ed in himself than in the blueberries on the day of
their picnic, but Sylvia had been unaffectedly and convincingly
absorbed. Most girls would have picked up the metaphorical handkerchief
he had thrown last evening, and remained on the piazza with him for a
time. Most girls would have secured instead of eluded his escort to the
woods this morning, and under the present circumstances would have made
hay in the exhilarating sunshine with a grace and vigor which would
have absolved him from all effort.

He was quiet so long that Sylvia stole a glance at him. His eyes were
closed, and she thought he had fallen asleep; so she let her gaze rest.
The effect of strength and repose in his attitude made her long for
pencil and paper, but she had none. Never mind, she could sketch him
later from memory; and to do so she must study him now. With a purely
artistic intent surely it was no harm to dwell upon the lines of his
strong nose and chin, the humorous curves of his lips, and enjoy the
effect of the warm, wind-rumpled hair around his forehead; and so her
eyes remained fixed and she was unconscious of the light that began to
warm and glow softly within them.

CHAPTER XXVI

REVELATION

Dunham was not asleep. His half-amused, half-piqued thoughts rambled
on. This niece of Judge Trent's was certainly an odd girl, with her
preoccupations, her mysterious sacks of treasures, and her bottle of
blackish fluid, her moods, her laughter, and her tears.

The fastidious Edna had been annoyed by last night's scene in the
kitchen. Well, it was a strange scene. John recalled it now. He
remembered quite well every word uttered by the rosy witch over her
bubbling miniature caldron. She was concocting a philtre to make a girl
happy,--herself. She had confided to the warm-hearted Irishwoman that
she was in love, and condemned her stupidity that it had not been love
at first sight; but since it had not been, the flame was likely to burn
the longer. Didn't Jenny think so? And Jenny most reassuringly had
thought so.

What sort of talks and beliefs had the girl been accustomed to in
companionship with her ne'er-do-well father? Whatever her experiences,
her atmosphere was one of strength and innocence. As this thought came
to him with conviction, an involuntary desire to look at the subject of
it caused his eyes suddenly to unclose.

The effect was electrical. Sylvia, from studying the features and hair,
the outlines of throat and chest