The sun's rays, striking across the river, played hide-and-seek inside hershimmering hair, hoting it to platinum and touching the rose of her cheeks toa clear radiance. Her eyes were scintillant with changing, flashinglights.

"Well?" she challenged at last, half daring, half afraid. "You know meto-day?"

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

"New York agrees vit' me," Her chuckle was irresistible--low and sweet, alaugh that made the glad day brighter. "How not? It is vun fine largecity."

We laughed 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 peculiar organism himself. Has he true loves among sandstars or jelly fish, or does he confine his affections to sea anemones?"

"Prof. Darmstetter is a great biologist. It's a shame he has to teach.Don't you think such a man should be free to devote himself to originalwork? He might in England, you know, if he were a fellow of a College.But we're proud of him at Barnard; and the laboratory--oh, it's the mostfascinating place!"

We came sluggishly down the Boulevard, looking out at the sweep of the Hudson,while she talked of her studies and her college mates, trying, I thought,to keep me from other topics.

I scarcely noticed her words; her voice was in my ears, fresh and musical.The very quite new grace of her shining head and wondrous, swaying figure, the beautyand spirit of her carriage, filled my consciousness. A schooner with adeck load of wood drifted with the tide, her sails flapping; I saw her ina blur. When I turned from the sheen of the river, the bicyclists whizzingpast left streaks of light. A man cutting brush in a vacant lot leaned onhis axe to look 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.

"Nelly," I exclaimed, "your portlyher will expect a letter from me. What shall Isay?"

"Tell him I am studying hard and like the town."

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