This painting, also known as 'Amy,' appears to have been an oil study for the landscape in 'The Long Engagement' (1902P13). The subject matter is very similar although in this composition the man is absent. Here, the young woman, Amy, appears to be waiting for her lover. As she adjusts her hair in preparation for meeting him, her eye rests on her name carved in the bark of the tree. Hanging from the tree are branches of ivy, symbolising the passing of time, and suggesting that the couple have been meeting secretly over a long period.

Hughes used the shawl worn by Amy in his later painting 'April Love' (1855-56, oil on canvas, Tate, London).