair surroundings
and they vanish, leaving them in a common, every day world of material
things.

"Always," said Roderick in the same hushed tone, though for a different
reason. "I was born on the old farm back here."

"Then I wonder if you know how lovely it all is?"

"Perhaps not. But it is home to me, you know, and that gives an added
charm."

"Yes," she said and checked a sigh. "And you've always paddled about
here I suppose."

"I never remember when I learned. But I remember my first excu