Of course Charlie Christian gravitated towards Sally, and these two, falling slowly behind the rest, soon turned aside, and descended by another of the numerous paths which traversed that part of the mountain.

 

Of course, also, Daniel McCoy drew near to Sarah Quintal, and these two, falling slowly behind, sought another of the mountain-paths. It will be seen that these young people were charmingly unsophisticated.

 

For a considerable time Charlie walked beside Sally without uttering a word, and Sally, seeing that there was something on his mind, kept silence. At last Charlie lifted his eyes from the ground, and with the same innocent gaze with which, as an infant, he had been wont to look up to his guardian, he now looked down at her, and said, “Sally.”

 

“Well, Charlie?”

 

There was a little smile lurking about the corners of the girl’s mouth, which seemed to play hide-and-seek with the twinkle in her downcast eyes.

 

“Well, Charlie, what are you going to tell me?”

 

“Isn’t Toc—very—happy?”

 

He blushed to the roots of his hair when he said this, and dropped his eyes again on the ground.

 

“Of course he is,” replied Sally, with a touch of surprise.

 

“But—but—I mean, as—”

 

“Well, why don’t you go on, Charlie?”

 

“I mean as a—a married man.”

 

“Every one sees and knows that, Charlie.” There was another silence, during which the timid youth cleared his throat several times. At last he became desperate.

 

“And—and—Sally, don’t you think that other people might be happy too if they were married?”

 

“To be sure they might,” said the girl, with provoking coolness. “There’s Dan McCoy, now, and Sarah Quintal, they will be very happy when—”

 

“Why, how do you know?”—Charlie spoke with a look of surprise and stopped short.

 

The girl laughed in a low tone, but did not reply, and the youth, becoming still more desperate, said—

 

“But I—I didn’t mean Dan and Sarah, when I—Oh, Sally, don’t you know that I love you?”

 

“Yes, I know that,” replied the girl, with a blush and a little tremulous smile. “I couldn’t help knowing that.”

 

“Have I made it so plain, then?” he asked, in surprise.

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