ile all the world
below was shut away in a dense fog. Indeed, as the various groups idly
walked about or stood and talked--their shadows sharply cut as out of
ebony on the white stone--the whole scene was most extraordinary; for it
appeared as though these people were the sole occupants of some region
in cloud-land--a clear-shining region raised high above the forgotten
earth.

"Lehmann is lucky," Lionel said to Nina. "I thought his moonlight effect
was going to be a failure."

Miss Girond came up, in an eager and excited fashion.

"Nina!"

"What is it, Estelle?"

"Monsieur of the pretty face," she said, in a whisper, "oh, so sad he
was all dinner!--regarding Miss Burgoyne, and she coquetting, oh,
frightful, frightful!--but it is all right now--he was at the door when
we come out--he takes her hand--'How you do, Miss Burgoyne?'--'Oh, how
you do, Mr. Miles?'--and he leads her away before she can go to any one
else. And there--away down there--do you see them? He has compensation,
do you think?"

She drew Nina a little aside, and sang into her ear--

"--Ce soir, as-tu vu
La fille a notre maitre,
D'un air resolu
Guettant a sa fenetre?
Eh bien! qu'en dis tu?
--Je dis que j'ai tout vu,
Mais je n'ai rien cru;
Je l'aime, je l'aime,
Je l'aime quand meme!"

and then she broke into a malicious laugh.

"What are you two conspiring about, now?" Lionel asked--from the bench
on which he had carelessly seated himself, the better to enjoy his
cigar.

"You must know the consequence of doing a good action, Leo," Nina said
to him. "Do you see the black bushes--yonder--and the two figures?
Estelle says it is Miss Burgoyne and the young gentleman who would have
been all alone but that you intercede. Is he not owing a great deal to
you?"

"Well, Nina, if there is any gratitude in woman's bosom, Miss Burgoyne
ought to be indebted to me too. She has got her pretty dear. I dare say
he would have managed to procure a little interview with her, in some
surreptitious way, in any case--I dare say that was his intention in
coming down; but now that he is one of the party, one of the guests, she
can talk to him before every one. And since I have been the means of
bringing the pair of turtle-doves together, I hope they're happy."

"Ah, Leo, you do not understand," Nina said to him--for Miss Girond was
now talking to Mr. Carey, who had come up.

"I don't understand what?"

"You d