ain, but no fish were
caught, and fish might cleverly have run away with their bait
several times without being found out. The conversation was
lively for some time. Stuart had sense and was amusing, and
had roamed about the world enough to have a great deal to say.
The pair were not agreeably interrupted after half an hour by
Mme. Lasalle, who discovered that Wych Hazel was fishing where
she could get nothing, and brought her down the brook to the
close neighbourhood of Miss Powder, where Stuart's attentions
had to be divided. But so the two girls had a chance to see
something of each other; a chance which Miss Powder improved
with manifest satisfaction. She was a wax-Madonna sort of
beauty, with a sweet face, fair, pure, placid, but either
somewhat impassive or quite self-contained in its character.
Her figure was good, her few words showed her not wanting in
sense or breeding.

Wych Hazel was by this time far enough out of the reserve of
first meetings to let the exhilarating June air and sunshine
do their work, and her voice, never raised beyond a pretty
note, was ready with laugh and word and repartee. Now studying
her hook, now questioning Miss Powder, now answering Mr.
Nightingale, and then seriously devoted to her fishing,--she
shewed the absolute sport of her young joyous nature, a thing
charming in itself, even without so piquant a setting. It was
no great wonder that a gentleman now and then took ground on
the opposite side of the brook, and directed his eyes as if
the fish would only come from that point of the shore where
Miss Kennedy sat. This happened more and more, as by degrees
the line of fishers was broken and the unskilled or
unsuccessful, tired of watching the water, gave it up, and
strolled up the brook to see who had better luck. And so few
fish were the result of the day's sport, so many of the
company had nothing better to do than to look at what somebody
else was doing, that by degrees nearly the whole party were
gathered around that spot where Wych Hazel had caught the
first fish. They were relieved, perhaps, that the effort was
over; perhaps the prospect of going home to dinner was
encouraging; certainly the spirits of all the party were
greatly enlivened by something. Mme. Lasalle's ears heard the
pleasant sound of voices in full chorus of speech and laughter
all the way home.

It was rather late before Madame's carriage could be ordered
to take Miss Kennedy home. Mme. Lasalle herself