Page:Leah Reed--Brenda's summer at Rockley.djvu/282

264 Mrs. Pell, who promised Mrs. Blair that she would look after the young people, and who afterwards admitted  that the task had been much more difficult than she had  expected.

But after all, one excursion of this kind is much like another, and the amount of sight-seeing of this party  of friends did not tire those who had no interest in  historic places, and yet it was enough to make the day  much more interesting to thoughtful people like Julia  and Mr. Weston, who cared for something more than the  excitement of a day’s outing. So, after the short drive from Magnolia, the two latter hastened over the rocks to  gaze into the depths of Rafe’s Chasm, and to look out  toward the treacherous sea,—

as soft as when

On their way to the little old-fashioned inn in Essex where they were to have luncheon, Julia and Mr. Weston  exclaimed many times over the beautiful woods, that  seemed to belong rather to a mountain region than to one  close to the sea,—wild stretches of woodland so markedly  in contrast with the broad, smooth roads, and the great  country houses and finely kept lawns which they were  constantly passing.

They were a gay and merry party, and this picnic of Edith’s (for so they called it, although their luncheon was