s safe."

"Well, I declare!" said Miss Barry. "I never heerd that afore."

And as she drove off in her little green waggon, the minister and
Diana, who had come down to the gate to see the last one off, indulged
in a harmless laugh. Then they both stood still by the fence a moment,
resting; the hush was so sweet. The golden glory was fading; the last
creak of Miss Barry's wheels was getting out of hearing; the air was
perfumed with the scents which the dew called forth.

"Isn't it delicious?" said the minister, leaning on the little gate,
and pushing his hair back from his forehead.

"The stillness is pleasant," said Diana.

"Yet you must have enough of that?"

"Yes--sometimes," said the girl. She was a little shy of speaking her
thoughts to the minister; indeed, she was not accustomed to speak them
to anybody, not knowing where they could meet entertainment. She
wondered Mr. Masters did not go like the rest; however, it was pleasant
enough to stand there talking to him.

"What do you do for books here?" he went on.

"O, I have all my father's books," said Diana. "My father was a
minister, Mr. Masters; and when he died his books came to me."

"A theological library!" said Mr. Masters.

"Yes. I suppose you would call it so."

"Have you it _here?_"

"Yes. I have it in my room up-stairs. All one end of the room full."

"Do you read these books?"

"Yes. They are all I have to read. I have not read the whole of them."

"No, I suppose not. Do you not find this reading rather heavy?"

"I don't know. Some of the books are rather heavy; I do not read those
much."

"You must let me look at your library some day, Miss Diana. It would be
certain to have charms for me; and I'll exchange with you. Perhaps I
have books that you would not find heavy."

Diana's full grey eyes turned on the minister with a gleam of gratitude
and pleasure. Her words were not needed to say that she would like that
kind of barter.

"So your father was a clergyman?" Mr. Masters went on.

"Yes. Not here, though. That was when I was quite little. We lived a
good way from here; and I remember very well a great many things about
all that time, till father died, and then mother came back here."

"Came _back_,--then your mother is at home in Pleasant Valley?"

"O, we're both at home here--I was so little when we came; but mother's
father lived where Nick Boddington does, and owned all this valley--I
don't mean Pleasant Valley, but all th