Alice Reade held herself aloof from it -- not disdainfully , but as one to whom these things were of small importance . She was very fond of books and solitary rambles ; she was not at all shy but she was as sensitive as a flower ; and after a time Carlisle people were content to let her live her own life and no longer resented her unlikeness to themselves . She boarded with the Armstrongs , who lived beyond Golden Milestone around the hill of pines . Until the snow disappeared she went out to the main road by the long Armstrong lane ; but when spring came she was wont to take a shorter way , down the pine hill , across the brook , past Jasper Dale 's garden , and out through his lane . And one day , as she went by , Jasper Dale was working in his garden . He was on his knees in a corner , setting out a bunch of roots -- an unsightly little tangle of rainbow possibilities . It was a still spring morning ; the world was green with young leaves ; a little wind blew down from the pines and lost itself willingly among the budding delights of the garden . The grass opened eyes of blue violets . The sky was high and cloudless , turquoise-blue , shading off into milkiness on the far horizons . Birds were singing along the brook valley . Rollicking robins were whistling joyously in the pines . Jasper Dale 's heart was filled to over-flowing with a realization of all the virgin loveliness around him ; the feeling in his soul had the sacredness of a prayer . At this moment he looked up and saw Alice Reade . She was standing outside the garden fence , in the shadow of a great pine tree , looking not at him , for she was unaware of his presence , but at the virginal bloom of the plum trees in a far corner , with all her delight in it outblossoming freely in her face . For a moment Jasper Dale believed that his dream love had taken visible form before him . She was like -- so like ; not in feature , perhaps , but in grace and colouring -- the grace of a slender , lissome form and the colouring of cloudy hair and wistful , dark gray eyes , and curving red mouth ; and more than all , she was like her in expression -- in the subtle revelation of personality exhaling from her like perfume from a flower . It was as if his own had come to him at last and his whole soul suddenly leaped out to meet and welcome her . Then her eyes fell upon him and the spell was broken . Jasper remained kneeling mutely there , shy man once more , crimson with blushes , a strange , almost pitiful creature in his abject confusion . A little smile flickered about the delicate corners of her mouth , but she turned and walked swiftly away down the lane .
Jasper looked XXXXX her with a new , painful sense of loss and loveliness .
Until about after as at by down from in outside