Page:Tales of the White Hills.djvu/44

38 &ldquo;There, mother!&rdquo; cried the boy, again. &ldquo;They&rsquo;d have given us a ride to the Flume.&rdquo;

Again they laughed at the child&rsquo;s pertinacious fancy for a night ramble. But it happened that a light cloud passed over the daughter&rsquo;s spirit; she looked gravely into the fire, and drew a breath that was almost a sigh. It forced its way, in spite of a little struggle to repress it. Then starting and blushing, she looked quickly round the circle, as if they had caught a glimpse into her bosom. The stranger asked what she had been thinking of.

&ldquo;Nothing,&rdquo; answered she, with a downcast smile. &ldquo;I felt lonesome just then.&rdquo;

&ldquo;Oh, I have always had a gift of feeling what is in other people&rsquo;s hearts,&rdquo; said he, half seriously. &ldquo;Shall I tell the secrets of yours? For I know what to think when a young girl shivers by a warm hearth, and complains of lonesomeness at her mother&rsquo;s side. Shall I put these feelings into words?&rdquo;

&ldquo;They would not be a girl&rsquo;s feelings any longer if they could be put into words,&rdquo; replied the mountain nymph, laughing, but avoiding his eye.

All this was said apart. Perhaps a germ of love was springing in their hearts, so pure that it might blossom in Paradise, since it could not be matured on earth; for women worship such gentle dignity as his; and the proud, contemplative, yet kindly soul is oftenest captivated by simplicity like hers. But while they spoke softly, and he was watching the happy sadness, the lightsome shadows, the shy yearnings of a maiden&rsquo;s nature, the wind through the Notch took a deeper and drearier sound. It seemed, as the fanciful stranger said, like the choral strain of the spirits of the blast, who in old Indian times had their dwelling among