Diana smiled. "I never found it dull," she said. Nevertheless, the contrast smote her more and more, between what Mr. Knowlton was accustomed to in his world, and the very plain, humdrum, uneventful, unadorned life she led in hers. And this elegant creature, whose very dress was a sort of revelation to Diana in its perfection of beauty, she seemed to the poor country girl to put at an immense distance from Mr. Knowlton those who could not be charming and refined and exquisite in the like manner. Her gloves,--one hand rested on Diana's arm, and pulled a little too;--what gloves they were, for colour and fit and make! Her foot was a study. Her hat might have been a fairy queen's hat. And the face under it, pretty and gay and wilful and sweet, how could any man help being fascinated by it? Diana made up her mind that it was impossible. The rambling path through the woods brought the party out at last upon a wild barren hill-side, where stones and a rank growth of blackberry bushes were all that was to be seen. Only far off might be had the glimpse of other hills and of patches of cultivation on them; the near landscape was all barrenness and blackberries. "But where are the rest of the people?" said Mrs. Reverdy with her faint laugh. "Are we alone? I don't see anybody." "They are gone on--they are picking," Diana explained. "Hid in this scrubby forest of bushes," said her brother. "Have we got to go into that forest too?" "If you want to pick berries." "I think we'll sit here and let the rest do the picking," said Mrs. Reverdy, looking with charming merriment at Gertrude. But Gertrude was not so minded. "No, I'm going after berries," she said. "Only, I don't see where they are. I see bushes, and that is all." "Just here they have been picked," said Diana. "Farther on there are plenty." "Well, you lead and we'll follow," said Mr. Knowlton. "You lead, Miss Starling, and we will keep close to you."