ave out of the west, when she murmured, "It's
to-day we ride, not to-morrow," meaning that we had danced the night out.

"Then you will, Carette? You will?"

"You're late in the day, you know," she said, teasing still, as maids will
when they know a man's heart is under their feet.

"But I only got home this evening--"

"Monsieur Torode asked me hours ago."

"But you haven't promised him, Carette?" and I felt as though all my life
depended on her answer.

"I said I'd see. But--"

"Then you'll come with me, Carette," and I felt like kissing her there
before them all.

"I'll tell you what I'll do, Phil. I'll go with one of you and come back
with the other."

"But--Carette!--"

"You should not have left it so late, you see."

And with that I had to be content, though it was not at all to my mind,
since I had looked for more.

... The eastern sky was filled to overflowing with pure thin light. The
edges of the long dark banks of cloud that lay in front of it were rimmed
with crimson fire. And from every quarter where the shadows lay gray clouds
streamed up to greet the sun. They crept up the heavens, slow and gray and
heavy, but as they climbed they lightened. They changed from gray to white.
Their fronts were touched with the crimson fire. They spread wide wings and
set me thinking of angels worshipping, and all the waiting clouds below
threw out long streamers towards the day, like soft white arms in prayer.
And behind the white curtains there, Carette lay sleeping.

... Gray Robin fell suddenly off one leg on to the other in his sleep, and
woke with a discontented snuffle. Down in Havre Gosselin the seagulls were
calling, "Miawk, miawk, miawk, miawk, miawk,--mink, mink, mink,
mink,--kawk, kawk, kawk, kawk,--keo, keo, keo, keo, keo."

... The sky up above was thin and blue. The soft white clouds were like a
mackerel's back, and every scale was rimmed with red gold. The east was all
a-throb. The long bands of cloud were silver above and glowing gold below.
The sun rose in a silence that seemed to me wonderful. If all the world had
broken out into the song that filled my heart it would have seemed but
right. Every cloud in all the sky seemed to bow in homage before him.

I had seen many and many a sunrise, but never before one like this. For
there, behind the curtains, Carette lay sleeping. And I was waiting for
her. And it was Riding Day, and she was going to ride with me on Gray
Robin.

And gay beyond