y
tremendous, coming from such a grim source.

"Jo," added the redskin, after waiting for the applause to wear itself
out, "want to see you."

The young man thus appealed to sprang to his feet, and placed himself
beside the red scout, wondering what he could have to say that he should
keep from the rest. Ned and Rosa saw them talking together for a minute
or two, when they turned, as if to walk deeper into the woods. At that
moment, Jo looked around and called to them in a cautious voice, just
loud enough to be heard:

"We won't be back for some time."

This was a curious proceeding, indeed; but there was no use of
protesting against it. The Mohawk had a way of doing as he pleased about
such matters, and it was useless to interfere. When they had been gone
several minutes, it struck Ned that, as they would not be back for
awhile, he was given a chance to converse with Rosa, such as had not
been his since the invasion of the Wyoming valley.

The consciousness came upon him so suddenly that he was not a little
confused by the problem of how he was to improve the opportunity. True,
he had spent many hours in the company of the beautiful girl, but it
seemed to him that never had he felt as he did then. He was sure that
she must be aware of the unutterably tender affection he held toward
her--a feeling that had grown within the last few days, until it took
possession of his being. Not until the life of Rosa Minturn was placed
in peril did he comprehend how much he loved her. When there was reason
to fear she was in the hands of the Iroquois or the Tory colonel, and
that he might never see her more, then it was that it seemed his heart
must break from grief alone. And when, a short time after, she was found
without a hair of her head injured, his joy was correspondingly
great--so great, indeed, that he was sure all noticed it, even Rosa
herself.

The couple were seated upon a fallen tree, there being some two or three
feet of space between them. The twilight, which was fairly upon forest
and stream, threw the faces of both in shadow, and Ned was glad of it.
If there was one thing in the world of which he was absolutely certain,
it was that he was never so ill at ease as he was at that moment, it
following, as a matter of course, that Rosa could not but be aware of
it, and that she looked upon him with pity and contempt. She was
wonderfully kind, it seemed to him, and so far as he could judge, showed
no consciousness o