in a buggy. Afraid as I was of a collision, I was enjoying
myself very much, when suddenly a horrid thing happened. A great white
light pounced upon us like a hawk on a chicken, and focussed on us as if
we were a tableau. It was so bright, shining all over us and into our
eyes, that it made everything else except just the Prince and me, and
our boat, look black, as if it were raining ink. And we were so taken
aback with surprise, that for an instant or two we kept our position
exactly as if we were sitting for our photographs, the Prince kneeling
at my feet and kissing my hands, I bending down my face over his head.

I never experienced such a moment in my life, and the thought flashed
into my head that it was Simon's ghost come to forbid my second
marriage. This idea was so frightful, that it was actually a relief to
hear a vulgar shout of laughter coming from the other end of the light,
wherever that was.

The Prince recovered before I did, and jerked himself up to a sitting
posture on the seat, exclaiming something in German, which I am afraid
was swearing.

[Illustration: _A great white light pounced upon us like a hawk on a
chicken_]

"Those Italian ruffians of the _douane_, with their disgusting
search-light!" he sputtered in English when he was recovering himself a
little. "But do not derange yourself, Countess. They have seen that
we are not smugglers, which is one advantage, because they will not
trouble us any more."

All this time the light was in our faces, and the hateful customs people
could see every feature, down to the shortest eyelash. When they did
turn the horrid white stream in another direction, I felt as weak as if
the search-light had been a stream of cold water.

I tried not to be hysterical, but I couldn't help crying and laughing
alternately, especially when the Prince would have taken my hands and
begun all over again.

"'Ware the light!" I gasped, as nervous as a cat that hears a mouse in
the wall. And though I really did want the Prince to propose to me, and
was anxious to say that I would be his princess, in the circumstances I
was as thankful as I was astonished to hear Beechy's voice calling to me
across the water.

In five minutes more a row-boat containing all the members of our party
came alongside, and the lights in our bow and theirs showed us their
faces, though the moon was still hiding her face in her hands with a
pair of black gloves on.

"We _thought_ you'd gone dow