CHAPTER XXI
EBEN COMES ASHORE
As John and Jess made their way slowly down to the shore their hearts were free and happy. They were together, and that was all sufficient. Everything in nature was in harmony with their feelings. Birds chirped and flitted about them; butterflies zigzagged here and there, and bees hummed industriously among the flowers. The air was balmy, and a gentle breeze drifted in from the west. Jess stopped and looked out upon the river with kindling eyes.
"Oh, what a glorious day," she remarked. "It is so good to be in a place such as this."
"I am glad you like it," John replied, as he glanced at the bright face by his side. "I wish you could stay here always."
"So do I. The country suits me better than anywhere else."
"You would miss the city life, would you not, if you lived here all the year?"
"What would I miss in the city? A continual round of social events, of which I am more than tired, and going here and there in a vain effort to find happiness. I long to be free in the highest sense, and not to be chained to a system which to me is deadening."
"You certainly put your belief into practice when you ran away from home. I am glad you do not regret it."
"No, I have not the least regret. If I felt that my parents are mourning for me I would feel badly. But they treated me so cruelly in trying to force me to marry the man I hate, that I do not care how they feel."