"O, Mrs. Wishart!" she burst forth, – "this is the very loveliest placeyou ever saw in your life! I can never thank you enough for bringingme! What can I do to thank you?"
"What makes it so delightful?" said the elder lady, smiling at her."There is nothing here but the sea and the rocks. You have found thephilosopher's stone, you happy girl!"
"The philosopher's stone?" said Lois. "That was what Mr. Dillwyn toldme about."
"Philip? I wish he was here."
"It would be nice for you. I don't want anybody. The place is enough."
"What have you found, child?"
"Flowers – and mosses – and shells. O, the flowers are beautiful! But itisn't the flowers, nor any one thing; it is the place. The air iswonderful; and the sea, O, the sea is a constant delight to me!"
"The philosopher's stone!" repeated the lady. "What is it, Lois? Youare the happiest creature I ever saw. – You find pleasure in everything."
"Perhaps it is that," said Lois simply. "Because I am happy."
"But what business have you to be so happy? – living in a corner like
Shampuashuh. I beg your pardon, Lois, but it is a corner of the earth.
What makes you happy?"
Lois answered lightly, that perhaps it was easier to be happy in acorner than in a wide place; and went off again. She would not giveMrs. Wishart an answer she could by no possibility understand.
Some time later in the day, Mrs. Wishart too, becoming tired of themonotony of her own room, descended to the piazza; and was sittingthere when the little steamboat arrived with some new guests for thehotel. She watched one particular party approaching. A young lady inadvance, attended by a gentleman; then another pair following, an olderlady, leaning on the arm of a cavalier whom Mrs. Wishart recognizedfirst of them all. She smiled to herself.
"Mrs. Wishart!" Julia Caruthers exclaimed, as she came upon theverandah. "You are here. That is delightful! Mamma, here is Mrs.Wishart. But whatever did bring you here? I am reminded of CaptainCook's voyages, that I used to read when I was a child, and I fancy Ihave come to one of his savage islands; only I don't see the salvages.They will appear, perhaps. But I don't see anything else; cocoanuttrees, or palms, or bananas, the tale of which used to make my mouthwater. There are no trees here at all, that I can see, nor anythingelse. What brought you here, Mrs. Wishart? May I present Mr.Lenox? – What brought you here, Mrs. Wishart?"
"What brought you here?" was the smiling retort. The answer wasprompt.
"Tom."
Mrs. Wishart looked at Tom, who came up and paid his respects in markedform; while his mother, as if exhausted, sank down on one of the chairs.
"Yes, it was Tom," she repeated. "Nothing would do for Tom but the
Isles of Shoals; and so, Julia and I had to follow in his train. In my grandmother's days that would have been different. What is here, dear
Mrs. Wishart, besides you? You are not alone?"
"Not quite. I have brought my little friend, Lois Lothrop, with me; andshe thinks the Isles of Shoals the most charming place that was everdiscovered, by Captain Cook or anybody else."
"Ah, she is here!" said Mrs. Caruthers dryly; while Julia and Mr. Lenoxexchanged glances. "Much other company?"
"Not much; and what there is comes more from New Hampshire than New
York, I fancy."
"Ah! – And what else is here then, that anybody should come here for?"
"I don't know yet. You must ask Miss Lothrop. Yonder she comes. She hasbeen exploring ever since five o'clock, I believe."
"I suppose she is accustomed to get up at that hour," remarked theother, as if the fact involved a good deal of disparagement. And thenthey were all silent, and watched Lois, who was slowly andunconsciously approaching her reviewers. Her hands were again full ofdifferent gleanings from the wonderful wilderness in which she had beenexploring; and she came with a slow step, still busy with them as shewalked. Her hat had fallen back a little; the beautiful hair was atrifle disordered, showing so only the better its rich abundance andexquisite colour; the face it framed and crowned was fair and flushed, intent upon her gains from rock and meadow – for there was a little bitof meadow ground at Appledore; – and so happy in its sweet absorption, that an involuntary tribute of homage to its beauty was wrung from themost critical. Lois walked with a light, steady step; her carelessbearing was free and graceful; her dress was not very fashionable, butentirely proper for the place; all eyes consented to this, and then alleyes came back to the face. It was so happy, so pure, so unconsciousand unshadowed; the look was of the sort that one does not see in theassemblies of the world's pleasure-seekers; nor ever but in the facesof heaven's pleasure-finders. She was a very lovely vision, and somehowall the little group on the piazza with one consent kept silence, watching her as she came. She drew near with busy, pleased thoughts, and leisurely happy steps, and never looked up till she reached thefoot of the steps leading to the piazza. Nor even then; she had pickedup her skirt and mounted several steps daintily before she heard hername and raised her eyes. Then her face changed. The glance ofsurprise, it is true, was immediately followed by a smile of civilgreeting; but the look of rapt happiness was gone; and somehow nobodyon the piazza felt the change to be flattering. She accepted quietlyTom's hand, given partly in greeting, partly to assist her up the laststeps, and faced the group who were regarding her.
"How delightful to find you here, Miss Lothrop!" said Julia, – "and howstrange that people should meet on the Isles of Shoals."
"Why is it strange?"
"O, because there is really nothing to come here for, you know. I don'tknow how we happen to be here ourselves. – Mr. Lenox, MissLothrop. – What have you found in this desert?"
"You have been spoiling Appledore?" added Tom.
"I don't think I have done any harm," said Lois innocently. "There isenough more, Mr. Caruthers."
"Enough of what?" Tom inquired, while Julia and her friend exchanged aswift glance again, of triumph on the lady's part.
"There is a shell," said Lois, putting one into his hand. "I think thatis pretty, and it certainly is odd. And what do you say to those whiteviolets, Mr. Caruthers? And here is some very beautiful pimpernel – andhere is a flower that I do not know at all, – and the rest is what youwould call rubbish," she finished with a smile, so charming that Tomcould not see the violets for dazzled eyes.
"Show me the flowers, Tom," his mother demanded; and she kept him byher, answering her questions and remarks about them; while Julia askedwhere they could be found.
"I find them in quite a good many places," said Lois; "and every timeit is a sort of surprise. I gathered only a few; I do not like to takethem away from their places; they are best there."
She said a word or two to Mrs. Wishart, and passed on into the house.
"That's the girl," Julia said in a low voice to her lover, walking offto the other end of the verandah with him.
"Tom might do worse," was the reply.
"George! How can you say so? A girl who doesn't know common English!"
"She might go to school," suggested Lenox.
"To school! At her age! And then, think of her associations, and herignorance of everything a lady should be and should know. O you men! Ihave no patience with you. See a face you like, and you lose your witsat once, the best of you. I wonder you ever fancied me!"
"Tastes are unaccountable," the young man returned, with a lover-likesmile.
"But do you call that girl pretty?"
Mr. Lenox looked portentously grave. "She has handsome hair," heventured.
"Hair! What's hair! Anybody can have handsome hair, that will pay forit."
"She has not paid for