eau to follow.

"Fanny," said she, "you must not make me laugh so; if Miss Clinton had
seen us she would have been very much hurt."

"She has no business to wear your hat," said Fanny, "and she shan't."

"Yes, she shall," replied Gertrude; "she looks beautiful in it, I am
delighted to have her wear it, and you must not intimate to her that it
is mine."

The walk through the woods was delightful, and Gertrude and her young
companion, in the quiet enjoyment of it, had almost forgotten that they
were members of a gay party, when they suddenly came in sight of Kitty
and Mr. Bruce. They were sitting at the foot of an old oak, Kitty
earnestly engaged in the manufacture of an oak-wreath, which she was
just fitting to her attendant's hat; while he himself, when Gertrude
first caught sight of him, was leaning against the tree in a careless
attitude. But as soon as he perceived their approach, he bent forward,
inspected Kitty's work, and when they came within hearing, was uttering
a profusion of thanks and compliments, which he took care should reach
Gertrude's ears, and Kitty received with manifest pleasure--a pleasure
which was still further enhanced by her perceiving that Gertrude had
apparently no power to withdraw his attention from her. Poor, simple
Kitty! she believed him honest while he bought her heart with
counterfeits. "Miss Gertrude," said Fanny, "I wish we could go into some
pine woods, so that I could get some cones to make baskets and frames
of."

"There are plenty of pines in that direction," said Gertrude, pointing
with her finger.

"Why can't we go and look for cones?" asked Fanny; "we could get back by
the time Belle Clinton reaches this place."

Gertrude and Fanny started off, having first tied their bonnets to the
branch of a tree. They were gone some time, for Fanny found plenty of
cones, but was at a loss how to carry them home. "I have thought," said
she, at last; "I will run back and borrow brother Ben's handkerchief;
or, if he won't let me have it, I'll take my own bonnet and fill it
full." Gertrude promised to await her return, and she ran off. When she
came near the spot where she had left Kitty and Mr. Bruce, she heard
several voices and loud laughter. Belle and the lieutenant had arrived,
and they were having great sport about something. Belle was standing
with the white cape bonnet in her hand. She had bent it completely out
of shape, so as to give it the appearance of an old woman's cap, ha