and he
was mortified, and mortification is hard to a man. For the matter of
that, it is hard to anybody. It was not till the villa occupied by the
Thayers was close before them that he spoke again.

"Do you expect to stay much longer in Italy?"

"I am afraid not," Dolly answered.

"I have reason to think Mr. Copley will not. Indeed, I know as much. I
thought you might like to be informed."

Dolly said nothing. Her eyes roved over the beautiful bay, almost with
an echo of Eve's "Must I then leave thee, Paradise?" in her heart. The
smoke curling up from Vesuvius caught the light; little sails skimming
over the sea reflected it; the sweetness of thousands of roses and
orange blossoms, and countless other flowers, filled all the air; it
was a time and a scene of nature's most abundant and beautiful bounty.
Dolly checked her donkey, and for a few minutes stood looking; then
with a brave determination that she would enjoy it all as much as she
could while she had it, she went into the house.

CHAPTER XXIX.

WHITHER NOW?

The days that followed were full of pleasure; and Dolly kept to her
resolution, not to spoil the present by care about the future. Indeed,
the balmy air and the genial light and all the wealth that nature has
bestowed upon southern Italy, were a help to such a resolution. The
infinite lavish fulness of the present quite laughed at the idea of
barrenness or want anywhere in time to come. Dolly knew that was
nature's subtle flattery, not to be trusted, and yet she willingly
admitted the flattery. Nothing should spoil these days.

One evening she and Christina were sitting again on the bank, wondering
at the marvellous sunset panorama.

"How difficult it is, looking at this," said Dolly, "to believe that
there is want and misery in the world."

"Why should you believe it?" said Christina. "I don't think there is,
except where people have brought it upon themselves."

"People bring it upon other people. But to look at this, one would say
it was impossible. And this is how the world was meant to be, I
suppose."

"What do you mean? how?" said Christina. "It is rich to hear you talk."

"Oh, look at it, Christina! Look at the colours and the lights and the
sparkle everywhere, the perfect wealth of loveliness in form as well as
colour; and if you think a minute you will know that He who made it all
meant people to be happy, and meant them to be as full of happiness as
the earth is full of beauty."