As we went on she told me that she had not had much practice, as it had been but a few weeks since she had become the possessor of a wheel, and that this was the first trip she had ever taken by herself.  She had always gone in company with some one, but to-day she had thought she was able to take care of herself, like other girls.  Finding her so entirely free from conventional embarrassment, I made bold to give her a little advice on the subject of wheeling in general, and she seemed entirely willing to be instructed.  In fact, as I went on with my little discourse I began to think that I would much rather teach girls than boys.  At first sight the young person under my charge might have been taken for a school-girl, but her conversation would have soon removed that illusion.

We had not proceeded more than a mile when suddenly I felt a very gentle tap on the end of my nose, and at the same moment the young lady turned her head towards me and exclaimed:  “It’s going to rain!  I felt a drop!”

“I will walk faster,” I said, “and no doubt I will get you to your house before the shower is upon us.  At any rate, I hope you won’t be much wet.”

“Oh, it doesn’t matter about me in the least,” she said.  “I shall be at home and can put on dry clothes, but you will be soaked through and have to go on.  You haven’t any coat on!”

If I had known there was any probability of rain I should have put on my coat before I started out on this somewhat unusual method of travelling, but there was no help for it now, and all I could do was to hurry on.  From walking fast I began to trot.  The drops were coming down quite frequently.

“Won’t that tire you dreadfully?” she said.

“Not at all,” I replied.  “I could run like this for a long distance.”

[Illustration:  “I put on my coat”]

She looked up at me with a little smile.  I think she must have forgotten the pain in her foot.

“It must be nice to be strong like that,” she said.

Now the rain came down faster, and my companion declared that I ought to stop and put on my coat.  I agreed to this, and when I came to a suitable tree by the road-side, I carefully leaned her against it and detached my coat from my bicycle.  But just as I was about to put it on I glanced at the young girl.  She had on a thin shirt-waist, and I could see that the shoulders of it were already wet.  I advanced towards her, holding out my coat.  “I must lay this over you,” I said.  “I am afraid now that I shall not get you to your home before it begins to rain hard.”

She turned to me so suddenly that I made ready to catch her if her unguarded movement should overturn her machine.  “You mustn’t do that at all!” she said.  “It doesn’t matter whether I am wet or not.  I do not have to travel in wet clothes, and you do.  Please put on your coat and let us hurry!”

I obeyed her, and away we went again, the rain now coming down hard and fast.  For some minutes she did not say anything; but I did not wonder at this, for circumstances were not favorable to conversation.  But presently, in spite of the rain and our haste, she spoke: