"Oh, thank you, not this evening. We're going on the river, and it gets dark so soon. I didn't know Julia was coming."
"Neither did I," laughed the indulgent father, "until this morning. Well, come in to-morrow. Good-bye!"
They got a boat, and by half-past four were speeding up-stream to Ethan's steady stroke.
"It'll be a simply glorious evening. We shall have a flaming sunset, you'll see!"
"Yes. The rain has washed the world till it shines."
They talked very little at first.
"I don't think we ought to go beyond the Gray Pool," said Val, regretfully.
"Where's that?"
"About a mile on."
"Oh, we can get farther than that."