ces were at work with all
of us, for I had not yet seen Jake return; he was evidently still
somewhere out on the cliffs communing with the spirits that were in the
air.

Suddenly I observed a movement in the room over the way.

Miss Grant had roused herself from her dreaming. She raised her hand
and put the fingers I had kissed to her own lips. Then she kissed both
her hands to the outside world. She lowered the light of the lamp
until only the faintest glow was visible.

She ran her fingers over the piano keys in a ripple of simple
harmonies. Sweet and clear came her voice in singing. I caught the
lilt of the music and I caught the words of the song:--

A maid there was in the North Coun-tree,
A shy lit-tle, sweet lit-tle maid was she.
She wished and she sighed for she knew-not-who,
So long as he loved her ten-der-lee;
And day by day as the long-ing grow,
Her spin-ning-wheel whirred and the threads wove through.
It whirred, It whirred, It whirred and the threads wove through.

[Illustration: Song fragment]

A maid there was in the North Countree;
A gay little, blythe little maid was she.
Her dream of a gallant knight came true.
He wooed her long and so tenderlee.
And, day by day, as their fond love grew,
Her spinning wheel stood with its threads askew;
It stood.--It stood.--It stood with its threads askew.

A maid there was in the North Countree;
A sad little, lone little maid was she.
Her knight seemed fickle and all untrue
As he rode to war at the drummer's dree.
And, day by day, as her sorrow grew,
Her spinning wheel groaned and the threads wove through.
It groaned.--It groaned.--It groaned and the threads wove through.

A maid there is in the North Countree;
A coy little, glad little maid is she.
Her cheeks are aglow with a rosy hue,
For her knight proved true, as good knights should be.
And, day by day, as their vows renew,
Her spinning wheel purrs and the threads weave through;
It purrs.--It purrs.--It purrs and the threads weave through.

Why she had not sung before, I could not understand, for a voice such
as she had was a gift from heaven, and it was sinful to keep it hidden
away. It betrayed training, but only in a slight degree; not
sufficient to have spoiled the bewitching, vagrant plaintiveness which
it possessed; an inexpressible allurement of tone which a few untrained
singers have, trained singers n