ight 'help him entertain the ladies.'

Even now I am not certain that Miss Ross was not a party to the plot
by which we first found ourselves alone upon the Plaza; and a moment
later saw our guard and Miss Jenrys afloat upon the Grand Basin,
luxuriously established, because of the invalid, of course, in a
canopied gondola, and looking as innocent as if they did not perfectly
well know that their picturesque gondolier could not understand the
least word of English.

We watched them until they passed under the bridge of the bears at the
south end of the north canal, and when they came out into the lagoon
and turned westward as if to skirt the island, I turned to my
companion.

'Does she speak Italian?'

'June? No; she is a good German scholar, and loves the language. She
speaks French also, and reads Spanish well; but Italian, no, I am sure
not.'

'Then he does!' I declared, 'and he has set those fellows to paddling
around the island. Miss Ross, let us go and see the cliff dwellers,'
and we went.

When our two lovers were gliding slowly along the shores of the
island, in the shadows of its western side, our guard turned toward
June, and after a long look into the eyes which she dropped, at last
said, softly and slowly:

'June--you did not rebuke me when I called you so at the hospital when
I was ill; may I call you June now?'

'Yes, because now you are an invalid.' There was a little smile
lurking at the corners of her mouth, but he went on gravely:

'Thank you, June; and now may I begin where I should have begun that
evening when you sent me from you----'

'Stop, please! I could not speak of that miserable time until you--I
mean since you have approached the matter, let me ask your pardon for
the insult I then offered you. I have felt all the time since those
first hours that there was somehow a hideous blunder, and now my
reason has been enlightened. I should not have doubted. Forgive me!'

'June, don't! How could I blame you, knowing as I now do how you were
deceived? It is noble of you, but don't ask my pardon when----'

'But I want your pardon! Do you think it humiliates me to ask pardon
for a wrong I have done? I am too proud not to do it, Mr. Lossing.'

And so gliding along that fair water-way, isolated, yet with all the
world around them, those two settled the question of questions; and
then, with minds and hearts at ease, and beauty all about them, their
thoughts became less serious, and she bega