“And here is the very place,” she agreed, indicating a great, flat rock, shaded by a huge, spreading tree. “Oh, 174 isn’t the view wonderful from here? I hadn’t noticed it before.”
“You said it,” Jack agreed, stretching his lazy length on the grass at her feet. “The hill has formed a sort of shallow precipice and the lake sure does look great down there.”
For a few moments they were silent, drinking in the beauty prodigal Nature lavished all about them. Furtively Lucile examined this cavalier of hers. Straight of feature, bronzed from living in the open, eyes so full of fun you had to laugh in sympathy—oh, he was handsome; there was no doubt of that. And his hair, black and wavy and soft—Lucile was sure it was soft——
“I wish you would tell me what you are thinking about,” he said, looking up with a quizzical little smile. “You were quiet so long——”
“That is unusual,” she laughed, trying not to look confused. “Perhaps we had better be starting back,” she added; “the others will be looking for us.”
“Just as you say,” he answered for the second time that morning; then, as he helped her to her feet, “I wish we could have this day together; it’s been great to be alone with you even for this short time. But I forgot that that subject was unwelcome——”
“Oh, please,” she begged, laying an impulsive little hand on his arm. “I—I didn’t mean to be cross.”
He caught the little peace-making hand in both his own, laughing down into the prettiest eyes he had ever seen.
“That’s the best thing I have heard to-day,” he exulted.