They sat down beside him so as to shelter him, and he fell
fast asleep. When he woke, he found his head in Kate's lap, and her
parasol casting a cool green shadow over him. His mother had gone
again. Having made these discoveries, he closed his eyes, and
pretending to be still asleep, lay in a waking dream. But dreams
themselves must come to an end. Kate soon saw that his face was awake,
although his eyes were closed.
"I think it is time we went into the house, Alec," she said. "You have
been asleep nearly an hour."
"Happy so long, and not know it?" returned he, looking up at her from
where he lay.
Kate blushed a little. I think she began to feel that he was not quite
a boy. But he obeyed her like a child, and they went in together.
When Annie vanished among the stooks after the rejection of her offered
shadow, a throbbing pain at her heart kept her from returning to the
reapers. She wandered away up the field towards a little old cottage,
in which some of the farm servants resided. She knew that Thomas Crann
was at work there, and found him busy rough-casting the outside of it.
"Ye're busy harlin', Thomas," said Annie, for the sake of saying
something.
Pages:
480
481
482
483
484
485
486
487
488
489
490
491
492
493
494
495
496
497
498
499
500
501
502
503
504