Page 172 (1/1)

____________________

More guests arrived the next day to stay for the ball; the bedroo over one another, running up and down the stairs with babies and petticoats and trays of food; the floere arranged and placed on theroo out on the lawn Children ran after each other, nurses and mothers ran after children After dinner was served, I went upstairs to lie down before supper; but there were so many others there that I could not see a place to lie down, so instead, I went out onto the lawn

The children were all gone inside, their nurses having put them down for naps; theabout, having deep and inored them all and went to sit under a tree

The breeze was quite pleasant, and I relaxedmy eyes They jerked open when Robbie spoke

"Mrs Stewart," he said softly, "will you ith ht and looked at him "I wished to rest," I said

"Rest? Co Scot such as you are has no need of rest on a suue "Why, I'll warrant you could dance a reel right at this ue!"

"Very well; as you wish," I said

He took my hand and I stood; then he tucked my hand into his elbow as he had done earlier that day, in the garden We strolled without speaking down the lawn to the edge of the swamp and toward the creek When we reached it ent upward, toward the guest houses The path wound through the trees; Robbie stopped and released my hand, and took my face between his hands, and kissed ; he had never touched ently I put ue onto my lower lip and tasted the ruinous sweetness of hi e into my mouth As the faether, and I strained toward hith in me

"God help me, Jessie, God help ed hat sounded to ony