ing, too, it seemed quite easy for him to hold the boat just as he wished, so that Hugh industriously fished all down the one side. of the loch-not casting, but merely lifting the flies so that the wind carried them out. But their conjoint labor was of no avail. The trout would not rise. The squalls and heavy water had frightened them, and they had gone below, or into the safety of the reeds. So there was nothing for it but to run the boat once more into that sheltered little bay—and to get forth the luncheon-basket.

Now, this ought to have been a very pleasant little luncheonparty, in this snug retreat; and Flora and Hugh were merry enough; but Alison could not help being a little surprised and hurt by the distant courtesy with which Captain Ludovick appeared to treat her. She felt that she was not on the same footing with him as were Flora and Hugh. All his laughing stories. were told to them. He rarely addressed her, except when civility demanded; still more rarely did their eyes meet. Did he want to punish her, then, for her refusal? Or did this coldness arise from an excess of courtesy-from his determination that no revival of his former attentions should embarrass her? Anyhow, it seemed hard that she should be thus left out, in however indefinable a way.

In the afternoon, however, an incident occurred that for a time at least interrupted these strained and formal relations. Having waited in vain for the wind to lessen, they thought they would give the loch one more trial before going home; and as before, Ludovick Macdonell offered his services as gillie. They had got up to the head of the loch, and were drifting down before the squally breeze, when Hugh, noticing that his flies had not fallen quite straight, unthinkingly twitched them out of the water to make an ordinary cast over his shoulder. To have done this successfully, with these heavy gusts blowing, would have demanded some little exercise of strength and also of dexterity; but, as it was, this careless backward cast did not get the line out at all-in fact, it was blown down in a heap upon the boat and its occupants. At the same instant Alison uttered a brief quick cry of pain; instinctively she covered her eye with her hand; and Hugh, wheeling round in dismay, perceived where one of his flies had caught. His face turned deadly white-far whiter than hers, indeed-and he was quite paralyzed with fear:

it was Ludovick Macdonell who took Alison's hand and gently removed it.

"You must let me look," he said to her, and he held her hand lest she should put it back. To his great relief he found that the hook had not entered the eye; but it had caught the edge of the under eyelid, and was lightly fixed there.

"Tell Hugh not to mind," was the first thing she said—as if she were already blind, and speaking of some distant person whom she could not see.

"But you needn't be frightened, Alison," Ludovick said to her, with eager assurance, though he himself was in considerable doubt as to what should be done. "The hook is not in your

eye, it has only caught the eyelid. of scissors in your fly-book?"

Hugh, have you got a pair

It was with trembling fingers that the wretched lad got out the pair of scissors, and handed them to Macdonell, who as a preliminary measure snipped the casting-line close to the fly. Then he said to her,

"Look here, Alison, I believe I could take it out myself, now, and without hurting you much, if you cared to run the risk; but perhaps it will be safer to wait until we get back to Fort William, and then the Doctor can make certain of it."

"I would rather you would take it out," she said, calmly enough.

"No, Alison, no!" Flora entreated. Wait till we get home!"

"Don't run any risk!

"It would be safer," Captain Ludovick said—but he was still addressing Alison, "except for this-that the hook might work itself farther in."

"I would like you to take it out now, if you would be so kind," she said to him, simply.

"Well, if you like to trust me— -but it will hurt a little," he

said.

"I don't mind that," she answered.

And still he hesitated; for it was something of a responsibility; besides, he did not know how much pain he might inflictand how much more glad would he have borne it himself!

"I would rather cut it out of my own finger," he said, "even if it was in both barb and shank. Are you quite sure you won't draw back your head when you find me take hold of the hook?"

"I shall not move."

For safety's sake he put one hand on her shoulder; but she was firm enough; she did not flinch a hair's-breadth even when she felt him cautiously take hold of the hook.

"Are you ready, Alison?"

"Yes."

"Quite?"

"Quite."

Then there was a quick little jerk. She uttered no cry; she merely kept her eyes closed until Flora called to her joyously, "Alison, it's all right! Ludovick has got it out!-it's all right, isn't it?"

The girl opened her eyes, which were moist with the pain caused by that sudden twitch; but even through these involuntary tears she could smile her thanks to the operator—and her eyes were expressive enough when she chose.

