ging lamp to take their chocolate. To his
surprise the veranda was empty and dark; a light shining from the inner
drawing-room showed him his aunt in her armchair reading, alone. A
slight thrill ran over him: Cecily might be still in the garden! He
noiselessly passed the drawing-room door, turned into a long corridor,
and slipped through a grating in the wall into the lane that separated
it from the garden. The gate was still open; a few paces brought him
into the long alley of roses. Their strong perfume--confined in the
high, hot walls--at first made him giddy. This was followed by an
inexplicable languor; he turned instinctively towards the stone bench
and sank upon it. The long rows of calla lilies against the opposite
wall looked ghostlike in the darkness, and seemed to have turned their
white faces towards him. Then he fancied that ONE had detached itself
from the rank and was moving away. He looked again: surely there was
something gliding along the wall! A quick tremor of anticipation passed
over him. It was Cecily, who had lingered in the garden--perhaps to
give him one more opportunity! He rose quickly, and stepped towards the
apparition, which had now plainly resolved itself into a slight girlish
figure; it slipped on beneath the trees; he followed quickly--his
nervous hesitancy had vanished before what now seemed to be a half-coy,
half-coquettish evasion of him. He called softly, "Cecily!" but she did
not heed him; he quickened his pace--she increased hers. They were both
running. She reached the angle of the wall where the gate opened upon
the road. Suddenly she stopped, as if intentionally, in the clear open
space before it. He could see her distinctly. The lace mantle slipped
from her head and shoulders. It was NOT Cecily!

But it was a face so singularly beautiful and winsome that he was as
quickly arrested. It was a woman's deep, passionate eyes and heavy hair,
joined to a childish oval of cheek and chin, an infantine mouth, and a
little nose whose faintly curved outline redeemed the lower face from
weakness and brought it into charming harmony with the rest. A yellow
rose was pinned in the lustrous black hair above the little ear; a
yellow silk shawl or mantle, which had looked white in the shadows, was
thrown over one shoulder and twisted twice or thrice around the plump
but petite bust. The large black velvety eyes were fixed on his in
half wonderment, half amusement; the lovely lips were parted in ha