away again, but Mr. Percy's meditations remained suspended. A few
minutes afterwards he walked away to the other end of the boat, and
Lucia felt relieved when she caught sight of his tall figure towering
among a cloud of muslins and feathers, quite out of hearing. Maurice
brought her a stool, and she sat peaceably leaning against the bulwarks,
and enjoying the bright day and swift motion, until they reached the
small woody island where the party were to dine.

The boat was soon deserted, and the gentlemen occupied themselves in
arranging the hampers and packages near to the place chosen for dinner.
Then three or four of the most capable being left in charge of the
preparations, the rest dispersed in all directions until they should be
summoned to their meal.

A number of the young girls, under the guidance of Bella Latour, crossed
the island to the edge of a tiny bay, where they stained their fingers
with wild strawberries, and washed them in the river. They collected
enough fruit to fill all the large leaves they could find, and then sat
down under the shade of a tree to enjoy their spoil and "a good talk."
This highest of feminine delights, however, was not left uninterrupted.
Half-a-dozen gentlemen made their appearance, carrying bows, arrows,
targets, etc., and seeking a good place for an impromptu archery-ground.
Everybody sprang up, the ground was chosen, bows and arrows distributed,
and shouts of laughter began to follow each shot of the unpractised
archers. Of the whole group, Bella, Lucia, and May Anderson, a little
yellow-haired Scotch girl, were the only ones who had even attempted to
shoot before. May was the first whose arrow touched the target at all,
and her success was followed by other failures, until Lucia's turn came.
Lucia, to confess the truth, was a little out of humour still. She was
not enjoying herself at all, though it would have puzzled her to say