slope? Jove, I'm not half so tired as I was an hour ago,
already!"

He caught her hand in his, his other arm through the hamper
handle, and ran with her up the slope. At the edge of the
steeper climb to come they stopped, breathing fast. "This
isn't the way to begin, of course," he admitted as they both
regained their breath, laughing at their own enthusiasm, "but
I couldn't resist that dash - a sort of dash for freedom. Now
we'll take it more easily."

They worked their way up and up among the rocks, he always in
advance, reaching down a muscular right arm to help her at the
steeper places, and once giving her a knee to step on when
progress could be made only up the straight face of a big
boulder. It was undoubtedly a stiff climb for a woman, but
she showed no signs of flinching, and though her cheeks glowed
richly and her wavy black locks were a trifle loosened from
their usual order when at last she set foot upon the plateau
at the top, she showed only the temporary fatigue to be
expected after such unusual exertion.

"That makes the blood course through one's arteries in a way
worth while," was his comment as he regarded with satisfaction
the splendid colour in her checks and the sparkle in her eyes.
"Talk about rest! That's the way to get it! Burn up the
products of fatigue, replace them with fresh cells full of
oxygen, and you get rejuvenation. Look at that stretch of
country before us! Isn't that worth the climb?"