the gate with his field-glass an hour the
afternoon of the tea, to see her go out. I did no such thing; I was
looking at an oriole's nest that hangs in the elm over the road, but I
could not help seeing the lovely pink flower hat that she wore atilt,
with just enough pink at the neck and streamers at the waist of her
dress to harmonize.

I visited the larder that evening for supper supplies,--yes, we have
become so addicted to the freedom of outdoors that for the last few days
Bart has brought even the dinner up to camp, waiting upon me
beautifully, for now we have entirely outgrown the feeling of the first
few days that we were taking part in a comedy, and have found ourselves,
as it were--in some ways, I think, for the first time.

Anastasia seemed consumed with a desire for a dish of gossip, but was
not willing to take the initiative. She chuckled to herself and tried
several perfectly transparent ways of attracting my attention, until I
took pity on her, a very one-sided pity too, for, between ourselves,
Anastasia is the domestic salt and pepper that gives the Garden Vacation
a flavour that I should sadly miss.

"Miss Marie," she exclaimed, "do be the tastiest creaytur ever I set me
eyes on." (She refused absolutely to call her Maria; that name, she
holds, is only fit for a settled old maid, "and that same it's not sure
and fair to mark any woman wid being this side the grave.")

Then I knew that I only had to sit down and raise my eyes to Anastasia's
face in an attitude of attention, to open the word gates, and this I
did.

"Well, fust off win she got the invite ter sing at the swarry that tops
off the day's doings down to that Golf Club, she was that worried about
hats you never seen the like! She wus over ter Bridgeton, and Barney
swore he drove her ter every milliner in the place, and says she ter me,
pleasant like, that evenin', when returned, in excuse fer havin' nothin'
to show, 'Oh, Annie, Annie, it would break yer heart to see the little
whisp of flowers they ask five dollars for; to fix me hats a trifle
would part me from a tin-dollar bill!'"

(The sentiments I at once perceived might be Maria's, but their
translation Anastasia's.)

"Now Miss Marie, she's savin' like,--not through meanness, but because
she's got the good Irish heart that boils against payin' rint, and she's
hoardin' crown by shillin' till she kin buy her a cabin and to say a
pertaty patch for a garden, somewhere out where it's gre