ase of the mountain and
upwards by even gradations upon its southern flank, the sun rose higher
in the heavens, and the locusts broke into their summer song among the
hedges with that even, long-drawn, humming note, so sweet to southern
ears. But Corona did not feel the heat, nor notice the dust upon the way;
she was in a new state, wherein such things could not trouble her. The
first embarrassment of a renewed intimacy was fast disappearing, and she
talked easily to Giovanni of many things, reviewing past scenes and
speaking of mutual acquaintances, turning the conversation when it
concerned Giovanni or herself too directly, yet ever and again coming
back to that sweet ground which was no longer dangerous now. At last, at
a turn in the road, the grim towers of ancient Saracinesca loomed in the
distance, and the carriage entered a vast forest of chestnut trees, shady
and cool after the sunny ascent. So they reached the castle, and the
sturdy horses sprang wildly forward up the last incline till their hoofs
struck noisily upon the flagstones of the bridge, and with a rush and a
plunge they dashed under the black archway, and halted in the broad court
beyond.

Corona was surprised at the size of the old fortress. It seemed an
endless irregular mass of towers and buildings, all of rough grey stone,
surrounded by battlements and ramparts, kept in perfect repair, but
destitute of any kind of ornament whatever. It might have been even now a
military stronghold, and it was evident that there were traditions of
precision and obedience within its walls which would have done credit to
any barracks. The dominant temper of the master made itself felt at every
turn, and the servants moved quickly and silently about their duties.
There was something intensely attractive to Corona in the air of strength
that pervaded the place, and Giovanni had never seemed to her so manly
and so much in his element as under the grey walls of his ancestral home.
The place, too, was associated in history with so many events,--the two
men, Leone and Giovanni Saracinesca, stood there beside her, where their
ancestors of the same names had stood nearly a thousand years before,
their strong dark faces having the same characteristics that for
centuries had marked their race, features familiar to Romans by countless
statues and pictures, as the stones of Rome themselves--but for a detail
of dress, it seemed to Corona as though she had been suddenly transporte