her head,
like a serpent gliding down the sunglade on a river.

"Why is it like that?" said Hobb simply.

With one of her quick changes Margaret frowned and answered, "Why is
the black yew set with little lamps? Why does a black cloud have an
edge of light? Why does a blackbird have white feathers in his body?
Must things be ALL dark or ALL light?" And she stamped her foot and
turned hastily away, and began to do up her hair with trembling hands.
And Hobb came behind her and kissed the top of her head. She turned on
him half angrily, half smiling, saying, "No! for you do not like my
black lock." And Hobb said very gravely, "I will find all things
beautiful in my beloved, from her black lock to her blacker temper."
Margaret shot a swift look at him and saw that he was laughing at her
with an echo of her own words; and she flung her arms about him,
laughing too. "Oh, Hobb!" said she, "you pluck out my black temper by
the roots!"

So with teasing and talking and quarreling and kissing, and
ever-growing love, July came near its close; and as love discovers or
creates all miracles in what it loves, Hobb for pure joy grew light of
spirit, and laughed and played with his beloved till she knew not
whether she had given her heart to a child or a man; and again when the
happiness that was in his soul shone through his eyes, he was so
transfigured that, gazing on his beauty, she knew not whether she had
received the heart of a man or a god. And the truth was that at this
time Hobb was all three, since love, dear maidens, commands a region
that extends beyond birth and death, and includes all that is mortal in
all that is eternal. And as for Margaret, she was all things by turns,
sometimes as gay as sunbeams so that Hobb could scarcely follow her
dancing spirit, but could only sun himself in the delight of it; and
sometimes she was full of folly and daring, and made him climb with her
the highest trees, and drop great distances from bough to bough,
mocking at all his fears for her though he had none for himself; and
sometimes when he was downcast, as happened now and then for thinking
on his brothers, she forgot her jealousy in tenderness of his sorrow,
and made him lean his head upon her breast, and talked to him low as a
mother to her baby, words that perhaps were only words of comfort, yet
seemed to him infinite wisdom, as the child believes of its mother's
tender speech. And at all times she was lovelier than his dreams of