pected to
set out in the morning very early, he would have made his adieus in
parting for the night, mingling with them courteous expressions of the
enjoyment which such society had afforded him after his long abstinence
from all intellectual converse.

"Believe me," said Mr. Graham, and the sentiment was corroborated by his
daughter's eyes, "the pleasure has been mutual. Society is the great
want of our western life. I have been wishing to ask whether your
business were too urgent to permit you to afford us more of this coveted
good?"

"I am ashamed to confess," said Horace Danforth, with some
embarrassment, "that I have no business at present--that I am an
idler--I verily believe the only one in your country."

"Then will you not give us the pleasure of your company for a longer
time? A little rest will be no disadvantage either to your horses or
yourself, and on us you will be conferring a favor which you cannot
appreciate till you have lived five hundred miles away from
civilization."

The invitation was accepted as cordially as it was given, to the great
satisfaction of John Stacy, who had been much pleased with the
appearance of land in this neighborhood, and wanted time to look about
him preparatory to purchasing.

Horace Danforth awoke early next morning, and throwing open the shutters
of the only window in his room, found that a stormy night had been
succeeded by an unusually brilliant morning. "To brush the dews from off
the upland lawn" had not been a habit of his past life; but the cool
fresh air, the spicy perfumes which it wafted to him, and the brightness
and verdure of the whole landscape, proved now more inviting than his
pillow; and dressing himself hastily, he descended the clean but rude
and uncarpeted stairs as gently as possible, lest he should arouse Miss
Grahame from her slumbers. He found the front door open, showing that he
was not the first of the household to go abroad that day. As he stepped
out upon the lawn, he discovered that the parlor windows were also
open, and a familiar air, hummed in low, suppressed tones, caused him
to look through them as he passed. Could he believe his eyes? Was that
neatest and prettiest of all housemaids, who, moving with light and even
graceful steps, was yet busied in the very homely task of dusting and
arranging the furniture in the parlor--was she indeed the same Miss
Grahame who had last evening charmed him by her lady-like deportment and
intelligen