She acknowledged to herself as she climbed the hill that she felt a little sore over Archie’s disaffection; if he had proved inconstant, where could she look for stability? But there was too much here to remind her of happier days, and she repeated softly: “Thy heart’s desire; He will give thee thy heart’s desire.” At the top of the hill she stood still and looked back, then she turned toward the river bank. As she came out of the shadows of the trees and glanced down at the sands where her boat lay, she saw that some one else had moored a boat alongside her own. “It must be Carter,” she said; “he has come over instead of Sandy, for that looks like his boat; I’ll just wait here for him.” She leaned against a tree, waiting till he should come up, and in a moment she heard the springing step of some one climbing the steep path, and then a glad voice said, “Agnes!”
Her heart stood still. She held out two trembling hands which were closely clasped in Parker’s warm grasp. “Agnes,” he said. “Look at me, little girl, I want to see those honest blue eyes. Are you glad to see me?”
“Very glad. When did you come?”
“This morning; and as soon as I could I went to call on my neighbors, but I found one missing. They told me where I should find you. And you are not married? I heard you were going to be.”
“Carter told you that.”
“Yes. Is it true?”
“No, it is not true. I heard the same report of you. Is that true?”
“I don’t know whether it is or not.”
Agnes’s eyes fell, and she drew away her hands.
“Have you heard?” Parker said gravely. “Did you know that my dear mother is at peace?”