fashionable, butentirely proper for the place; all eyes consented to this, and then alleyes came back to the face. It was so happy, so pure, so unconsciousand unshadowed; the look was of the sort that one does not see in theassemblies of the world's pleasure-seekers; nor ever but in the facesof heaven's pleasure-finders. She was a very lovely vision, and somehowall the little group on the piazza with one consent kept silence, watching her as she came. She drew near with busy, pleased thoughts, and leisurely happy steps, and never looked up till she reached thefoot of the steps leading to the piazza. Nor even then; she had pickedup her skirt and mounted several steps daintily before she heard hername and raised her eyes. Then her face changed. The glance ofsurprise, it is true, was immediately followed by a smile of civilgreeting; but the look of rapt happiness was gone; and somehow nobodyon the piazza felt the change to be flattering. She accepted quietlyTom's hand, given partly in greeting, partly to assist her up the laststeps, and faced the group who were regarding her.
"How delightful to find you here, Miss Lothrop!" said Julia, – "and howstrange that people should meet on the Isles of Shoals."
"Why is it strange?"
"O, because there is really nothing to come here for, you know. I don'tknow how we happen to be here ourselves. – Mr. Lenox, MissLothrop. – What have you found in this desert?"
"You have been spoiling Appledore?" added Tom.
"I don't think I have done any harm," said Lois innocently. "There isenough more, Mr. Caruthers."
"Enough of what?" Tom inquired, while Julia and her friend exchanged aswift glance again, of triumph on the lady's part.
"There is a shell," said Lois, putting one into his hand. "I think thatis pretty, and it certainly is odd. And what do you say to those whiteviolets, Mr. Caruthers? And here is some very beautiful pimpernel – andhere is a flower that I do not know at all, – and the rest is what youwould call rubbish," she finished with a smile, so charming that Tomcould not see the violets for dazzled eyes.
"Show me the flowers, Tom," his mother demanded; and she kept him byher, answering her questions and remarks about them; while Julia askedwhere they could be found.
"I find them in quite a good many places," said Lois; "and every timeit is a sort of surprise. I gathered only a few; I do not like to takethem away from their places; they are best there."
She said a word or two to Mrs. Wishart, and passed on into the house.
"That's the girl," Julia said in a low voice to her lover, walking offto the other end of the verandah with him.
"Tom might do worse," was the reply.
"George! How can you say so? A girl who doesn't know common English!"
"She might go to school," suggested Lenox.
"To school! At her age! And then, think of her associations, and herignorance of everything a lady should be and should know. O you men! Ihave no patience with you. See a face you like, and you lose your witsat once, the best of you. I wonder you ever fancied me!"
"Tastes are unaccountable," the young man returned, with a lover-likesmile.
"But do you call that girl pretty?"
Mr. Lenox looked portentously grave. "She has handsome hair," heventured.
"Hair! What's hair! Anybody can have handsome hair, that will pay forit."
"She has not paid for hers."
"No, and I don't mean that Tom shall. Now George, you must help. Ibrought you along to help. Tom is lost if we don't save him. He mustnot be left alone with this girl; and if he gets talking to her, youmust mix in and break it up, make love to her yourself, if necessary.And we must see to it that they do not go off walking together. Youmust help me watch and help me hinder. Will you?"
"Really, I should not be grateful to anyone who did me such kindservice."
"But it is to save Tom."
"Save him! From what?"
"From a low marriage. What could be worse?"
"Adjectives are declinable. There is low, lower, lowest."
"Well, what could be lower? A poor girl, uneducated, inexperienced, knowing nobody, brought up in the country, and of no family inparticular, with nothing in the world but beautiful hair! Tom ought tohave something better than that."
"I'll study her further, and then tell you what I think."
"You are very stupid to-day, George!"
Nobody got a chance to study Lois much more that day. Seeing that Mrs.Wishart was for the present well provided with company, she withdrew toher own room; and there she stayed. At supper she appeared, but silentand reserved; and after supper she went away again. Next morning Loiswas late at breakfast; she had to run a gauntlet of eyes, as she tookher seat at a little distance.
"Overslept, Lois?" queried Mrs. Wishart.
"Miss Lothrop looks as if she never had been asleep, nor ever meant tobe," quoth Tom.
"What a dreadful character!" said Miss Julia. "Pray, Miss Lothrop, excuse him; the poor boy means, I have no doubt, to be complimentary."
"Not so bad, for a beginner," remarked Mr. Lenox. "Ladies always liketo be thought bright-eyed, I believe."
"But never to sleep!" said Julia. "Imagine the staring effect."
"You are complimentary without effort," Tom remarked pointedly.
"Lois, my dear, have you been out already?" Mrs. Wishart asked. Loisgave a quiet assent and betook herself to her breakfast.
"I knew it," said Tom. "Morning air has a wonderful effect, if ladieswould only believe it. They won't believe it, and they sufferaccordingly."
"Another compliment!" said Miss Julia, laughing. "But what do you find,Miss Lothrop, that can attract you so much before breakfast? or afterbreakfast either, for that matter?"
"Before breakfast is the best time in the twenty-four hours," said Lois.
"Pray, for what?"
"If you were asked, you would say, for sleeping," put in Tom.
"For what, Miss Lothrop? Tom, you are troublesome."
"For doing what, do you mean?" said Lois. "I should say, for anything; but I was thinking of enjoying."
"We are all just arrived," Mr. Lenox began; "and we are slow to believethere is anything to enjoy at the Isles. Will Miss Lothrop enlightenus?"
"I do not know that I can," said Lois. "You might not find what I find."
"What do you find?"
"If you will go out with me to-morrow morning at five o'clock, I willshow you," said Lois, with a little smile of amusement, or of archness, which quite struck Mr. Lenox and quite captivated Tom.
"Five o'clock!" the former echoed.
"Perhaps he would not then see what you see," Julia suggested.
"Perhaps not," said Lois. "I am by no means sure."
She
