it was
enough to her that he was by her side, and that acts like these came
from him to her. In her mind all the past and all the future were
forgotten, and there was nothing but an enjoyment of the present.

Their journey lay through regions which presented every thing that
could charm the taste or awaken admiration. At first there was the
grandeur of Alpine scenery. From this they emerged into the softer
beauty of the Italian clime. It was the Simplon Road which they
traversed, that gigantic monument to the genius of Napoleon, which is
more enduring than even the fame of Marengo or Austerlitz; and this
road, with its alternating scenes of grandeur and of beauty, of glory
and of gloom, had elicited the utmost admiration from each. At
length, one day, as they were descending this road on the slope
nearest Italy, on leaving Domo d'Ossola, they came to a place where
the boundless plains of Lombardy lay stretched before them. There the
verdurous fields stretched away beneath their eyes--an expanse of
living green; seeming like the abode of perpetual summer to those who
looked down from the habitation of winter. Far away spread the plains
to the distant horizon, where the purple Apennines arose bounding the
view. Nearer was the Lago Maggiore with its wondrous islands, the
Isola Hella and the Isola Madre, covered with their hanging gardens,
whose green foliage rose over the dark blue waters of the lake
beneath; while beyond that lake lay towns and villages and hamlets,
whose far white walls gleamed brightly amidst the vivid green of the
surrounding plain; and vineyards also, and groves and orchards and
forests of olive and chestnut trees. It was a scene which no other on
earth can surpass, if it can equal, and one which, to travelers
descending the Alps, has in every age brought a resistless charm.

This was the first time that Hilda had seen this glorious land. Lord
Chetwynde had visited Naples, but to him the prospect that lay
beneath was as striking as though he had never seen any of the
beauties of Italy. Hilda, however, felt its power most. Both gazed
long and with deep admiration upon this matchless scene without
uttering one word to express their emotions; viewing it in silence,
as though to break that silence would break the spell which had been
thrown over them by the first sight of this wondrous land. At last
Hilda broke that spell. Carried away by the excitement of the moment
she started to her feet, and stood e