The Sunday herald., 1886-09-05

which people who come into a room from out.
of-doors have ofgtumblipg AT It's heat. Now,
Miss Dauvers, how much tea have you left
mel Plenty, hope, for l give you fair
warning I'm mortal hungry"
And Dick, with two long strides, came to
the tea. table, took up the teapot before his
mother had time TO roach II, and shaking
II contemptuously, said
" 'Tisn't good enough. I'll ring the bell
and have good big cup. Of cocoa. What
have you got to eat motherf Only those
mouthfuls Of bread and butter. Oh I de-
clare this will never do | You wait until
invite you TO tea In my rooms, Miss Danvers,
and then see what q good square meal we
make Of Cope" TO the butler who an
swered the summons, 'make me a CUP Of
Cocoa, will you, as quickly as you can, and
bring In some cake or buns or something or
other intended TO satisfy a man and not a
pigmy."
"Wasn't Il very cold down at the river 2"
Mrs. Hamilton asked, TO divert her big boy
until his hunger should be by way Of being
satisfied.
"Coldf No, of course not It's sitting
indoors over Are that is cold work; you
never hear a man grumble when he's out
Of doors and moving"
"Those trees In the garden" said Cecil,
irrelevantly, turning from the window out
Of which he had been gazing, and speaking
to Violet Danvers; "those trees are types OF
the most glorious coloriDg never remem-
Der seeing the autumn tints SO golden aud red
as they have been this year"
"Types 7 why 'typesP " interposed Dick.
"But will tell you what, Miss Dsnvers: I'll
take you out In my Canadian canoe up the
Cherwell, Il believe can manage II TO NOR.
r,su ,,,nr,,;,v aud than von will caa tho
trees and types and all the rest Of IL to per
fection, and have the additional pleasure Of
being In boat along with me-"
This last remark was made very play fully,
and In manner which could hardly have
offended the most cross gtained critic.
my dear boy" said his mother, "ycu
must remember that other people are not 30
enthusiastic on the subject Of boating, and
that to the ordinary mind"
"Miss Dauvers's Is not an ordinary mind,
and cannot thiuk how you can dare TO call
her suchi Now, please bear ms out In
my assertion" turning to Violet, "and ac-
cept my offer with alacri,y."
'I do, Mr.. Hamilton, for my own credit as
well as yours"
THIS bauterlng seemed foolish waste Of
time to Cecil, and he rpjoiced when an en-
gagement 10 dine out obliged Dick to 20 aud
uTcsb, duu nun OuOo III pooocobtuh
of the field. The evening was all Cecii's
own, and he spent the greater part Of II in
leaning quantity over the back Of n chair
and airing his peculiar views for Violers
especial benefit. When IL began to get late
and Violet might have proposed going up
stairs, he sat down to the piano and played
to her for more than an hour with exquisite
taste and feeling, and without single note
of music to help him in the production Of
| these sweet sounds. No wonder that when
| Violet fell asleep that night her head was
full Of superlatives, and in her dreams she
lived over again all the queer, sad, beautiful
ideas which Cecil hal sought to instil into
her. She was too young yet to know how
strained as we'll as how strange these new
creeds must ever be.
The next morning at breakfast Cecil was
quite silent, though this lassituls should
in fairness be attributed more to nervous
exhaustion than to lasiness. Dick, like all
thoroughly healthy people, was quite a
"ft" in the morniug as at any other tins o.
the day, aud after giving his audience
very funny account of his dinner the night
before, and Of "ths stunning good songs
which come of the fellows sang after IT," Ii,
asked Violet If she would be ready for the
canoeing at eleven o'clock; and punotual Il
the minute his good tempered head appeared
at the door, just as all the bells in Oxford
were Ginning the hour.
They set of alone together across the parh
to the private boat-house on the uppe
reaches of the winding Cherwell. If auJ
one is incliued to question the prOprie.y o
this young man and this maiden starting OF
an expedition together, let him or her pleas.
to remember that Canadian canoe does MOI
conveniently hold more than two persons.
While Violet fingered OH the banks Dick
hurried into the boat house, unsluug aud
carried down to the river the light birch
cauos, and arranged the cushions luxuri
antly along the bottom of II, adding an ex-
ira warm fur rug for Violet to sit on and
another to wrap over her-whch he had
tlloughtfully brought with him for the pur
pose. Then he padded down to where sh,
was waiting, and helping her TO s'eI
daintily into the canoe-a very necessary
| preoauiiOn unless you mean TO have an i'm
promptu bith-they started up stream.
| II was a glorious autumn morning, ani
Violet, lying back upon her cushions mos
thoroughly enjoyed herself. OF hum,n he
iDgs there were none in sight, but of lif,
there was plenty. First, moor.hen ros,
startled from her bed Of reeds aud rushes
then gaudy kingfsher darted down streau
in search OF his dinner; a wagtail sat upor
the bending boughs of willow tree ant
surveyed the world timorously from his owl
point OF view; and water rat, frightened b,
the faint sound of the paddle, dived out O
danger into the soft mud of the bed Of tn
river.
Dick was a most expert paddler ant
amused himself by steering the canoe With,
an inch of the bank and never touching It
Sometimes he issued sudden command 4
"Duck yonr head - And then Violet, VIII,
was SO low down before In the boat sh
scarcely imagined herself capable Of shrink
ing any more, would nevertheless obey or.
ders somehow or other, and noticed that he
little soft hat had narrowly escaped beinI
carried away by big overhanginl
bOugh.
"What puzzles me-" she said after one o
two such experiences, sis, what becomes o
you'll"
And she looked back at her great tai
companion.
"Ohi Pm pretty clever at telescoping ur
I've had good deal Of practice. in that way
you know"
Aud then Dick ohattsd away and told her
innocently aud without suspicion Of con
ceit, abOut great many other things q
ishing up his long eulogium upon boa
racing in gsperal with the remark:
"The College fours are on next week.
do hope you will come down to the river an
see them"
"Ars you rowing In them :"
"Rathsri'
sand shall you win %
"a race is never won until It's over. that
csrtsinty; hut I am not going to tur
prophet"
"Well, l will come down and sss IL, II yo
will promise me to win.
"That Is big bribe 10 offer any fellow
, but accept II ~
A sudden silence fell upon them both, an
much rs she had enjoyed her paddle It WI
with q feeling Of relief that Violet sspied IL
boat, house just ahead, where the busineI
Of. landing and putting away the cant
completely unloosed their tongues aud di
pelled all shyness. Still Violet could N
a forget the feeling which had come over he
=, Of having stepped dangerously near Il
| edge Of some unknown depths, and for Il
y future she determined TO avoid as much
possible solitary expeditions with Die
l Hamilton. As for Dick, he returned hon
h in the highest spirits, and with the natur
confidence Of his sanguine nature, indulge