as making the solid green blinds at his window odorous of their native pine woods with its heat, an

excursion, of which they had all often talked, up the Canal of the Brenta. "Don Ippolito has got his permission-think of his not being able to go to

s," groaned the

self parted with her the evening before; and he observed with a guilty relief tha

im with another look, as if she now saw him for the first time, and gave him her hand in greeting. It was a beautiful hand; he co

waist by a chain. "Don Ippolito has been talking about the

last century, you might be the instructor, companion, and spiritual adviser of Illustrissima at the theatres, card-parties, and masquerades, all winter; and at this season, instead of going up the Brenta for a day's pleasure with us barbarous Yankees, you might be setting out with Illustrissima and all the 'Strissimi a

e. "But I never have thought of it with regret, because I have been preoccupied w

s speaking, and she now asked gravely, "But don't you t

those gayeties? I suppose the bad featur

em, are somehow elegant and refined, or at least refer to elegance and refinement. I don't say they're ennobling, but they're fascinating. I don't respect them, but I love them. When I think about the past of Venice, I don't care so much to see any of the heroically historical thin

e, and a shadow slipped from her face as her mother came rustling down the steps, catching at her drapery and shaking it into place. The young g

ugh to get it on straight for once. So I have. I am a fuss, and I don't deny it. At my time of life, it's much harder to make yourself shipshape than it

young person in the bloom of youth," ob

as Nina and the house-servant appeared with trays of dishes and cups. "So that we can start in a real picnicky spirit. I knew you'd think it a womanish lu

the expanse before the Giudecca, and then struck across the lagoon towards Fusina, past the island-church of San Giorgio in Alga, whose beautiful tower has flushed and darkened in so many pictures of Venetian sunsets, and past the Austrian lagoon forts with their coronets of guns threatening every point, and the Croatian sentinels pacing to and fro on their walls. They stopped long

e-stretching fields of green under a dome of perfect blue; against its walls only the soft curves of far-off hills were traced, and near at hand the tender forms of full-foliaged trees. The long garland of vines that festoons all Italy seemed to begin in the neighboring orchards; the meadows waved their tall grasses in the sun, and broke in poppies as the sea-waves break in iridescent spray; the well-grown maize shook its gleaming

er than anything in Venice, and they belonged, as far as the Americans were concerned, to a world as strange as any to which they should go in another life,-the world of a faded fashion and an alien history. Some of the villas were kept in a sort of repair; some were even maintained in the state of old; but the m

ced to the b

in its du

to ascend the canal, and by and by take a carriage at some c

alaces." Don Ippolito had celebrated the villa at Strà in this strain ever since they had spoken of going up the Brenta: now it was the magnificent conservatories and orangeries that he sang, now the vast garden with its statued walks between rows of clipt cedars and firs, now the stables with their stalls for numberless horses, now the palace itself with its frescoed halls and treasures of art and vertu. His

before the grand portal; but most of the houses were interesting only from their unstoried possibilities to the imagination. They were generally of stucco, and glared with fresh whitewash through t

pretty hard on us Americans, and forces people of sensibility into exile. What wouldn't cultivated persons give for a stretch of this street in the suburbs of Boston, or of your own Providence? I suppose the New Yorkers will be setting up something of the

ainters to send home the sentiment

t the garden over there where that amusing Vandal of an owner has just had his statues painted white: would our friends at home understand it? A whole history must be left unexpressed. I could only hint at an entire situation. Of course, people with a taste for olives would get the flavor; but even they would wonder that I chose such an unsuggestive bit. Why, it is just the most maddeningly suggestive thing to be found here! And if I may put it modestly, for my share in it, I think we two young Americans looking on at this supreme excess of the rococo, are the very essence of the sentime

, and I don't want it back. I'm glad that I'm American and that there is no past for me. I can't understand how

, Ferris by no means did; he had had enough of that subje

is my weakness. I wish I could paint it, but I can't; I'm a hundred years

with a furtive glance or two at Florida. When they returned to the boat, he b

the lady. "How very nicely

vain; you're alwa

to my drawing when I was a girl. And now, Florida-she wo

trouble themselves to be painters,"

bed hand; the painter made a grimace. "But you've made

I have taken Miss Vervain in the act of scorning

oud look is habitual with Florida; and I've heard people say-very good judges-th

in: the sketch is irretrievably imm

t turn up the corners of the

appearance of laug

priest, who had been listening intently to all thi

if trying to read some secret there. After a minute he handed i

sked Mrs.

hat her likeness must be sketched in color. Those lines are true, but th

ght, Don Ippolit

rs. Vervain. The painter fancied that Florida quelled in herself

no," answered

presses the greatest m

is, fascinated by the stare of angry pride wh

ly know how to characterize her habi

torily. "I'm tired of the subj

y, if I thought you looked like this, as a general thing, to a casual observer, I should consider it a reflection upon myself.

