ing him sometime she felt confident. Then he would be delighted
to hear of his daughter's discovery, and together they would grow to be
very rich indeed.

Eyllen was a sensible girl and a good reasoner, but her knowledge of
minerals was exceedingly limited. Each piece of white rock was, to her,
quartz; and the place where gold was found in any form was a mine, or
would be one later when developed. She really wished to find out if
there was more of the same gold-bearing ore at the spring, for unless
there were large masses of it she knew her discovery was worthless.

Then she thought of her often recurring and unpleasant sensations at the
spring, and it occurred to her that here was a way by which to gain
further knowledge. If she could bear the headaches and dizziness might
she not, by this means, trace the hidden ledges? It seemed reasonable
even to her inexperienced mind. But she would need to use considerable
caution. None must see the gold-bearing rock which was already so
fascinating to her. In some manner, she reasoned, she must find a way of
gaining information about minerals other than by asking questions.
Curiosity upon the subject would quickly give her friends the cue to her
new interest. She decided to visit the library of Father Peter in his
absence, and from his housekeeper borrow some book giving such
information. By talking to the good woman about her home work and
children she could manage to distract her attention so she would not
notice which book it was she was taking.

In this way Eyllen planned for hours before sleeping. When she finally
slept it was to dream of a beautiful water witch who lived in the bottom
of the mountain spring between the rocks, but when, on insisting upon a
nearer view she found it to be only herself with her dark hair floating
around her, she laughed aloud, and so awakened. This decided her,
however, upon one thing.

She would search for a tiny fragment of the beautiful rock containing as
much of the precious mineral as possible, and wear it suspended about
her neck underneath her dress; as this, according to tradition, would
surely preserve the wearer from witchcraft. Not that she believed
herself possessed of any spirit other than her own; but the strangeness
of the sudden indisposition attacking her at the spring, added to her
dream, caused her to greatly wonder.

A week passed. Eyllen developed a most remarkable passion for wild
flowers, along with a sudden and vigo