She made herself very busy among the guests. Archie Mucklegrand
stayed by, and spoke to her every time he found a chance. At last,
when people had nearly done eating and drinking, he asked her if she
would not show him the path down to the river.

"It must be beautiful down there under the slope," he said.

She called Dorris and Desire, then, and Oswald Megilp, who was with
them. He was spending a little time here at the Prendibles, with his
boat on the river, as he had used to do. When he could take an
absolute vacation, he was going away with a pedestrian party, among
the mountains. There was not much in poor Oswald Megilp, but Desire
and Rosamond were kind to him now that his mother was away.

As they all walked down the bank among the close evergreens, they
met Mr. Geoffrey and Mr. Marchbanks, with Kenneth Kincaid, coming
up. Kenneth came last, and the two parties passed each other single
file, in the narrow pathway.

Kenneth paused as he came close to Rosamond, holding back a bough
for her.

"I have something very nice to tell you," he whispered, "by and by.
But it is a secret, as yet. Please don't stay down there very long."

Nobody heard the whisper but Rosamond; if they could have done so,
he would not have whispered. Archie Mucklegrand was walking rather
sulkily along before; he had not cared for a party to be made up
when he asked Rosamond to go down to the river with him. Desire and