The Story of Kilmeny 
     
    
   
   
    
     been a long time telling it, as I dare say 
     
     you think. But the past just seemed to 
     
     be living again for me as I talked. If you 
     
     don’t want to be pestered with questions 
     
     about Kilmeny Gordon, Master, you’d 
     
     better not let on you’ve seen her.” 
     
    

    
     Eric was not likely to. He had heard 
     
     all he wanted to know and more. 
     
    

    
     “ So this girl 1s at the core of the trag- 
     
     edy,” he reflected, as he went to his 
     
     room. “ And she is dumb! The pity of 
     
     it! Kilmeny! The name suits her. She 
     
     is as lovely and innocent as the heroine 
     
     of the old ballad. ‘ And oh, Kilmeny 
     
     was fair to see.’ But the next line is cer- 
     
     tainly not so appropriate, for her eyes 
     
     were anything but ‘ still and steadfast ’ 
     
     —after she had seen me, at all events.” 
     
    

    
     He tried to put her out of his thoughts, 
     
     but he could not. The memory of her 
     
     beautiful face drew him with a power he 
     
     could not resist. The next evening he 
     
     went again to the orchard. 
     
    
   
   
    
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