plighted lovers now; there was no secret, no hiding
anything from one another.

By Dolores' wish I only waited to reach England to tell her father of
my love for her and ask him for her.

"And do you think he will give you to me, darling?" I asked one
beautiful night, when we were sitting out a waltz at a ball at the
house of a grandee at Valoro. "Do you think he will give you to an
Englishman?"

"Considering that he gave his sister away to an Englishman I don't see
how he can refuse me to you, dearest," she answered. "At any rate I
think I can persuade him."

Yes, I believed she could, she looked capable of persuading the angels
themselves, in her dress of white silk, cut rather low, with a string
of pearls round her neck worth about the value of the winner of the
Derby.

Towards the last few days of our stay in Aquazilia, when we were all,
even Lady Ethel, surfeited with dancing, and St. Nivel and I began to
look askance at banquets, Don Juan came to me one day and took me aside
into his garden.

I purposely led him away from the direction of the reptile houses of
which I had a holy horror, and we sauntered down a shady avenue of
palms.

"There is one place of interest near Valoro, Mr. Anstruther," he said,
"which I should much like to show you and Lord St. Nivel if he cares to
come, and that is the great Trappist Monastery at San Juan del Monte,
about ten miles from here."

"By Jove!" I answered, "that is the very place I should like to see!
I'm your man at any time."

"If you can be up by seven to-morrow morning," continued the old man,
"we can motor over in the cool of the day. I know it is asking a good
deal of you, because we have this evening to attend the reception of
your minister, and then go on to the ball at Donna Elvira della
Granja's. At the earliest we shall not be in bed till two, I fear."

"Never mind," I answered, "a cold tub usually puts me straight after a
late night, and I am particularly anxious to see some real live monks
in real cells."

"You will see both there in dozens," replied d'Alta; "there are nearly
three hundred monks there."

Despite the dissipation of the night, six o'clock the next morning saw
me out of bed, and 7.45 found me dressed for the road and as fresh from
my cold bath as if His Britannic Majesty's Minister at Valoro had not
given a reception at all, and Donna Elvira della Granja's ball had
never taken place, though I certainly put in an appearance at th