and her face grew "ruby red." He made no pretense of finding her
accidentally.

"Good morning, Dora," he said; "you look as bright as the
sunshine and as fair as the flowers. Put away the basket; I have
brought a book of poems, and mean to read some to you. I will
help you with your work afterward."

Dora, nothing loath, sat down, and straightway they were both in
fairyland. He read industriously, stealing every now and then a
glance at his pretty companion. She knew nothing of what he was
reading, but his voice made sweeter music than she had ever heard
before.

At length the book was closed, and Ronald wondered what thoughts
were running through his companion's simple, artless mind. So he
talked to her of her daily life, her work, her pleasures, her
friends. As he talked he grew more and more charmed; she had no
great amount of intellect, no wit or keen powers of repartee, but
the girl's love of nature made her a poetess. She seemed to know
all the secrets of the trees and the flowers; no beauty escaped
her; the rustle of green leaves, the sighs of the western wind,
the solemn hush of the deep-green woods, the changing tints of
the summer sky delighted her. Beautiful words, embodying
beautiful thoughts, rippled over the fresh, ripe lips. She knew
nothing else. She had seen no pictures, read no books, knew
nothing of the fine arts, was totally ignorant of all scholarly
lore, but deep in her heart lay a passionate love for the fair
face of nature.