Both sat looking upward.

“Do you ever pray?” he asked her in a low voice.

“No.”

“I never do; but I might when I look up there. I will tell you,” he added, in a still lower voice, “where I could pray. If there were a wall of rock on the edge of a world, and one rock stretched out far, far into space, and I stood alone upon it, alone, with stars above me, and stars below me — I would not say anything; but the feeling would be prayer.”

There was an end to their conversation after that, and Doss fell asleep on her knee. At last the night-wind grew very chilly.

“Ah,” she said, shivering, and drawing the skirt about her shoulders, “I am cold. Span-in the horses, and call me when you are ready.”

She slipped down and walked toward the house, Doss stiffly following her, not pleased at being roused. At the door she met Gregory.

“I have been looking for you everywhere; may I not drive you home?” he said.

“Waldo drives me,” she replied, passing on; and it appeared to Gregory that she looked at him in the old way, without seeing him. But before she had reached the door an idea had occurred to her, for she turned.

“If you wish to drive me you may.”

Gregory went to look for Em, whom he found pouring out coffee in the back room. He put his hand quickly on her shoulder.

“You must ride with Waldo; I am going to drive your cousin home.”

“But I can’t come just now, Greg; I promised Tant’ Sannie Muller to look after the things while she went to rest a little.”

“Well, you can come presently, can’t you? I didn’t say you were to come now. I’m sick of this thing,” said Gregory, turning sharply on his heel. “Why must I sit up the whole night because your step-mother chooses to get married?”

“Oh, it’s all right Greg, I only meant — — ”

But he did not hear her, and a man had come up to have his cup filled.

An hour after Waldo came in to look for her, and found her still busy at the table.

“The horses are ready,” he said; “but if you would like to have one dance more I will wait.”

She shook her head wearily.

“No; I am quite ready. I want to go.”

And soon they were on the sandy road the buggy had travelled an hour before. Their horses, with heads close together, nodded sleepily as they walked in the starlight; you might have counted the rise and fall of their feet in the sand; and Waldo in his saddle nodded drowsily also. Only Em was awake, and watched the starlit road with wide-open eyes. At last she spoke.

“I wonder if all people feel so old, so very old, when they get to be seventeen?”

“Not older than before,” said Waldo, sleepily, pulling at his bridle.