Marion did so, and beheld a beautiful prospect of river, mountains, and valley, all lighted to a golden glow by the setting sun. She had a keen eye for the picturesque, and admired the view to the young man's content.
"You are used to higher mountains than these," said Harry.
"Yes, but not such a river," said Marion. "How grand it is!"
"Isn't it?" said Frank, delighted. "Some day father will take you down and show you the Wyoming valley; and now if you will sit down, I will hurry up a little, for I want to get through the big woods before it is quite dark."
"Why," asked Marion, who had been rather hoping for an adventure ever since she had left home; "are they dangerous in any way?"
"Oh, no. There are no wolves nor bears, at least not in summer, and no highwaymen, but the road is none of the best in some places," answered Frank. "In fact it is decidedly bad, but you need not be alarmed if we jolt a little. The old ark is very substantial."
Accustomed to mountain roads, Marion did not find the roughness of the present track at all alarming. She was too tired to care about talking, and besides, to her own vexation, she felt rather shy of the tall, handsome driver. She had meant to be very gracious and conciliating to the awkward, overgrown boys she expected to meet, but somehow the awkwardness had been all on her own side. She began to feel that her family picture would need much retouching, if not painting entirely anew. But she did not care to undertake the task at present.
She leaned back in the carriage, tired and sleepy, but yet enjoying the sweetness of the forest air loaded with the scent of the evergreens, and listening to the loud woodland chorus in which crickets, katy-dids, and whip-poor-wills bore the principal part, while an owl occasionally volunteered a solo.
"What thick woods!" said she at last.
"We are just in the edge of the great woods," said Harry. "I will take you through them some day. But we are almost at home now. See, there is the top of our stack just over the hill, and the house is not far away."