sed, admired, understood,
appreciated in his tastes, his cultivation, his artistic aspirations,
his ideals, his dreams, all the noblest parts of his spirit and his
life. And his highest ambition was to fill her heart.

She had now been ten days at Schifanoja, and in those ten days how
entirely she had subjugated him! They had conversed sometimes for hours
seated on the terrace or on one of the numerous marble benches scattered
about the grounds or in the long rose-bordered avenues, while Delfina
sped like a little gazelle through the winding paths of the orange
groves. In her conversation she displayed a charming flow of language,
many gems of delicate yet keen observation, occasionally affording
glimpses of her inner self with a candour that was full of grace; and
when speaking of her travels, she would often, by a single picturesque
phrase, call up before Andrea's eyes wide vistas of distant lands and
seas. On his part, he did his utmost to show himself to the best
advantage, to impress upon her the wide range of his culture, the
refinement of his taste, the exquisite keenness of his susceptibilities,
and his heart swelled with pride when she said in tones of unfeigned
sincerity after reading his _Story of the Hermaphrodite_--

'No music has ever carried me away like this poem, nor has any statue
ever given me such an impression of harmonious beauty. Certain lines
haunt me persistently, and will continue to do so for long, I am
sure--they are so intense.'

As he sat now on the marble balustrade, he was thinking of these words
of hers. Donna Maria was no longer in the loggia, the awning concealed
the whole space between the pillars. Perhaps she would soon be
down--should he write the madrigal he had promised her? But even the
slight effort necessary for writing the lines thus in hot haste seemed
intolerable to him here in the wide and opulent garden, blossoming under
the September sunshine in a sort of magical Spring. Why disturb these
rare and delicious emotions by a hurried search after rhymes? why
reduce this far reaching sentiment to a brief metrical sigh?

He resolved to break his promise and remained as he was, idly watching
the sails on the distant horizon, like fiery torches outshining the sun.

But as time went on, he grew restless and nervous, turning round every
minute to see if a feminine form had not appeared between the columns of
the vestibule which gave access to the steps--'Was this then a love
tr