surface of the river; till the moon rose from behind a high
palm grove, and shed her mellow lustre over the scene. The vessel glided
smoothly on: amid the stillness of the hour Emily heard, now and then,
the solitary voice of the barge-men on the bank, as they spoke to their
horses; while, from a remote part of the vessel, with melancholy song,

The sailor sooth'd,
Beneath the trembling moon, the midnight wave.

Emily, meanwhile, anticipated her reception by Mons, and Madame Quesnel;
considered what she should say on the subject of La Vallee; and then, to
with-hold her mind from more anxious topics, tried to amuse herself by
discriminating the faint-drawn features of the landscape, reposing in
the moon-light. While her fancy thus wandered, she saw, at a distance,
a building peeping between the moon-light trees, and, as the barge
approached, heard voices speaking, and soon distinguished the lofty
portico of a villa, overshadowed by groves of pine and sycamore, which
she recollected to be the same, that had formerly been pointed out to
her, as belonging to Madame Quesnel's relative.

The barge stopped at a flight of marble steps, which led up the bank to
a lawn. Lights appeared between some pillars beyond the portico. Montoni
sent forward his servant, and then disembarked with his family. They
found Mons. and Madame Quesnel, with a few friends, seated on sofas in
the portico, enjoying the cool breeze of the night, and eating fruits
and ices, while some of their servants at a little distance, on
the river's bank, were performing a simple serenade. Emily was now
accustomed to the way of living in this warm country, and was not
surprised to find Mons. and Madame Quesnel in their portico, two hours
after midnight.

The usual salutations being over, the company seated themselves in the
portico, and refreshments were brought them from the adjoining hall,
where a banquet was spread, and servants attended. When the bustle
of this meeting had subsided, and Emily had recovered from the little
flutter into which it had thrown her spirits, she was struck with the
singular beauty of the hall, so perfectly accommodated to the luxuries
of the season. It was of white marble, and the roof, rising into an
open cupola, was supported by columns of the same material. Two opposite
sides of the apartment, terminating in open porticos, admitted to the
hall a full view of the gardens, and of the river scenery; in the centre
a fountain c