ng what she would call a good time;
why not? "And why should I?" thought Diana to herself as she filled her
pail. "It is not in my line. What a goose I was, to fancy that this
young man could take pleasure in being with me. He _did;_ but then he
was just amusing himself; it was not I; it was the country and the
fishing, and so on. What a goose I have been!"

As fast as the blackberries dropped into the pail, so fell these
reflections into Diana's heart; and when the one was full, so was the
other. And as she set down her pail and began upon a fresh empty one,
so she did with her thoughts; they began all over again too.

"Miss Starling, it is twelve o'clock," cried Mrs. Reverdy; "where are
all the rest of the people? Do you work all day without dinner? I
expected to see a great picnic out under the trees here."

"This is not the picnic place," said Diana. "We will go to it."

She went back first to the waggons; put her berries in safe keeping,
and got out some of the lunch supplies. Mr. Knowlton loaded himself
with a basket out of his waggon; and the procession formed again in
Indian file, everybody carrying something, and the two ladies grumbling
and laughing in concert. Diana headed the line, feeling very much
alone, and wishing sadly it were all over and she at home. How was she
to play her part in the preparations at hand, where she had always been
so welcome and so efficient? All spring and life seemed to be taken out
of her, for everything but the dull mechanical picking of berries.
However, strength comes with necessity, she found.

CHAPTER VIII.

THE NEW RICHES OF THE OLD WORLD.

There was quite a collection of people on Bear Hill to-day, as could be
seen when they were all gathered together. The lunching place was high
on the mountain, where there was a good outlook over the surrounding
country; and here in the edge of the woods the blackberry pickers were
scattered about, lying and sitting on the ground in groups and pairs,
chatting and watching the preparations going on before their eyes.
Pretty and wild the preparations were. Under a big tree just at the
border of the clearing a fire was kindled; a stout spike driven into
the trunk of the tree held a tea-kettle just over the blaze. Wreaths of
blue and grey smoke curling up above the tea-kettle made their way
through the tree branches into the upper air, taking hues and colours
and irradiations from the sunlight in their way. The forest behi