shore. The river was so still when the launch came to rest that the poplars, caught by the sun, were reflected in the bay.
Throwing off his coat Dane moved along to the cabin, crept in and woke Valerie with kisses on her lips.
She roused herself regretfully out of her heavy sleep. “Oh, did you have to wake me?” she asked pathetically.
“You shall go straight to bed again and sleep all day if you want to. But come on and look.”
Weary as she was she knew this incurable romanticist of hers had something to show her, and that if she did not take it properly she would spoil his day. She rubbed her eyes and stretched herself, crawled out and got to her feet. Then she came to full awakeness in a moment. Never had he given her a hint of the tents, which she saw even before she took in the beauty of their setting. She ran her eyes over the whole place before she turned to him.
“You’ve just got everything I love,” she said hoarsely, and sat down on a seat to feast her eyes upon it.
“You really like it?”
“Oh, Dane, how could I help but like it? How do you find such lovely places?”
Pleased he went back to the engine, and ran the launch into the shelter at the end of the bay, where they transferred their things into the rowing boat. Valerie could hardly do her share of helping, so excited was she now with the charm of this retreat, with the prospect of a whole month with him, and when they had finally got all their stuff landed and he took her with the pride of a child to see how he had fixed things up inside she was overcome with delight. She turned with trembling lips and threw her arms about him, and stood close against him very still.