egan to wave her fan slowly

iestly smoothness, and a touch of something like invoked authority, such as a man might show who could dispense indulgences and inflict penances. "No one could help seeing her

my conduct at all!" she burst out with sudden violence, her visage flaming, and her blue eyes burning upon Don Ippol

ions, and opening the fan with a

said her mo

me from a foreigner's misapprehension, and at the worst it was good-natured and well-meant. "The girl is a perfect brute, as I thought in the beginning," the painter said to h

is heavy embarrassment no one seemed at ease but the author of it. She did not, to be sure, speak to Don Ippolito, but she followed her mother as usual with her assiduous cares, and she appeared tranquilly unconscious of the sarcastic civility with which Ferris rendered her any service. It was late in the afternoon when they got back to their boat and began to descend the canal towards Venice, and long before they reached Fusina the day had passed. A sunset of melancholy red, streaked with level lines of murky cloud, stretched across the flats behind them, and faintly tinged with its reflected light the eastern horizon which the towers and domes of Venice had not yet begun to break. The twilight came, and

h for now," said Ferris, bre

all mean?" ask

had bette

ith you," sai

!" replie

mained seated. "Aren't you going too

a; but I prefe

scene, and shone upon the figures of two fishermen, who bewailed themselves unintelligibly in the vibrant accents of Chiozza, and from time to time advanced upon the gond

d one of them the ca

bly, "these honest men accuse your gondoliers of

wildly abroad, "it was my own heart," he cried, letting the last vowel die away a

putting up her glasses, and trying with

e heart's blood of this respectable Dervish; that i

ey've no right to keep us here all nigh

d order to bombard Fusina, if they didn't mind me. But I'll see what I can do further in quality of courteous f

gnore. But what can I do? The commissary

speak a word; the windy lamentation of the fishermen rose and fell fitfully

rsuaded Mrs. Vervain to return to the gondola, Flor

her a browbeating air; but after a glance at his card, he gave a kind of roar of deprecation and apology. He had the ladies and Don Ippolito in out of the gondola, and led them to an upper chamber, where he made them all repose their hon

the Austrians are tyrants," said Mrs

ry begged pardon, and asked him to accompany him below, where he confronted the accused and the accusers. The tragedy was act

d by the trumped-up

nxious to return to Venice, and I wish to inflict no further displeasures u

one of them shrugged his shoulders and went out. He cam

, and picked it up that we might give it to the rightful owner. Bu

y flung themselves upon the rope, and lugged it of

amiable smile. "I am sorry that those

poor fellows it is a little matt

guests with effusion, following t

on their long-hindered return, had no mind save for the magical effect of his con

ficials who know too little,-like those guards; and there are some who know too much,-like the commissary's su

agoon, a fierce voice in Venetian shouted from the darkness, "Indrio, indrio!" (Back, back!) and a gleam of the moon through the pale, watery clou

," he continued, taking out his watch, and staring hard at it, "that if I were a disinterested person, and heard his suspicion met with the explanation that we were a little party out here for pleasure at half past twelve P. M., I should say he was right. At any rate we won't engage him in cont

nd fell out of his hand into the water. The gondola lurched, and then suddenly ran aground on the shallow. The sentry halted, dropped his gun from his shoulder, and ordered them to go on, while the g

't get on, it will be that man's duty to fire on us; he has no choi

d without warning, Don Ippolito, who had sat silent since they left Fusina, stepped over t

as the priest and the gondoliers clambered back

old these worthless rascals what to do, Don Ippolito

at on the little prow deck, and quietly dripping

about him. He'll die, I know he will-with that reeking skirt of his. If you must go i

roke, they were arrested by a sharp "Halt!" from the fort. An

at's an officer. If I had a little German ab

his arm. "I can speak Ger

tter speak it no

ned motionless; then the last comer politely replied, begging her to be in no uneasiness, made he

action, "I will buy a German Ollendorff to-morrow. The lang

anxieties and reproaches of Mrs. Vervain, renewed and reiterated at intervals. She drowsed after a while, and whenever she woke she thought they had just touched her own landing. By fits it was cloudy and moonlight; they began to meet peasants' boats going to the Rialto market; at last, they entered the

. What shall I do to him for my rudeness? You must tell me-you shall," she said in a fierce whisper,

to say wiser. I should think your own

the girl passionately; "it was

at to do," conclude

h her mother at the foot of the terrace stairs. "Don Ippolito," she cried, "I want to tell y

y stretched her

mbling sigh. He caught her hand in his held it tight,

a little s

polito can't cherish any resentment. If he does, he must come in and wash it out with a glass of wine-that's a good

ose more time, now; I must

rotest, or lay hold of him, he bowe

water in that way," she said, looking mechanic

s, "but I think we must allow that if we were in any danger, sticking there

" assented

we probably owe our lives to Don Ippolito's self-sacrifice and Miss Verva

gently. Her gentleness ignored the presence, the existence of

a glass of wine. I'm sent away, you see," said Fer

said Mrs. Vervain, giving h

l about her shoulders for the twentieth time that day, and softl