they stood her eyes were on a level with the
road. "It's him again; let's hide."

March came loping down from the bridge, slackened pace, and swept with
his frowning glance the meadows on the left. Then he moved along the
edge of the wood searching its sunset lights and glooms, and presently
turned down into them, bending under the low boughs. And then he halted,
burning with sudden resentment before the smiling, black-eyed girl who
leaned against the tree, which had all at once refused to conceal her.

Neither spoke. Fannie's eyes were mocking and yet kind, and the
resentment in John's turned to a purer mortification. A footstep rustled
behind him and Barbara said:

"We're looking for wild flowers. Do you think we're too early?"

"No, I could have picked some this afternoon if I'd felt like it, but
it's a sort o' belief with me that nobody ought to pick wild flowers for
himself--ha-ha-ha!--Oh eh, Miss Garnet, I reckon I owe you an apology
for charging down on you this way, but I just happened to think, after I
passed you, that you could tell me where to find your father. He's
president _pro tem._ of our land company, you know, and I want to
consult him with Mr. Gamble--you know Mr. Gamble, don't you?--president
of the railroad? O! of course you do! Well, he's our vice-president."

"Why, no, Mr. March, I don't know where you'll find pop-a right now. I
might possibly know when I get back to the house. If it's important I
could send you word."

"O no! O no! Not at all! I'll find him easily enough. I hope you'll both
pardon me, Miss Fannie, but it seems as if I learned some things pow'ful
slow. I ought to know by this time when two's company and three's a
crowd."

Before he had finished, the two listeners had seen the remoter
significance of his words, and it was to mask this that Barbara
drawled--

"Why, Mr. March, that's not nice of you!"

But the young man's confusion was sufficient apology, and both girls
beamed kindly on him as he presently took his leave under the delusion
that his face hid his inward mortification.

XLVI.

A PAIR OF SMUGGLERS

A short way farther within the wood they began to find flowers.

"Well--yes," said Fannie, musingly. "And pop consented to be treasurer
_pro tem._, but that was purely to help John. You know he fairly loves
John. They all think it'll be so much easier to get Northern capital if
they can show they're fully organized and all interests interested, you
kn