immense head
of granite that refused moss and vegetation of every other
kind; sometimes it wound among thick alder bushes by the edge
of wet ground; and at all times its course was among a
wilderness of uncared-for woodland, overgrown with creepers
and vines tangled with underbrush, and thickly strewn with
larger and smaller fragments and boulders of granite rock. But
how beautiful it was! The alders, reddish and soft-tinted,
looked when the sun struck through them as if they were
exotics out of witch-land; the Cornus family, from beautiful
dogwood a dozen feet high stretching over Elizabeth's head, to
little humble nameless plants at her feet, had edged and
parted their green leaves with most dainty clear hues of
madder lake; white birches and hickories glimmered in the
sunlight like trees of gold, the first with stems of silver;
sear leaves strewed the way; and fresh pines and hemlocks
stretched out their arms amidst the changing foliage, with
their evergreen promise and performance. The morning air and
the morning walk no doubt had something to do with the effect
of the whole; but Elizabeth thought, with all the beauty her
eyes had ever seen they had never been more bewitched than
they were that day.

With such a mood upon her, it was no wonder that on arriving
at Mountain Spring she speedily made out her errand. She found
whom and what she had come for; she filled her basket with no
loss of time or pleasure; and very proud of her success set
out again through the wood-path homeward.

Half way back to the bit of tree-enclosed meadow-ground, the
path and the north shore of Shahweetah approached each other,
where a little bay curve, no other than the _AEgean Sea_, swept
in among the rocks. Through the stems of the trees Elizabeth
could see the blue water with the brightness of the hour upon
it. Its sparkle tempted her. She had plenty of time, or she
resolved that she had, and she wanted to look at the fair
broad view she knew the shore edge would give her. She
hesitated, and turned, A few bounding and plunging steps amid
rocks and huckleberry bushes brought her where she wished to
be. She stood on the border, where no trees came in the way of
the northern view. The mountains were full before her, and the
wide Shatemuc rolled down between them, ruffled with little
waves, every one sparkling cool in the sunlight. Elizabeth
looked at the water a minute, and turned to the west. Wut-a-
qut-o's head had caught more o