idly along, with my thoughts about three miles away,
I heard the sound of oars, and looking out on the open part of the
lake, I saw a boat approaching. The miller was rowing, and in the
stern sat an elderly gentleman and a young lady. I knew them in an
instant: they were Mr. and Miss Vincent.

With a few vigorous strokes I shot myself into the shadows, and rowed
up the stream into the narrow stretches among the lily-pads, under a
bridge, and around a little wooded point, where I ran the boat ashore
and sprang upon the grassy bank. Although I did not believe the miller
would bring them as far as this, I went up to a higher spot and watched
for half an hour; but I did not see them again. How relieved I was!
It would have been terribly embarrassing had they discovered me. And
how disappointed I was that the miller turned back so soon!

I now extended the supervision of my grounds. I walked through the
woods, and saw how beautiful they were in the early dawn. I threw
aside the fallen twigs and cut away encroaching saplings, which were
beginning to encumber the paths I had made, and if I found a bough
which hung too low I cut it off. There was a great beech-tree, between
which and a dogwood I had the year before suspended a hammock. In
passing this, one morning, I was amazed to see a hammock swinging from
the hooks I had put in the two trees. This was a retreat which I had
supposed no one else would fancy or even think of! In the hammock was
a fan--a common Japanese fan. For fifteen minutes I stood looking at
that hammock, every nerve a-tingle. Then I glanced around. The spot
had been almost unfrequented since last summer. Little bushes, weeds,
and vines had sprung up here and there between the two trees. There
were dead twigs and limbs lying about, and the short path to the main
walk was much overgrown.

I looked at my watch. It was a quarter to six. I had yet a good hour
for work, and with nothing but my pocket-knife and my hands I began to
clear away the space about that hammock. When I left it, it looked as
it used to look when it was my pleasure to lie there and swing and read
and reflect.

To approach this spot it was not necessary to go through my grounds,
for my bit of woods adjoined a considerable stretch of forest-land, and
in my morning walks from the mill I often used a path through these
woods. The next morning when I took this path I was late because I had
unfortunately overslept myself.