f he had been able to see the
younger sister alone; but that was impossible, for the sisters were
inseparable. One evening, however, the Don offered to take them to
the cathedral to see some ceremony. Ida declined, but the other
eagerly accepted.

So Buttons for the first time in his life found himself alone with
the maid of his heart. It was a solemn season.

Both were much embarrassed. Buttons looked as though he had
something dreadful to tell; the Senorita as though she had
something dreadful to hear. At length Buttons began to tell the
story of his many searches, pursuits, wanderings, etc., in search of
her, and particularly his last search at Florence, in which he had
grown disheartened, and had made up his mind to follow her to Spain.
At last he came to the time when he caught up to them on the road.
He had seen them first. His heart told him that one of the ladies
was Ida. Then he had lost all control of himself, and had leaped
down to rescue her.

The Spanish nature is an impetuous, a demonstrative, a fiery
nature. The Senorita was a Spaniard. As Buttons told all this in
passionate words, to which his ardent love gave resistless eloquence,
her whole manner showed that her heart responded. An uncontrollable
excitement filled her being; her large, lustrous eyes, bright with
the glow of the South, now beamed more luminously through her tears,
and--in short: Buttons felt encouraged--and ventured nearer--and,
almost before he knew it himself, somehow or other, his arm had got
round a slender waist!

While the Senorita trembled--timidly drew back--and then all was
still!--except, of course, whisperings--and broken sentences--and
soft, sweet......Well, all these were brought to an abrupt close by
the return of the Don and his sister.

As they entered the room they saw Buttons at one end, and the
Senorita at the other. The moonbeams stole in softly through the
window.

"Why did you not call for a light?"

"Oh, it is so pleasant in the moonshine!"

At the end of a few weeks there came the great, the unlooked-for,
the unhoped-for news--the Peace of Villafranca! So war was over.
Moreover, the road was open. They could go wherever they wished.

Buttons was now strong enough to travel. Dick and the Senator
were as well as ever. The news of the Peace was delightful to
the travellers.

Not so, however, to the Bolognese. They railed at Napoleon. They
forgot all that he had done, and taunted him with what he had