the close timber.

Helène and the Princess, only too eager to enjoy the freedom of the open air, put on their coats and sat sunning themselves under the sheltering wing of the house, drinking in the pine-laden air and filling their souls with the silent, imposing beauty of the forest-clad mountains. What a change from the rooms in the castle! Surely nature was kinder than man! She gave so freely of her bounteous treasures and asked nothing in return—nothing but the heart to feel and the spirit to enjoy her gifts. Helène looked at her companion and saw that her face had become clouded again. With a quick movement she drew close to her and put her arms about her, and thus they sat for many minutes in silent sympathy with each other. Nature is kind, but she is sadness-breeding even in her most generous moods, and it is then that the heart sends out its tendrils feeling for another heart. Perhaps that is why people are happier