'It must be very early,' observed Mildred, wearily. She was fatigued with her journey and the long vigil she had kept the preceding night, and felt a little discontented with the girl's birdlike activity.
'One ought not to be tired in Paradise,' returned Polly, reprovingly. 'Do people have aches and pains and sore hearts here, I wonder--in the valley of the Eden, as he called it--and yet Mr. Lambert looks sad enough, and so does Richard. Do you like Richard, Aunt Milly?'
'Very much,' returned Mildred, with signs of returning animation in her voice.
'Well, he is not bad--for an icicle,' was Polly's quaint retort; 'but I like Roy best; he is tiresome, of course--all boys are--but oh, those girls, Aunt Milly!'
'Well, what of them?' asked Mildred, in an amused voice. 'I am sure you could not judge of them last night, poor things; they were too shy.'
'They were dreadful. Oh, Aunt Milly, don't let us talk of them!'
'I am sure Olive is clever, Polly; her face is full of intelligence. Christine is a mere child.'
Polly shrugged her shoulders. She did not care to argue on such an uninteresting question. The little lady's dainty taste was offended by the somewhat uncouth appearance of the sisters. She changed the subject deftly.
'How the birds are singing! I think the starlings are building their nests under the roof, they are flying in and out and chirping so busily. How still it is on the fells! There is an old gray horse feeding by the bridge, and some red and white cattle coming over the side of the hill. This is better than your old Clapham pictures, Aunt Milly.'
'Roy says the river is a good way below, and that it is rather a dangerous place to climb. He thinks nothing of it--but then he is a boy! How blue the hills are this morning! They look quite near. But Roy says they are miles away. That long violet one is called the Nine Standards, and over there are Hartley Fells. We were out on the terrace last night, and he told me their names. Roy is very fond of talk, I think; but Richard stood near us all the time, and never said a word, except to scold Roy for chattering so much.'
'Richard was afraid the sound of your voices would disturb my brother.'
'That is the worst of it, as Roy says, Richard is always in the right. I don't think Roy is unfeeling, but he forgets sometimes; he told me so himself. We had quite a long talk when the others went in.'