wept over her a longing, that for weeks had been increasing, to
capture this loveliness and make it her own. The general awakening of
her thought had long since banished the indifference with which during
the first days at the Mill Farm she had viewed its surroundings. In
place of apathy now there dwelt a craving to exercise the power which
she felt was hers; to paint some of these ever changing, alluring
phases of sea and sky whose beauty possessed her very soul.

She longed unspeakably for materials for the work, and mourned that she
had not gathered whatever among her father's shabby, neglected
belongings might be useful, and brought them with her. She recalled
carefully all that had ever been said seriously of her talent. A
burning regret for neglected opportunities and a burning desire to make
up for lost time now possessed her. She fluttered the leaves of the
book in her lap. Out dropped pencil sketches of the Tide Mill and a
gallery of the residents at the farm.

There was Cap'n Lem's straw hat shading the nose and chin which drew
closer together as the kindly, toothless smile widened. There was Mrs.
Lem's majestic pompadour and psyche knot, and the company expression
which always dilated her nostrils. There was Minty, her round eyes
staring, and her lips pursed; and there was---- No, Sylvia shook her
head. There was not Thinkright. As she looked fondly and wistfully at
the retreating hair and short beard, the horizontal lines in the brow
and the deep-set eyes, she knew that what made her cousin's face
precious was not to be conveyed by pencil or brush. Swiftly she turned
the paper over, and taking her pencil, with a few sure, swift strokes
sketched the back of a pair of slightly bent shoulders and a head
revealing one ear and the line of the cheek.

"There," she sighed, smiling; "that's better. I know what I should see
if he turned around." Then she sank back again, narrowed her eyes, and
looked off at the skyline,--the distant dark clump of trees on Hawk
Island; the nearer shore of Walrus Island; the ineffable sky. Oh, oh,
for paints, for brushes, for paper,--in other words, for money! Health
and strength were returning to her in full measure. What work was
awaiting her? There was no room in Thinkright's universe for drones. He
never referred to her becoming self-supporting, but it was a part of
her new realization to see that a parasite could never be a healthy
growth. She was not sure enough how much substa