ingenious turn, the Colonel flattered himself,--to
account for the passion of a life-time as an incident of travel! He was
so exhilarated over this feat that he was emboldened to pursue the
subject. Besides, big Polly had not spoken, and he could not suffer any
tribute to the lady of his allegiance to go by default.

"What did you think of her, Polly?" he asked.

"I can only say," Pauline declared, with an earnestness of conviction
that was even more expressive than her sister's encomiums, "that if she
had not invited us girls to go in her gondola it would have spoiled the
afternoon."

"But the son is very nice; didn't you think so?" asked May, seized, in
her turn, with the spirit of investigation. "He didn't even seem
conceited, which clever people usually are."

"Yes, indeed! he is very nice; how did you like him, Uncle Dan?"

"Geof?" Uncle Dan repeated, rather absently; "How did I like Geof? Oh, I
should say he was turning out very well. But I thought you girls had the
best of it"; whence it may be gathered that Mrs. Daymond had not only
borrowed the two girls, but had offered her son as compensation to the
Colonel.

"How pretty the two gondolas will look going about together when we get
our new flags," said May. "It will be a regular little flotilla."

"Aren't you expecting a good deal of Mrs. Daymond?" Pauline demurred.

"Why of course we shall go about together. She said she hoped to see a
great deal of us while we were here."

The Colonel emptied his claret-glass, while a sense of warmth and
well-being stole through his veins, that made him think he must have
been mistaken about that ice.

"Are you going to fly the Stars and Stripes?" he asked. He had never
considered the prow of a gondola a very fitting situation for the flag
he had fought for,--but perhaps the Pollys knew best.

"No, indeed," said May. "We are going to have something ever so much
prettier than that."

"Ah, Polly! There's nothing prettier than the Stars and Stripes," the
Colonel protested.

"May means more original," said Pauline. "She has had one of her happy
thoughts."

"You see, Uncle Dan," May explained, "there are such a lot of national
flags on the gondolas, and it seems so stupid not to have something
different. So Mr. Daymond and I have concocted quite a new scheme,--or
rather the idea was mine and he is going to paint them. We are going to
have a sea-horse painted on red bunting, in tawny colors, golds and
browns; and