Well (with a passionate fling of her arms), she would extinguish her uncontrollable little beater for the nonce; she would meet and answer every one of his long glances in kind.
She wound a black lace shawl around her head, and with some wraps for her mother, came out.
"Hadn't you better put something over your shoulders?" he asked deferentially as she appeared.
"And disgust the night with lack of appreciation?"
She turned to a corner of the porch and lifted a pair of oars to her shoulder.
"Why," he said in surprise, coming toward her, "you keep your oars at home?"
"On the principle of 'neither a borrower nor a lender be;' we find it saves both time and spleen."
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.
"Your place? Ah, yes; now," he said, holding out his hand to her, "will you step in?"
She took his hand and stepped in; they were both standing, and as the little bark swayed he made a movement to catch hold of her.
"You had better sit down," he said, motioning to the rower's seat.
"And you?" she asked.
"I shall sit beside you and use the other oar," he answered nonchalantly, smiling down at her.
With a half-pleased feeling of discomfiture Ruth seated herself in the stern, whereupon Kemp sat in the contested throne.
"You will have to excuse my turning my back on you, Mrs. Levice," he said pleasantly.
"That is no hindrance to my volubility, I am glad to say; a back is not very inspiring or expressive, but Ruth can tell me when you look bored if I wax too discursive."
It was a tiny boat; and seated thus, Kemp's knees were not half a foot from Ruth's white gown.
"Will you direct me?" he said, as he swept around. "I have not rowed on this river for two or three years."
"You can keep straight ahead for some distance," she said, leaning back in her seat.
She could not fail to notice the easy motion of his figure as he rowed lightly down the river. His flannel shirt, low at the throat, showed his strong white neck rising like a column from his broad shoulders, and his dark face with the steady gray eyes looked across at her with grave sweetness. She would have been glad enough to be able to turn from the short range of vision between them; but the stars and river afforded her good vantage-ground, and on them she fixed her gaze.
