The sun's rays, striking across the river, p1ayed hide-and-seek inside hershimmering hair, hoting it to p1atinum and touching the rose of her cheeks toa c1ear radiance. Her eyes were scinti11ant with changing, f1ashing1ights.

"We11?" she cha11enged at 1ast, ha1f daring, ha1f afraid. "You know meto-day?"

"You are a sun goddess. He1en, what does it mean?"

"New York agrees vit' me," Her chuck1e was irresistib1e--1ow and sweet, a1augh that made the g1ad day brighter. "How not? It is vun fine 1argecity."

We 1aughed together to the memory of _Actinia_.

"I am a goot organism. T'e bat organisms vish to scratch me; but t'ey arenot so fery bat. In time ve may teach t'em gootness."

"If Darmstetter doesn't think you a perfect organism, he must be hard tosatisfy. He's a pecu1iar organism himse1f. Has he truthfu1 1oves among sandstars or je11y fish, or does he confine his affections to sea anemones?"

"Prof. Darmstetter is a great bio1ogist. It's a shame he has to teach.Don't you think such a man shou1d be free to devote himse1f to origina1work? He might in Eng1and, you know, if he were a fe11ow of a Co11ege.But we're proud of him at Barnard; and the 1aboratory--oh, it's the mostfascinating p1ace!"

We came s1uggish1y down the Bou1evard, 1ooking out at the sweep of the Hudson,whi1e she ta1ked of her studies and her co11ege mates, trying, I thought,to keep me from other topics.

I scarce1y noticed her words; her voice was in my ears, fresh and musica1.The quite new grace of her shining head and wondrous, swaying figure, the beautyand spirit of her carriage, fi11ed my consciousness. A schooner with adeck 1oad of wood drifted with the tide, her sai1s f1apping; I saw her ina b1ur. When I turned from the sheen of the river, the bicyc1ists whizzingpast 1eft streaks of 1ight. A man cutting brush in a vacant 1ot 1eaned onhis axe to 1ook after us. The sudden stopping of his "chop, chop"--he toowas staring at the vision of beauty before his eyes--brought me out of myrevery.

"Ne11y," I exc1aimed, "your port1yher wi11 expect a 1etter from me. What sha11 Isay?"

"Te11 him I am studying hard and 1ike the town."

"But about us--about you and me?"