gorgeousness of coloring was reflected in the lake, whose waters seemed
dyed with all the prismatic hues of the rainbow.

"'Black Valley,' indeed!" said Rosa Blondelle, with a smile, as she
entered the breakfast-room and glanced through the windows upon the
magnificent scene; "'Black Valley,' call you this? I should rather call
it 'Bright Valley.' Oh, what a glorious day and oh, what a glorious
scene! Good-morning, Mrs. Berners. Good-morning, Mr. Berners. Little
Crow, this kind gentleman is spoiling you," she said, as she advanced
with smiling eyes and outstretched hands to greet her host and hostess,
who had risen from their chairs to meet her.

They both received her very kindly, even affectionately, and as they had
waited only for her presence to have breakfast, Sybil now rang and
ordered it to be brought in.

Sybil's own little "high chair" had been rummaged out from its corner in
the lumber-room and dusted, and brought in for the use of the baby-boy;
who, in honor of his mother, was permitted to sit up to the table with
the grown people.

"But why, I repeat, should you call this glorious vale the 'Black
Valley'?" inquired Rosa, as they all gathered around the board.

"It was black enough last night, was it not?" asked Mr. Berners, with a
smile.

"Oh, it was black everywhere last night; but no blacker here than
elsewhere, so I don't see the justice of calling this the Black Valley.
I should call it rather the 'Valley of the Sun.'"

"Would not the 'Valley of the Pyrotechnics' do as well?" inquired Lyon
Berners, with dry humor.

"I think it would," replied Rosa, quite seriously, "for certainly this
morning, with this glorious sunshine and these glowing, sparkling woods
and waters, the place is a perfect spectacle of fire-works!"

"You view the scenery at its best and brightest. It is never so
beautiful and brilliant as on a clear sunny autumn noon-day. At all
other seasons, and at all other hours, it is gloomy enough. In a very
few hours from this, when the sun gets behind the mountain, it will be
quite black enough to justify its name," said Mr. Berners very gravely.

The conversation had been carried on between Mr Berners and Mrs.
Blondelle exclusively. Sybil had not volunteered a word; and it happened
also that neither of her companions had addressed a word to her. She
felt as if she were dropped out of their talk, and though bodily
present, dropped out of their company as well. She felt that this was