here, they decided not to start for home till
the last minute possible. A limit was set to the time they might linger
by the necessity for some degree of daylight in making the descent. From
the edge of the curving road the mountain dropped away without the
protection of any parapet.

When they had found their ideal place in which to sit on the warm earth
in the shade and look off over valleys and mountains into azure space,
Aurora at last consented to be still. She became dreamy, appeared
sweetly fatigued, and was for a long time mute.

Though the mere quality of her voice still had power to stir Gerald's
heart to pleasure, yet to be silent with Aurora was pleasure of a
different order from hearing her voice of rough velvet recount
preposterous events or propound humorous riddles.

* * * * *

It looked from where they sat as if the land had at some time been
fluid, and been tossing, green and purple, in a majestic storm, when
some great word of command had fixed it in the midst of motion, and the
waves became Apennines; then in an hour of peculiar affection for that
plot of the earth a faultless artist from the skies had been set to
oversee nature and man at their work there, and prevent the intrusion of
one note not in harmony with his most distinguished dream.

"If Italy should perish and all else remain," said Gerald, whose eyes
had been feasting on beauties of line and color such as he conceived
were not to be found outside this land of his idolatry, "the world would
be irreparably impoverished. If all the world besides should perish and
Italy remain, the world could still boast of infinite riches."

Aurora gave a nod of at least partial assent. She was growing accustomed
to the thought that Italy was the fairest of countries and Florence the
fairest of Italian cities. She found herself beginning to like this
creed.

In the quiet that descended upon them the native piety in each groped
for some acknowledgment to make of his consciousness at the moment of
unusual blessing. In him it took the form of a renewal, more devoted
perhaps than ever, of the determination to maintain an uncompromising
purity of aim in his work. The incomparable scene stimulated within him
a sense of power to produce things rivaling what lay under his eyes; he,
atom, rivaling his Maker in the creation of beauty. In her it was a
determination of greater loyalty toward the Provider of undeservedl