Page:George Weston--The apple-tree girl.djvu/146

 her a direct compliment, and she pretended not to notice it.

"Isn't it a lovely day? " she said instead.

It was, indeed, a beautiful day, with the sky never so blue and the trees never so green, and the road winding in and out among scenes so picturesque that it reminded Charlotte of a gallery hung with immortal masterpieces.

She felt so full of happiness at the wonderful day and her wonderful summer that she grew radiant, as though her spark of life had spread into a visible glow. Looking at her Perry suddenly nodded to himself. The next moment he had reached over and taken one of her hands.

Charlotte dropped from the clouds to the earth, and drew her hand away.

"Don't!" she said.

"Why not?"

"I don't like it."

She sat as far away from him as she