By Berwen Banks

"Yes, indeed," answered the girl, standing beside him with a strangely

beating heart, "it is beautiful! I saw the sky through the chapel

window, and I was thinking it would be very nice down here. There's

bright and clear the moon is!"

They were walking now across the beach, at the edge of the surf.

"It reminds me of something I read out to uncle last night. It was out

of one of his old Welsh poets--Taliesin, or Davydd ap Gwilym, or

somebody. It was about the moon, but indeed I don't know if I can put

it into English."

"Try," said Cardo.

"'She comes from out the fold

And leads her starry flock among the fields of night.'"

"Dog-eared? But they are indeed," she said, laughing. "But how do you

know? They may be gold and leather, and spic and span from the

bookseller's, for all you know."

"No, I have seen them, and have seen you reading them."

"Seen me reading them? How? Where?"

"Last night I was under the elder bushes, and saw you reading to your

uncle. I watched you for a long time."

Valmai was silent.

"You are not vexed with me for that?"

She was still silent; a tumult of happy thoughts filled her mind. He

had found his way to Dinas! He had thought it worth while to stand

under the night sky and watch her! It was a pleasant idea, and,

thinking of it, she did not speak.

"Tell me, Valmai, have I offended you?"

"Offended me? Oh, no; why should you? But indeed it was very foolish

of you, whatever. If you had come in and listened to the reading it

would be better, perhaps," she said laughingly.

"If I had come in, what would your uncle have said? He would have been

very angry."

"Well, indeed, yes; I was forgetting that. He is very hospitable, and

glad to see anybody who comes in to supper; but I don't think," she

added, with a more serious air, "that he would be glad to see you. He

hates the Church and everything belonging to it."

"Yes. How wearisome all this bigotry is. My father hates the chapels

and all belonging to them."

"Perhaps you and I will begin to hate each other soon," said Valmai, as

they reached the boulders through which the Berwen trickled.

It was absolutely necessary that Cardo should help her over the

slippery stones, and with her hand in his she stepped carefully over

the broad stream, subsiding into quietness as it reached the sea. At

last she was safely over, and as he reluctantly dropped her hand he

returned to the subject of conversation.