He walked slowly up Sturt Street, and as the afternoon was so warm,
thought he would go up to Lake Wendouree, which is at the top of the
town, and see if it was any cooler by the water. The day was
oppressively hot, but not with the bright, cheery warmth of a
summer's day, for the sun was hidden behind great masses of angry-
looking clouds, and it seemed as if a thunderstorm would soon break
over the city. Even Vandeloup, full of life and animation as he was,
felt weighed down by the heaviness of the atmosphere, and feeling
quite exhausted when he arrived at the lake, he was glad enough to
sit down on one of the seats for a rest.
The lake under the black sky was a dull leaden hue, and as there was
no wind the water was perfectly still. Even the trees all round it
were motionless, as there came no breeze to stir their leaves, and
the only sounds that could be heard were the dull croaking of the
frogs amid the water grasses, and the shrill cries of children
playing on the green turf. Every now and then a steamer would skim
across the surface of the water in an airy manner, looking more like
a child's clockwork toy than anything else, and Vandeloup, when he
saw one of these arrive at the little pier, almost expected to see a
man put in a huge key to the paddle wheels and wind it up again.
On one of the seats Vandeloup espied a little figure in white, and
seeing that it was Kitty, he strolled up to her in a leisurely
manner.
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