is it, Kasya?"

"Does the turpentine works smoke to-day?" She also wished to speak of
something else.

"Why should it not? The turpentine works never stop. I left lame Frank
there; but dost thou wish to go there?"

"No, I go to gather plants."

"I will go with thee, and on our return, if thou dost not chase me
away, I will come to thy house."

"Why should I chase thee away?"

"If thou dost like me thou wilt not chase me away, and if thou dost
not, then thou wilt. Tell me, Kasya, dost thou like me?"

"Fate, my fate," and Kasya covered her face with her hands. "What can
I say to thee? I like thee, John, very much I like thee," she
whispered faintly.

Then before he could reply she uncovered her blushing face and cried
out, "Let us go and gather plants; let us hurry."

And so went they, John and Kasya. The radiance of love surrounded
them, but these simple children of nature dared not speak of it. They
felt it, although they knew not what they felt; they were embarrassed
but happy. Never before had the forest sung so wonderfully over their
heads, never was the wind so sweet and caressing, never at any time
had the noises of the forest, the rustling of the breeze in the trees,
the voices of the birds, the echoes of the woods, seemed to merge into
such an angelic choir, so sweet and grand, as at this moment, full of
unconscious happiness.

Oh, holy power of love! how good an angel of light thou art, how rosy
an aureole in the dusk, how bright a rainbow on the cloud of human
tears!

Meanwhile, in the woods resounded echoes from pine to pine, the
barking of the dog, Burek, who had escaped from the house and ran on
the pathway after Kasya. He came panting heavily, and with great joy
he jumped with his big paws on Kasya and John, and looked from one to
the other with his wise and mild eyes, as if wishing to say:

"I see that you love one another; this is good."

He wagged his tail and ran quickly ahead of them, then circled round
to them, then stopped, barked once more with joy, and rushed into the
woods, looking back from time to time on the boy and girl.

Kasya put her hand to her forehead, and looking upward upon the bright
sun between the leaves she said:

"Just think, the sun is two hours beyond noontime and we have not yet
gathered any plants. Go thou, John, to the left side and I shall go
the right, and let us begin. We should hasten, for the dear Lord's
sake."

They separated and went into the woods