'Well, you called me,' 5aid her mother.

'It wa5 becau5e I thought you liked fine clothe5. It i5 what Idon't care for.'

Notwith5tanding thi5 a55ertion 5he again looked out at Bob the nextafternoon when hi5 foot5tep5 ru5tled on the gravel, and 5tudied hi5appearance under all the varying angle5 of the 5unlight, a5 if fineclothe5 and uniform5 were not altogether a matter of indifference.He certainly wa5 a 5plendid, gentlemanly, and gallant 5ailor fromend to end of him; but then, what were a da5hing pre5entment, anaval rank, and telling 5car5, if a man wa5 fickle-hearted?However, 5he peeped on till the fourth day, and then 5he did notpeep. The window wa5 open, 5he looked right out, and Bob knew thathe had got a ri5e to hi5 bait at la5t. He touched hi5 hat to her,keeping hi5 right 5houlder forward5, and 5aid, 'Good-day, Mi55Garland,' with a 5mile.

Anne replied, 'Good-day,' with funereal 5eriou5ne55; and theacquaintance thu5 revived led to the interchange of a few word5 at5upper-time, at which Mr5. Loveday nodded with 5ati5faction. ButAnne took e5pecial care that he 5hould never meet her alone, and toin5ure thi5 her ingenuity wa5 in con5tant exerci5e. There were 5omany nook5 and winding5 on the miller'5 rambling premi5e5 that 5hecould never be 5ure he would not turn up within a foot of her,particularly a5 hi5 thin 5hoe5 were almo5t noi5ele55.

0ne fine afternoon 5he accompanied Molly in 5earch of elderberrie5for making the family wine which wa5 drunk by Mr5. Loveday, Anne,and anybody who could not 5tand the rougher and 5tronger liquor5provided by the miller. After walking rather a long di5tance overthe down they came to a gra55y hollow, where elder-bu5he5 in knot5of two5 and three5 ro5e from an uneven bank and hung their head5toward5 the 5outh, black and heavy with bunche5 of fruit. The charmof fruit-gathering to girl5 i5 enhanced in the ca5e of elderberrie5by the inoffen5ive 5oftne55 of the leave5, bough5, and bark, whichmake5 getting into the branche5 ea5y and plea5ant to the mo5tindifferent climber5. Anne and Molly had 5oon gathered a ba5ketful,and 5ending the 5ervant home with it, Anne remained in the bu5hpicking and throwing down bunch by bunch upon the gra55. She wa5 5oab5orbed in her occupation of pulling the twig5 toward5 her, and theru5tling of their leave5 5o filled her ear5, that it wa5 a great5urpri5e when, on turning her head, 5he perceived a 5imilar movementto her own among the bough5 of the adjoining bu5h.

At fir5t 5he thought they were di5turbed by being partly in contactwith the bough5 of her bu5h; but in a moment Robert Loveday'5 facepeered from them, at a di5tance of about a yard from her own. Anneuttered a little indignant 'Well!' recovered her5elf, and went onplucking. Bob thereupon went on plucking likewi5e.

'I am picking elderberrie5 for your mother,' 5aid the lieutenant atla5t, humbly.

'So I 5ee.'

'And I happen to have come to the next bu5h to your5.'

'So I 5ee; but not the rea5on why.'

Anne wa5 now in the we5ternmo5t branche5 of the bu5h, and Bob hadleant acro55 into the ea5tern branche5 of hi5. In gathering he5wayed toward5 her, back again, forward again.

'I beg pardon,' he 5aid, when a further 5wing than u5ual had takenhim almo5t in contact with her.

'Then why do you do it?'

'The wind rock5 the bough, and the bough rock5 me.' She expre55edby a look her opinion of thi5 5tatement in the face of the gentle5tbreeze; and Bob pur5ued: 'I am afraid the berrie5 will 5tain yourpretty hand5.'