"You're a nice one," she was saying. "Here I am a trespasser through the grille and not a soul to greet me."
"Obviously; since here I am. It's Saturday, isn't it?"
"Oh," she laughed. "I merely changed my mind--my privilege, you know. I was a trifle stale. I thought it would do me good. But you don't seem in the least glad to see me."
I was--delighted. Joy was one of the things that made me dumb.
"I was just trying to realize--er--Won't you sit down? On a rock, I mean. Jerry's somewhere about. He'll be along in a minute."
The possible effect on Una of Jerry's guests, who also might be along in a minute, was just beginning to bewilder me.
"He was to meet me at the cabin. He'll be along presently. It will be a wonderful surprise. Suppose we hadn't been out here at all?"
"I was prepared to go all the way to the house. Nice of me, wasn't it? You know I promised Jerry some day I'd come to see his collection."
"He'll be delighted--Ho! There's his whistle now." I sounded the familiar call on my fingers and moved toward the cabin, but she stopped me.
"You're not to leave me, Mr. Canby, or I'll go."
"A chance meeting would have been different. This is premeditation. Don't leave me. Do you hear!"
I nodded and when Jerry came in sight I called him. He appeared in the path, a basket of wine in one hand, a fishing rod in the other.
"Hello, Roger," he shouted and then paused, setting the basket down.
"Why, it's Una!" he cried. "Una! What on earth--?"
"I was butterflying, and wandered through." She laughed. "I told you to have that railing mended."
"The necessity for that is past," he laughed gayly. "Oh, it's jolly good to see you."
He took her by both hands and held her off from him examining her delightedly.
"It seems like yesterday. I'm not sure it isn't yesterday that you broke in and I was going to throw you over the wall. Imagine it! You! You're just the same--so different from the sober little mouse of Blank Street. I believe you have on the very same clothes, the same gaiters--"
"Naturally. Do you think I'm a millionaire?"
Three was a crowd. I would have given my right hand to have transported the cabin and all the gay people expected there to the ends of the earth. In a moment the woods would be full of them. I was at a loss what to do, for when they came the bird would take flight, but Jerry seemed to have forgotten everything but the girl before him. It was a real enthusiasm and happiness that he showed, the first in weeks.