heaven--the lovely,
laughing river, the rippling foliage, the gorgeous trees, the quaint old
hostelry, the hundreds of blooming flowers--the golden sunlight pouring
over all. Sorrow, care and death might come to-morrow, when the sky was
gray and the water dull; but not to-day. Oh, lovely, happy to-day.
Beautiful sun and balmy wind, blooming flowers and singing birds. Lord
Chandos made a comfortable seat for Leone on the river bank, and sat
down by her side. They did not remember that they had been wedded
lovers, or that a tragedy lay between them; they did not talk of love or
of sorrow, but they gave themselves up to the happiness of the hour, to
the warm, golden sunshine, to the thousand beauties that lay around
them. They watched a pretty pleasure-boat drifting slowly along the
river. It was well filled with what Lord Chandos surmised to be a picnic
party, and somewhat to his dismay the whole party landed near the spot
where he, with Leone, was sitting. "I hope," he thought to himself,
"that there is no one among them who knows me--I should not like it, for
Leone's sake."

The thought had hardly shaped itself in his mind, when some one touched
him on the arm. Turning hastily he saw Captain Harry Blake, one of his
friends, who cried out in astonishment at seeing him there, and then
looked in still greater astonishment at the beautiful face of Madame
Vanira.

"Lady Evelyn is on board the Water Witch," he said. "Will you come and
speak to her?"

The handsome face of Lord Lanswell's son darkened.

"No," he replied, "pray excuse me. And--Harry, say nothing of my being
here. I rowed down this morning. There is no need for every one in
London to hear of it before night."

Captain Harry Blake laughed; at the sound of that laugh Lord Chandos
felt the greatest impulse to knock him down. His face flushed hotly, and
his eyes flashed fire. Leone had not heard one word, and had
persistently turned her face from the intruder, quite forgetting that in
doing so she was visible to every one on the boat. Lady Evelyn Blake was
the first to see her, and she knew just enough of life to make no
comment. When her husband returned she said to him carelessly:

"That was Madame Vanira with Lord Chandos, I am sure."

"You had better bring stronger glasses or clearer eyes with you the next
time you come," he replied, laughingly, and then Lady Evelyn knew that
she was quite right in her suspicions. It was only a jest to her and she
though