neglect to be sure she said laughing there is � but she is terrified of these woods even by day and no powers would draw her here after nightfall v and you say no one at home knows of this haunt of yours he went on in a dissatisfied tone supposing you fell ill here or were robbed and murdered by some stranger or i wear no ornaments she said and strangers and do not know the way am not i a stranger he said looking at her keenly and would you have treated anybody as kindly as you treated me s turned her head aside to hide a smile here was that jealousy which seemed to all her male extending even to chance acquaintances but she was grave again as she said � you were mother s friend and job s � and frank s and you will tell me all about yourself some day � for i must be going back to my hay now yes he said looking at her eagerly as a man may at something he knows to be forbidden to him but that soon will have passed beyond the reach of his power to behold it yet the present was his � he would beat out his little span of joy to its utmost limit � had he by hard longing for intense wishing had brought her her footsteps to the only to let her go so quickly let us make a bargain he said give me another lecture � just a little one � and i ll tell you all about frank � and myself the hay will do well enough without you tell me something of the daylight life of these woods and how you spend your hours in them how can i tell you said the girl men don t understand these things � even father does not and you would think i was away my time when i am learning something new at every step anyone could learn the avenues in a day but half a dozen miles of broken are another matter and there are such beautiful things outside the wood � in our own grounds in the meadows everywhere tell me of some of them he pleaded happy only so long as her young voice ran on i am going to settle down in the country myself before very long and i expected to be dull but your knowledge will help me what can tell you she said if you have not lived among such things if you have never been caught in a e a thicket of thorn never followed the plough and the sweet fresh earth never watched a hang all its downwards at sunset or a fold its heart into a red cup at even � � never marked the little snowy half closed made by the or seen the at sunset on a field of bridges tossed from de to blade of grass and stronger than any made by hands since the heaviest will not break them � have you been any of these no he said as she paused and he saw that she had forgotten him in her thoughts i have seen none of these things but i will look for them all some day there is always some new delight she went on softly as if to herself some lovely accident as think but set there to help us to live more nearly as we pray one day it may be a sunset to one into a real understanding of heaven another it will be a sheet of grass shining through a row of tall just into brown � or it will be a carpet of blue in january when no other flower is abroad or to see a field of and wheat sway to the breeze scarlet in one light gold in another � � or she paused and burst out laughing at herself oh what nonsense i am talking she said as if a soldier ld be expected to know or care anything about such matters i but it has been a great relief to me to say it all the same she added nodding and i am very much obliged to you indeed for to me i shall remember it all he said and thought how he not fear for her since she had real religion of a al fearless life that beat in entire harmony with the works of her creator have you ever tried to write down your thoughts your father was a celebrated in bis youth no she said slowly i have never tried and i think i never shall but if i had tried to write do you know how it would have ended i should have gone on trying all my life and when i had become quite old i should have called my friends together and asked them to hear the fruits of my labours and then they would all cry out but it is centuries old t and i would say yes it is the last chapter of the book of but it has my soul my best effort in it and i have no better you have chosen a sad form of expression child he said struck by the solemn stillness of her voice and look are not the young sad she said or why does one s heart ache in spring when older people cannot tell it from early summer i think it must be because our suffering is before us theirs is behind them � why must you suffer he said his heart sinking as he looked at her god forbid that you should why should i not she said looking at him gravely it is the lot of all and the happiest the best beloved are always those who suffer most where did you learn all this he said hardly knowing whether to be glad or sorry 