If Esther noted any changes in him, she did not express it. She was singularly reticent in regard to him.
At this moment, she sat listening to him as he told her of the mountain flora.
"Wait till you see the cactus blossoms in the spring and summer." He seemed very enthusiastic. "They make a glorious mass of color against the soft gray of the dry grass, or soil."
"I'd love to see them." She lifted the bunch of asters admiringly.
"I have some water colors of cacti I made a year ago. I'd like to show them to you, Miss Bright, if you are interested."
She assured him she was.
"I was out in the region of Colorado River a year ago. It is a wonderful region no white man has yet explored. Only the Indians know of its greatness. I have an idea that when that region is explored by some scientist, he will discover that canyon to be the greatest marvel of the world. What I saw was on a stupendous, magnificent scale."
"How it must have impressed you!"
"Wonderfully! I'll show you a sketch I made of a bit of what I found. It may suggest the magnificence of the coloring to you."
"How did you happen to have sketching materials with you?"