ttle
runaway hens slung over his arm, where, after a trifle of protestation
and a few subdued cackles of crestfallen acquiescence, having a great
deal to tell the other hens on reaching home once more, they very
contentedly enjoyed the new aspect of the world upsidedown.

"And here's where she's made her nest," said little Jane, stepping aside
from a tangle of blackberry-vines, herds-grass, and harebells, where lay
a half-dozen pullet pearls. "A pretty mother you'd make, Miss, gadding
and gossiping down in the meadow with that naughty black hen! Who do you
suppose is going to bring up your family for you? Did you speak to the
butterflies to hatch them under their yellow wings? I shall just tie you
to an old shoe!"

And taking the winking, blinking culprits from Kay, she ran along home
to make ready his package, for which there was not more than an hour
left. Vivia turned to follow, for she also wanted to help; but Ray,
lingering by the wall and pointing out some object, caused her to
remain.

"It will be such a long time before I see it again," said he.

They leaned upon the stone wall, interspersed, overgrown, and veiled
with moss and maiden-hair and blossoming brambles. Before them lay the
long meadow, sprinkled with sunbeams, green to its last ripe richness,
discolored only where the tall grass made itself hoary in the breeze, or
where some trail of dun brown ran up through all intermediate tints to
break in a glory of gold at the foot of the screen of woods that far
away gloomed like a frowning fortress of shade, but, approaching,
feathered off its tips in the glow, and let the mellow warmth of olive
light gild to a lustrous depth all its darkly verdurous hollows. Near
them the vireos were singing loud and sweet.

"Vivia," said Ray, after a pause, "if I should never come back"--

"You will come back."

"But if I never did,--should you greatly care?"

"Beginning to despond! That is good! You won't go, then?"

"If the way lay over the bottomless pit, I should go."

"And you can't get free, if you want to?"

"No!"

"Ray, I could easily raise money enough upon my farm to buy"--

"If you talk so," said Ray, whipping off the flowers, but looking up at
her as he bent, and smiling, "I shall inform against you, and have your
farm confiscated."

"What! I can't talk as I please in a free country? Oh, it's not free,
then! They've discovered at length that there's something better than
freedom. They sent a woma