He had the mobile , smiling mouth of the picture , but his chin was deeper and squarer , dented with a dimple which , combined with a certain occasional whimsicality of opinion and glance , had caused Elder Trewin some qualms of doubt regarding the fitness of this young man for his high and holy vocation . The Rev. Jabez Strong had never indulged in dimples or jokes ; but then , as Elder Trewin , being a just man , had to admit , the Rev. Jabez Strong had preached many a time and oft to more empty pews than full ones , while now the church was crowded to its utmost capacity on Sundays and people came to hear Mr. Douglas who had not darkened a church door for years . All things considered , Elder Trewin decided to overlook the dimple . There was sure to be some drawback in every minister . Alan from his study looked down on all the length of the Rexton valley , at the head of which the manse was situated , and thought that Eden might have looked so in its innocence , for all the orchards were abloom and the distant hills were tremulous and aerial in springtime gauzes of pale purple and pearl . But in any garden , despite its beauty , is an element of tameness and domesticity , and Alan 's eyes , after a moment 's delighted gazing , strayed wistfully off to the north where the hills broke away into a long sloping lowland of pine and fir . Beyond it stretched the wide expanse of the lake , flashing in the molten gold and crimson of evening . Its lure was irresistible . Alan had been born and bred beside a faraway sea and the love of it was strong in his heart -- so strong that he knew he must go back to it sometime . Meanwhile , the great lake , mimicking the sea in its vast expanse and the storms that often swept over it , was his comfort and solace . As often as he could he stole away to its wild and lonely shore , leaving the snug bounds of cultivated home lands behind him with something like a sense of relief . Down there by the lake was a primitive wilderness where man was as naught and man-made doctrines had no place . There one might walk hand in hand with nature and so come very close to God . Many of Alan 's best sermons were written after he had come home , rapt-eyed , from some long shore tramp where the wilderness had opened its heart to him and the pines had called to him in their soft , sibilant speech . With a half guilty glance at the futile sermon , he took his hat and went out . The sun of the cool spring evening was swinging low over the lake as he turned into the unfrequented , deep-rutted road leading to the shore . It was two miles to the lake , but half way there Alan came to where another road branched off and struck down through the pines in a northeasterly direction . He had sometimes wondered where it led but he had never explored it . Now he had a sudden whim to do so and turned into it . It was even rougher and lonelier than the other ; between the ruts the grasses grew long and thickly ; sometimes the pine boughs met overhead ; again , the trees broke away to reveal wonderful glimpses of gleaming water , purple islets , dark feathery coasts .
Still , the road seemed to lead nowhere and XXXXX was half repenting the impulse which had led him to choose it when he suddenly came out from the shadow of the pines and found himself gazing on a sight which amazed him .
Alan Eden Rexton Strong abloom dimple dimples evening lowland years