To Peter it was as if he had gone away yesterday, and returned today. Pierre came in yawning, and found him helping with the breakfast. When Mona reappeared her hair was in a long braid. Never had he seen such lovely, velvety softness in her eyes or such sweet color in her face.
Josette, with a sly signal to Pierre, maneuvered them to the open door. "When we are ready for you children we'll call you," she said.
They walked toward the forest. And there, in the edge of the beautiful green meadow which had always been hallowed as their playground, he saw for the first time a new cabin nearly finished. Mona was looking at him. She saw the surprise and then the cloud that gathered in his face. She took his hand, and her fingers clung to his.
"You don't like it?" she asked.
"It is a nice cabin, but——"
He did not know how to finish. She looked down, very demurely, so that he could not see her eyes for the long lashes that hid them.
"It is my cabin."
"Yours!"
"Yes, mine. Maybe I shouldn't tell you the secret, Peter, but I'm going to be married."