notice
Mansana till the captain's vulturine visage was scowling close beside
his own, and he could feel his hot breath on his cheek.

Amanda uttered one of her little screams, her father was struck dumb
with a sudden alarm, and Luigi contrived to disappear into the crowd.

The next moment Amanda had laid her arm through Mansana's, and he felt
a warm little gloved hand on his, and saw two delicious, half-closed
eyes, full of witchery, apprehension, and appeal, looking up into his
face. They had just made their way out of the thickest of the throng so
that conversation was possible, and he heard a voice, fit to call the
angels into heaven, say: "Papa and I were in great danger. It was
fortunate we had some one to help us," and he felt the gentle pressure
of her hand.

Mansana had seen those same eyes dwelling on Luigi's, and there pulsed
through his brain a thought destined to come back to him often enough
afterwards, though for the moment it passed away as soon as it was
formed. "What a silly, senseless business," he thought, "is all this in
which I am entangled."

But the little prattler at his side ran on: "Poor Luigi found us in the
crowd. Papa asked him to help us, and he did it without a word. Why, we
have never even thanked him." Then directly after: "It is charming that
you have not gone yet. You must come home with us, so that we can have
a comfortable chat. We had such a pleasant one the last time."

Her round, young bosom fluttered under its silken prison, a glimpse of
her dainty wrist showed white above her glove, the points of her tiny
feet stole out provokingly beneath her petticoat, the rosy little mouth
quivered with its burden of prattle and smiles, and the two half shaded
eyes met his with shy confidence. Mansana walked home with them.

He did not mention Luigi's name, though it was fixed like the barb of
an arrow in his heart, and fastened the closer the more exquisite she
seemed. The strife between love and anguish robbed him of speech. But
Amanda's sweet lips only moved the faster, while she made him sit down
and brought out fruit, which she peeled herself and offered to him. She
seemed so glad that their morning meetings need not yet come to an end;
she even suggested an excursion a little farther up the mountains on
which they might adventure the next day, when she would bring breakfast
with her. But still he could only utter a few monosyllables. He could
not cloud this innocent idyll with th