ng close
to him, and in that one moment he felt as though she were dedicated to
him as his own.

Their last meeting was to take place on the following morning, but as
he was not leaving till the evening of that day he suggested that very
probably he might contrive to meet her once more in the afternoon. And
then he left her as one bewitched. Under the tranquillising influence
which her presence brought, he went that very afternoon to seek Luigi,
found him in his apartments, and apologised. He acknowledged that it
was not Luigi's fault that he should by chance have met his cousin in
the street, nor that she should have spoken to him; and as regarded his
having laughed----

"But we were not laughing at you," declared the terrified Amorin.

"And even if you were, you would have been almost justified. I can see
now how ludicrous I made myself in my excitement."

He held out his hand to Luigi, who grasped it eagerly, and, after a few
incoherent words, Mansana took his leave in the same spirit of
confident self-satisfaction in which he had come. The little
lieutenant, who throughout this interview had felt as though he were in
the presence of his executioner, was now seized with a bewildering
sense of joy at his departure. He jumped about the room, and broke into
a loud peal of laughter. Mansana, who was still upon the staircase,
heard the laughter, and stopped to listen. Luigi shuddered at the
thought of his own carelessness, and the next moment heard some one
knocking at the door. He was too much alarmed to say "Come in," but
Mansana walked in without waiting for this.

"Was it you I heard laughing?" he asked.

"Upon my honour, no," answered Amorin, with a gesture of denial.

Mansana glanced briefly round the room and departed.

But no sooner was he gone than Luigi's sense of elation and relief once
more returned. He could not control it, and as he did not dare to shout
or jump, and felt he must share his joy with somebody, he went off to
the military _cafe_, where his little story created a welcome diversion
amongst his brother officers. To the accompaniment of their wine, they
rained their witticisms over the unfortunate captain, who on the eve of
his marriage with a princess could create a scandal by falling in love
with the daughter of a little pensioner. Of all this Major Sardi,
Mansana's friend, was a witness.

Mansana's last meeting on the hill took place next morning. It began
long before the usual time,