"I hope I didn't hurt you much," said he, "but really it was better to get it out at once: you've no idea how horrid a thing it is to cut a hook out, when once the barb has got right in. Take your handkerchief now, Alison, and dip it in the water, and bathe your eye a little. Why, there's hardly a speck-just the smallest bit of skin torn away. I wish I had a looking-glass of some kind."

He smiled a little-indeed he seemed quite gratified over the success of his experiment, and was talking at random and carelessly now.

"Well, it was this way: I was living in a rather dilapidated shooting-lodge up in Ross-shire, and one evening the ceiling of the kitchen fell in. There was a mighty noise; and of course we all rushed to the place, and there we found that the plaster had knocked down a young servant-girl who happened to be there, and she was lying senseless—though it turned out she was more frightened than hurt. I noticed this, though, that when everything was being done to reassure the unfortunate creature after she came to, the old house-keeper did best of all—she ran away and got a hand-glass, and made the girl look in it to convince herself that she was not disfigured in any way. I thought the old woman had some knowledge of human nature."

"Then I will be your hand-glass, Alison!" Flora cried, quite

joyfully. "And I declare to you that there's nothing but a small pink scratch-oh, hardly bigger than a pin's head! Disfigurement? Nothing of the kind. And you're looking just as nice and trim and provokingly neat as ever, if that is any comfort to you!"

Alison laughed a little; but there was still gratitude in her eyes as she obeyed Ludovick's directions as to the use of the wet handkerchief.

This was the end of the fishing, or attempted fishing-indeed, the boat had meanwhile drifted down and imbedded itself in a mass of water-lilies; so they got ashore and prepared for their march down through the hills to the spot where the wagonette was awaiting them. Hugh was deeply mortified and apologetic; again and again he returned to the subject, upbraiding his own stupidity, until Alison had seriously to ask him what it was she had suffered. But he was not to be comforted; and when everything was ready he walked off by himself, and would have gone on by himself, only that Flora hastened to overtake him, and give him of her sisterly sympathy and remonstrance. The consequence of this arrangement was that Captain Ludovick and Alison brought up the rear by themselves, for the boy John had gone forward some time before with the luncheon-basket. And then Alison took heart of grace.

"I don't think you were very friendly with me this morning," she said, with her eyes cast down.

He seemed a little surprised.

"I hope I was not unfriendly," he said. "But-but I thought it was better that I should let you understand that I did not mean to harass you-or—or vex you.”

"You promised that we were to be firm and fast friends," she said, a little proudly.

"Yes?" he said.

"And yet you called me 'Miss Alison' all the morning-until you had to take the hook out of my eyelid," she continued, with growing confidence-for it seemed so easy and natural to talk to him here: she was quite resolved on having a thorough understanding with him, if he wished it also.

I

"Do you think I like to call you 'Miss' Alison ?" he responded. "No, I don't. I think of you as Alison; and I suppose might as well say it. But I did not wish to embarrass you."

"Well, you wouldn't embarrass me by calling me Alison," she said, as they walked on together.

"It will be a great deal more pleasant for me," he made answer again. "Mind you, I want to be to you, now and always, just what you wish me to be. You gave me your last word, and I accepted it; and my mouth is shut-until-well, I am not going to risk anything by speaking. Let our friendship be as close and firm and fast as it can be. But I wonder if you would be offended, Alison, if I told you something about yourself?"

She raised her eyes, and met his bravely.

"Offended? I am sure not," she said.

"Well, then," said he, with a trace of shyness that rather became him, "I can't help thinking that you are a far more human kind of a being when you are in the Highlands; and sometimes I can't help thinking of what might happen if only you were always living among us."

THAT, at all events, she was a very different kind of being up in these regions was very well known to herself; for whether it was the fresh air and exercise, or the cheerful society and constant occupation, or the delight of looking at the beautiful things surrounding her, or all of these combined, certain it is that all the day long a sort of elation seemed to thrill through her to the very finger-tips. Every moment was full of life. Even when she was away alone-up among the hills whither she used to climb in order to have a view of the wider waters in the souththere was no sadness in her mind, but rather a sense of jubilation, and thankfulness, and content with all the world. The wildest days of gloom, so far from having any terror for her, exercised over her a singular fascination; she rejoiced in the foreboding of the storm; she welcomed the coming of this terrible unknown thing that darkened the heavens and the earth. For what might not these sombre mountains bring forth-the great masses of them in communion with the lowering clouds, and here and there