poke almost at once, and Von Ibn was
conscious of sharing a divine sense of relief with her as he replied:

"He is gone alone to Vienna!"

It was as if a heavy cloud had been lifted from her horizon. She sank
down in one of the big easy-chairs and he dragged another close, very
close to her side.

"Not so near!" she exclaimed, a little frightened.

He withdrew the chair two inches and fixed his eyes hungrily upon her
face.

"Has it been long to you?" he asked, his tone one of breathless
feeling.

And then she realized to the full how very long it had been, and
confessed the fact in one great in-drawn sigh.

"Why did you go so far?" she demanded.

"It was one step beyond the another; I have no idea but of the Tagernsee
when we leave."

"You've been gone weeks!"

He leaned forward and seized her hand again.

"Was it so long?" he questioned softly.

"You know that I only saw my cousin just that one evening!" she had the
face to say complainingly.

"Yes," he said sympathetically; "he is so nice, your cousin. I have
learned to like him so very much; we have really great pleasure
together. But," he added, "I did not come back to talk of him."

"Why did you come back?" she asked, freeing herself and pushing her
chair away.

He smiled upon her.

"You ask?" he said, in amusement; "shall I say that it was to see you?"

"I hope that you did not return on my account."

He paused, twisting his moustache; then started a little and said:

"No, I am returned wholly for business."

Rosina received the cold douche with a composure bred of experience, and
after a liberal interval he went on.

"But I wanted also to see you too."

"Well, you are seeing me, are you not?"

"Yes, but you do not smile as before your cousin is come. I want you to
smile. Oh," he exclaimed, suddenly interrupting himself, "have you ride
horseback since I left?"

"Oh, yes, almost every day."

His face clouded slightly.

"Who have you ride with?"

"With my friends who are here, and twice with the lieutenant."

Then his face clouded very heavily.

"Is he interesting?" he asked; "yes?"

"It was the Englischergarten that was wonderful," she told him. "We rode
very early in the morning and the dew was on the grass and we could hear
the pheasants in the underbrush when the noise of the horses' feet
frightened them further away."

"And the lieutenant?" he asked.

"And oh," she continued, "you know that place where the woods open