Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Brownfox and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net BY MYRTLE REED LOVE LETTERS OF A MUSICIAN LATER LOVE LETTERS OF A MUSICIAN THE SPINSTER BOOK LAVENDER AND OLD LACE PICKABACK SONGS THE SHADOW OF VICTORY THE MASTER'S VIOLIN THE BOOK OF CLEVER BEASTS AT THE SIGN OF THE JACK-O'-LANTERN A SPINNER IN THE SUN LOVE AFFAIRS OF LITERARY MEN FLOWER OF THE DUSK OLD ROSE AND SILVER SONNETS TO A LOVER MASTER OF THE VINEYARD [Illustration: "She was not looking at him now, but far across the valley where the vineyard lay." _Chapter Four._ _From the painting by Blendon Campbell_] MASTER OF THE VINEYARD BY MYRTLE REED [Illustration] G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS New York and London The Knickerbocker Press 1910 COPYRIGHT, 1910 BY MYRTLE REED McCULLOUGH Published, September, 1910 Reprinted, September, 1910 October, 1910 The Knickerbocker Press, New York [Sidenote: Dedication] TO ALL WHO HAVE LOVED IN VAIN [Sidenote: Contents] Contents CHAPTER PAGE I--THE HILL OF THE MUSES 1 II--BROWN ALPACA 14 III--THE CRYSTAL BALL 29 IV--APRIL'S SUN 45 V--THE HOUSE OF THE BROKEN HEART 61 VI--MORE STATELY MANSIONS 76 VII--A LETTER AND A GUEST 91 VIII--"WHOM GOD HATH JOINED" 106 IX--A SPRING DAY 122 X--A LITTLE BROWN MOUSE 137 XI--THE HOUR OF THE TURNING NIGHT 154 XII--ASKING--NOT ANSWER 170 XIII--THE STAIN OF THE ROSE 185 XIV--THE LIGHT BEFORE A SHRINE 200 XV--THE INLAID BOX 215 XVI--ONE LITTLE HOUR 230 XVII--THE LAST TRYST 245 XVIII--STARBREAK 260 XIX--IF LOVE WERE ALL 273 XX--"THE LADY TRAVELLER" 288 XXI--THE WEAVING OF THE TAPESTRY 302 XXII--EACH TO HIS OWN WORK 315 XXIII--BETROTHAL 330 XXIV--THE MINISTER'S CALL 345 XXV--A WEDDING 359 Master of the Vineyard I The Hill of the Muses [Sidenote: From the Top of the Hill] The girl paused among the birches and drew a long breath of relief. It was good to be outdoors after the countless annoyances of the day; to feel the earth springing beneath her step, the keen, crisp air bringing the colour to her cheeks, and the silence of the woods ministering to her soul.