"Is it as bad as that?"
"It's very bad. That dear old gentleman has made the preservation of this wonder of nature the realized dream of his whole life. He's carried through no end of other big philanthropic schemes, but he never for one instant allowed anything to turn him aside from this one. He told me himself how he had rewooded the banks—he has planted thousands and thousands of trees—and now to have the whole threatened. It's shameful, shameful!"
"Does every one know how you feel?"
"Yes, every one knows how I feel."
"What do they think themselves?"
"I believe the predominant sentiment in Ledge is that it will be entertaining to see Ledgeville drowned for good and all."
Lassie laughed.
The freight train was all gone by now. Alva turned from the window and came back to a seat beside her friend, sinking upon it with a little sigh.
"All this goes very near with me, dear," she said, gently; "loving Nature and fighting for the future has been his life-work, you know."
"Yes," Lassie said, softly.