They went down, and saw where the falls ought to be.  The artist said it was a sort of dry-plate process, to be developed in the mind afterwards; Mr. King likened it to a dry smoke without lighting the cigar; and the doctor said it certainly had the sanitary advantage of not being damp.  The party even penetrated the Platerskill Cove, and were well rewarded by its exceeding beauty, as is every one who goes there.  There are sketches of all these lovely places in a certain artist’s book, all looking, however, very much alike, and consisting principally of a graceful figure in a great variety of unstudied attitudes.

“Isn’t this a nervous sort of a place?” the artist asked his friend, as they sat in his chamber overlooking the world.

“Perhaps it is.  I have a fancy that some people are born to enjoy the valley, and some the mountains.”

“I think it makes a person nervous to live on a high place.  This feeling of constant elevation tires one; it gives a fellow no such sense of bodily repose as he has in a valley.  And the wind, it’s constantly nagging, rattling the windows and banging the doors.  I can’t escape the unrest of it.”  The artist was turning the leaves and contemplating the poverty of his sketch-book.  “The fact is, I get better subjects on the seashore.”

“Probably the sea would suit us better.  By the way, did I tell you that Miss Lamont’s uncle came last night from Richmond?  Mr. De Long, uncle on the mother’s side.  I thought there was French blood in her.”

“What is he like?”

“Oh, a comfortable bachelor, past middle age; business man; Southern; just a little touch of the ‘cyar’ for ‘car.’  Said he was going to take his niece to Newport next week.  Has Miss Lamont said anything about going there?”

“Well, she did mention it the other day.”

The house was filling up, and, King thought, losing its family aspect.  He had taken quite a liking for the society of the pretty invalid girl, and was fond of sitting by her, seeing the delicate color come back to her cheeks, and listening to her shrewd little society comments.  He thought she took pleasure in having him push her wheel-chair up and down the piazza at least she rewarded him by grateful looks, and complimented him by asking his advice about reading and about being useful to others.  Like most young girls whose career of gayety is arrested as hers was, she felt an inclination to coquet a little with the serious side of life.  All this had been pleasant to Mr. King, but now that so many more guests had come, he found himself most of the time out of business.  The girl’s chariot was always surrounded by admirers and sympathizers.  All the young men were anxious to wheel her up and down by the hour; there was always a strife for this sweet office; and at night, when the vehicle had been lifted up the first flight, it was beautiful to see the eagerness of sacrifice exhibited by these young fellows to wheel