The girls cast an involuntary glance at each other, and when their eyes met, could not keep them from looking conscious. A twitching also at the corners of Mercy's mouth showed they had been saying more than they would care to be cross-questioned upon. "Ah, you betray yourselves, ladies!" Ian said. "It is all very well to challenge us, but you are not prepared to lead the way!" "Girls are never allowed to lead!" said Christina. "The men are down on them the moment they dare!" "I am not that way inclined," answered Ian. "If man or woman lead TO anything, success will justify the leader. I will propose another thing!" "What is it?" asked Christina. "To agree that, when we are about to part, with no probability of meeting again in this world, we shall speak out plainly what we think of each other!" "But that will be such a time!" said Christina. "In a world that turns quite round every twenty-four hours, it may be a very short time!" "We shall be coming every summer, though I hope not to stay through another winter!" "Changes come when they are least expected!" "We cannot know," said Alister, "that we shall never meet again!" "There the probability will be enough." "But how can we come to a better--I mean a FAIRER opinion of each other, when we meet so seldom?" asked Mercy innocently. "This is only the second time we have met, and already we are not quite strangers!" said Christina. "On the other hand," said Alister, "we have been within call for more than two months, and this is our second meeting!" "Well, who has not called?" said Christina. The young men were silent. They did not care to discuss the question as to which mother was to blame in the matter. They were now in the bottom of the valley, had left the road, and were going up the side of the burn, often in single file, Alister leading, and Ian bringing up the rear, for the valley was thickly strewn with lumps of gray rock, of all shapes and sizes. They seemed to have rolled down the hill on the other side of the burn, but there was no sign of their origin: the hill was covered with grass below, and with heather above. Such was the winding of the way among the stones--for path there was none--that again and again no one of them could see another. The girls felt the strangeness of it, and began to experience, without knowing it, a little of the power of solitary places. After walking thus for some distance, they found their leader halted. "Here we have to cross the burn," he said, "and go a long way up the other side." "You want to be rid of us!" said Christina. "By no means," replied Alister. "We are delighted to have you with us. But we must not let you get tired before turning to go back."