e upon
enjoyment; Dolly fled from troublesome thoughts to the beauties of a
landscape, the marvels of a piece of mediaeval architecture, the
bewitchment of a bit of painting from an old master's hand; and tasted,
and lingered, and tasted over again in memory, all the beauty and the
marvel and the bewitchment. Lawrence smiled to himself at the thought
of what she would find in Venice.

"There's one thing I don't make out," Rupert broke in.

"Only one?" said Lawrence. But the other was too intent to heed him.

"It bothers me, why the people that could build such a grand church,
couldn't make better houses for themselves."

"Ah!" said Lawrence. "You manage that better in America?"

"If we didn't--I'd emigrate! We don't have such splendid things as that
old pile of stones,"--looking back at the dome,--"but our farmhouses
are a long sight ahead of this country."

"I guess, Rupert," Dolly remarked now, "the men that built the dome did
not build the farmhouses."

"Who built the dome, as you call it, then? But I don't see any dome;
there's only a nest of towers."

"The nobles built the great cathedrals."

"And if you went through one of _their_ houses," said Lawrence, "you
would not think they neglected number one. You never saw anything like
an old German _schloss_ in America."

"Then the nobles had all the money?"

"Pretty much so. Except the rich merchants in some of the cities; and
_they_ built grand churches and halls and the like, and made themselves
happy with magnificence at home in other ways; not architecture."

"I am glad I don't belong here," said Rupert. "But don't the people
know any better?"

"Than what?"

"Than to let the grand folks have it all their own way?"

"They were brought up to it," said Lawrence. "That's just what they
like."

"I expect they'll wake up some day," said Rupert. Which observation
Lawrence did not think worthy of answer; as it was ahead of the time
and of him equally.

They made no unnecessary delay now in going on to Venice. I think
Lawrence had had a secret design to see some one of the great gaming
watering-places; and they had come back to the banks of the Rhine on
purpose. But, however, both Dolly and her mother were in such haste
that he could not induce them by any motive of curiosity or interest to
stop. Dolly indeed had a great horror of those places, and did not
want, she said, to see how beautiful they were. She hoped for her
father's coming to them in Ven