"If I do! —" thought Elizabeth as she ran down to her boat. The free air seemed doubly free. But then came the instant thought, — "Winthrop Landholm would not have said that. How far I am — how far! — from where he stands!" —
She walked slowly down to the water's edge.
"Mr. Underhill," she said as she prepared to spring into the boat which he held for her, — "I have forgotten, while I was at the house, what I partly came for to-night. We are out of provisions — have you any eggs, or anything of any kind, to spare?"
"Eggs?" — said Mr. Underhill, holding the boat, — "what else would you like along of eggs?"
"Almost anything, that is not salt meat."
"Chickens? — we've got some o' them."
"Very glad of them indeed, — or fresh meat."
"Ha'n't got any of that just to-day," said the old farmer shaking his head. "I'll see. The boat won't stir — tide's makin' yet. You'll have a pull home, I expect."
He went back to the house, and Elizabeth stood waiting, alone with her boat.
There was refreshment and strength to be had from nature's pure and calm face; so very pure and calm the mountains looked down upon her and the river smiled up. The opposite hill-tops shone in the warm clear light of the October setting sun, the more warm and bright for the occasional red and yellow leaves that chequered their green, and many tawny and half turned trees that mellowed the whole mountain side. Such clear light as shone upon them! such unearthly blue as rose above them! such a soft and fair water face that gave back the blue! What could eyes do but look; what could the mind do but wonder, and be thankful; and wonder again, at the beauty, and grow bright in the sunlight, and grow pure in that shadowless atmosphere. The sharp cedar tops on Shahweetah were so many illuminated points, and further down the river the sunlight caught just the deep bend of the water in the bay; the rest was under shadow of the western hills. All was under a still and hush, — nothing sounded or moved but here and there a cricket; the tide was near flood and crept up noiselessly; the wind blew somewhere else, but not in October. Softly the sun went down and the shadows stole up.