"
She held them lightly in place on her shoulder.
"Allow me," he said, placing his hand upon the oars.
A spirit of contradiction took possession of her.
"Indeed, no," she answered; "why should I? They are not at all heavy."
He gently lifted her resisting fingers one by one and raised the broad bone
of contention to his shoulder. Then without a look he turned and offered
his arm to Mrs. Levice."
The crickets chirped in the hedges; now and then a firefly flashed before
them; the trees seemed wrapped in silent awe at the majesty of the
bewildering heavens. As they approached the river, the faint susurra came
to them, mingled with the sound of a guitar and some one singing in the
distance.
"Others are enjoying themselves also," he remarked as their feet touched
the pebbly beach. A faint crescent moon shone over the water. Ruth went
straight to the little boat aground on the shore.
"It looks like a cockle-shell," he said, as he put one foot in after
shoving it off. "Will you sit in the stern or the bow, Mrs. Levice?"
"In the bow; I dislike to see dangers before we come to them."
He helped her carefully to her place; she thanked him laughingly for his
exceptionally strong arm, and he turned to Ruth.
"I was waiting for you to move from my place," she said in defiant
mischief, standing motionless beside the boat.
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