of her
meeting with Bertha, who, quite revived, was in the sitting-room to greet
her, and seemed to expand like a plant in the sunshine, under the
influence of those sweet brown eyes. Her liveliness and drollery awoke,
and her sister was proud that her new friend should see her cleverness
and intelligence; but all the time the likeness to that photograph
continued to haunt Phoebe's mind, as she continued to discover more
resemblances, and to decide that if such were impressed by the Christian
name, Bertha was a little witch to detect it.

Afternoon came, and as usual they all walked seawards. As Bertha said,
they had had enough of the heights, and tried going towards the sea, as
their new friend wished, although warned by the Fulmorts that it was a
long walk, the _etangs_, or great salt-pools, spoiling the coast as a
beach. But all were brave walkers, and exercise always did Bertha good.
They had lovely views of the town as they wound about the hills, and
admired its old streets creeping up the hill, and the two long wings
stretching on either side. An iron cross stood up before the old church,
relieved by the exquisite radiance of the sunset sky. 'Ah!' said Honor,
'I always choose to believe that is the cross to which the legend
belongs.' 'Tell it, please, Miss Charlecote,' cried Maria.

And Honor told a veritable legend of Hyeres:--A Moorish princess, who had
been secretly baptized and educated as a Christian by her nurse, a
Christian slave, was beloved by a genie. She regarded him with horror,
pined away, and grew thin and pale. Her father thought to raise her
spirits by marrying her, and bestowed her on the son of a neighbouring
king, sending her off in full procession to his dominions. On the way,
however, lay a desert, where the genie had power to raise a sand-storm,
with which he overwhelmed the suite, and flew away with the princess.
But he could not approach her; she kept him at bay with the sign of the
cross, until, enraged, he drove her about on a whirlwind for three days,
and finally dashed her dead upon this coast. There she lay, fair as an
almond blossom, and royally robed, and the people of Hyeres took her up
and gave her honourable burial. When the king her father heard of it, he
offered to reward them with a cross of gold of the same weight as his
daughter; but, said the townsmen, 'Oh, king, if we have a cross of gold,
the Moors will come and slay us for its sake, therefore give us the gold