seemed made for the eye as much as for anything else, and be
the berries never so red in one place they seemed redder in
another. Winthrop and Asahel, however, were soon steadily at
work, and then little Winifred; and after a time Miss
Cadwallader found that the berries were good for more than to
look at, and Rufus had less trouble to keep in her
neighbourhood. But it was a good while before Elizabeth began
to pick either for lip or basket; she stood on the viney
knolls, and looked, and smelled the air, and searched with her
eye the openings in the luxuriant foliage that walled in the
valley. At last, making a review of the living members of the
picture, the young lady bethought herself, and set to work
with great steadiness to cover the bottom of her basket.

In the course of this business, moving hither and thither as
the bunches of red fruit tempted her, and without raising an
eye beyond them, she was picking close to one of the parties
before she knew whom she was near; and as they were in like
ignorance she heard Asahel say,

"I wish Rufus would pick -- he does nothing but eat, ever since
he came; he and Miss Rose."

"You don't expect _her_ to pick for you, do you?" said Winthrop.

"She might just as well as for me to pick for her," said
Asahel.

"Do you think we'll get enough for mamma, Governor?" said
little Winifred in a very sweet, and a little anxious, voice.

"We'll try," said her brother.

"O you've got a great parcel! -- but I have only so many, --
Governor?"

"There's more where those came from, Winnie."

"Here are some to help," said Elizabeth coming up and emptying
her own strawberries into the little girl's basket. Winifred
looked down at the fresh supply and up into the young lady's
face, and then gave her an "Oh thank you!" of such frank
pleasure and astonishment that Elizabeth's energies were at
once nerved. But first of all she went to see what Miss
Cadwallader was about.

Miss Cadwallader was squatting in a nest of strawberries, with
red finger-ends.

"Rose -- how many have you picked?"

"I haven't the least idea. Aren't they splendid?"

"Haven't you any in your basket?"

"Basket? -- no, -- where is my basket?" said she looking round.
"No, to be sure I haven't. I don't want any basket."

"Why don't you help?"

"Help? I've been helping myself, till I'm tired. Come here and
sit down, Bess. Aren't they splendid? Don't you want to rest?"

"No."

Miss Rose, however, quitted