us?' said Edith,
with a sarcastic air.

'I don't think she would find it interesting enough,' Nan answered,
calmly.

When, after dinner, they went out on to the balcony above the garden,
they found that the wonders of the night had already begun. Far on the
other side of the lake the houses of Cadenabbia were all ablaze with
millions of small gold points, the yellow glow from which glimmered
down on the black water. Then in the garden here, there were rows upon
rows of Chinese lanterns, of all colours, just moving in the almost
imperceptible breeze; while along the shore, the villas had their
frontage-walls decorated with brilliant lines of illuminated cups, each
a crimson, or white, or emerald star. Moreover, at the steps of the
terrace below, there was a great bustle of boats; and each boat had its
pink paper lantern glowing like a huge firefly in the darkness; and
there was a confusion of chaffering and calling with brightly dressed
figures descending by the light of torches, and disappearing into the
unknown. Then these boats began to move away--with their glow-worm
lanterns swaying in the black night. The hotel seemed almost deserted.
There was silence along the shores.

By and by, at a great distance, they beheld a wonderful thing come
slowly into view--far away in the open space of darkness that they knew
to be the lake. It was at first only a glow of crimson; but as it came
nearer, this glow separated into points, each point a ruby-coloured
shaft of fire, and they saw that this must be a steamer illuminated by
red lamps. And then another steamer, and another, came sailing up,
with different colours gleaming; until one, far higher than the
others--a great mass of glittering gold--appeared in the midst of them,
and round this all the fleet of small boats, that were, of course, only
distinguishable by their parti-coloured lanterns, seemed to gather.

'That is the steamer that has the musicians, clearly,' said Frank King.

'Yes; but I don't hear any music,' answered Edith, in a voice that
seemed rather ominous.

They sat and waited. The last of the guests had got into the small
boats and gone away; they were left alone in front of the big hotel.
The moon was rising behind the hills in the south, and already the
surface of the lake was beginning to declare itself--a dull blue-black.

'I cannot hear the least sound; is it possible they can be playing?'
said Edith, disappointedly.

It was a beautiful