The Lady of the Forest

"And then," said Rachel, throwing up her hands and raising her eyebrows-"and then, when they got into the heart of the forest itself, just where the shade was greenest and the trees thickest, they saw the lady coming to meet them. She, too, was all in green, and she came on and on, and--" "Hush, Rachel!" exclaimed Kitty; "here comes Aunt Grizel." The girls, aged respectively twelve and nine, were seated, one on a rustic stile, the other on the grass at her feet; a background of splendid forest trees threw their slight and childish figures into strong relief. Rachel's hat was tossed on the ground and Kitty's parasol lay unopened by her side. The sun was sending slanting rays through the trees, and some of these rays fell on Kitty's bright hair and lit up Rachel's dark little gypsy face.