"Or mine," suggests St. John, ironically; "put it as strongly as you can." "Or yours, if you like," she answers, hardily, but crimsoning painfully meanwhile in confirmation of her words. At a little distance farther on, their path forsakes the road and leads across a line of grass fields. St. John crosses the first stile, and waits politely on the other side to help Esther over. "No, no!" she cries, petulantly, withdrawing her foot from the first rung--"I hate being helped over stiles. Go on, please." He obeys, and walks on. Her dignity does not allow her to hurry her pace to overtake him, nor does his permit him to slacken his steps till she come up with him; and they walk on in single file, goose-fashion, through two fields and a half. Dividing and watering the third field, as the four ancient rivers divided and watered the rose gardens and asphodel fields of Paradise, a little beck, with many turns and bends and doublings back upon itself, strays babbling, like a silver ribbon twisted among the meadow's green hair. It is not like the Welsh brooks, fretful and brawling, making little waterfalls and whirlpools and eddies over and about every water-worn stone; smoothly it flows on, as a holy, eventless life flows towards the broad sea whose tides wash the shores of Time. In dry weather it is slow-paced enough, and crystal clear; now the late heavy rains have quickened its current, and rolled it along, turbid and muddy. Even though swollen, however, it is still but a narrow thread, and St. John clears it at a jump. "Shall I go on still?" he asks, with a malicious smile from the other side, addressing Esther, who stands looking down rather ruefully at the quick, brown water at her feet. "I believe you knew of this, and brought me here on purpose to make a fool of me," she cries, reproachfully. "I did nothing of the kind," he answers, quietly. "Last time I was here there was a plank thrown across; but you see the stream has been higher than it is now" (pointing to the drenched grass and little deposit of sticks and leaves on the bank), "and has probably carried it away." "How _am_ I to get over?" she asks, hopelessly, with a look of childish distress on her face. "I'll carry you," he answers, springing back to her side; "the brook is shallower farther down; I can lift you over with the greatest ease imaginable." "_That_ you shan't!" answers Esther, civilly turning her back upon him. "May I ask why?" he asks, coolly. "After the number of times I have carried you up and down stairs at Felton, you can hardly be afraid of my letting you fall?" "The very fact of my having already had so many obligations to you makes me resolved not to add to their number," she replies, stiffly, with an effort to look dignified, which her laughing, _débonnaire_, seductive style of beauty renders peculiarly unsuccessful. "If you can suggest any better plan, I shall be delighted to assist you in carrying it out," rejoins he, smothering a smile.