and silently he
watched and waited, fascinated in seeing the fabric grow under her hand.

As silently she worked on, and slowly, even as the pattern took shape
and became plain before her, his thoughts grew and took definite shape
also, until he became filled with a set purpose. He would not disturb
her now nor make her look around. It was enough just to watch her in her
sweet serious unconsciousness, with the flush of exercise on her cheeks
as he could see when she slightly turned her head with every throw of
the shuttle.

When at last she rose, he saw a look of care and weariness on her face
that disturbed him. He sprang up and came to her. She little dreamed how
long he had been there.

"Please don't go. Stay here and talk to me a moment. Your mother is all
right; I have just been with her. May I examine what you have been
doing? It is very interesting to me, you know." He made her show him all
the manner of her work and drew her on to tell him of the different
patterns her mother had learned from her grandmother and had taught her.

"They don't do much on the hand-looms now in the mountains, but Miss
Mayhew at the hotel last summer--I told you about her--sold some of
mother's work up North, and I promised more, but I'm afraid--I don't
guess I can get it all done now."

"You are tired. Sit here on the step awhile with me and rest. I want to
talk to you a little, and I want you alone." She looked hesitatingly
toward the declining sun. He took her hand and led her to the door.
"Can't you give me a few, a very few moments? You hold me off and won't
let me say what I often have in mind to ask you." She sat beside him
where he placed her and looked wonderingly into his face, but not in the
least as if she feared what his question might be, or as if she
suspected anything personal. "You know it's not right that this sort of
thing should go on indefinitely?"

"I don't know what sort of thing you mean." She lifted grave, wide eyes
to his--those clear gray eyes--and his heart admonished him that he had
begun to love to look into their blue and green depths, but heed the
admonishment he would not.

"I mean working day in and day out, as you do. You have grown much
thinner since I saw you first, and look at your hands." He took one of
them in his and gently stroked it. "See how thin they are, and here are
callous places. And you are stooping over with weariness, and, except
when you have been exercising, your face is fa