resses his uninjured hand upon his heart, bows again,
and retires.

Slowly the crowd disperses.

Lady Ruth completely ignores the colonel, but that veteran is not
crushed by any means. He watches the capricious maiden with a quizzical
light in his eye, which shows that he has not yet lost confidence in the
kindness of fate, or his own charms as a beau.

Lionel Blunt's success in life has come from the fact that he has ever
been ready to watch his chance and take advantage of every possible
opportunity.

So night settles over Malta, over the dreamy, blue Mediterranean, over
the singular city of Valetta, where this little company of tourists have
been temporarily marooned, and where Doctor Chicago, aided by fate, has
been enabled to make his first charge upon the heart of the proud
English girl, Lady Ruth.

CHAPTER IV.

A WORLD-WIDE SEARCH.

It is a night of nights, destined to mark, as with a white stone, the
progress of at least two life currents that have until recently flown
contentedly on, each in its own individual channel.

Valetta, being a city of the Italian school, makes much ado over the
coming of Lent. The people, as if to prepare for six weeks of fasting,
indulge in all manner of feasting.

Even the Mohammedans, who are present in no small numbers, join the
festivities, for they, too, have a period of fasting, according to the
example set by the prophet, and commanded in the Koran.

Hence Valetta is very gay when night comes on; fancy Chinese lanterns
hang in the streets, music is heard on every hand, and laughing,
good-natured crowds jostle elbows in a way that would horrify a high
caste Hindoo.

Valetta has long been known as the headquarters of the famous Order of
Malta. The representative commanderies of different nations have their
inns, each called an _auberge_, on the principal streets, while the
palace of the Grand Master is three hundred feet on each side, facing
four streets, with a large square in front known as the Piazza St.
Giorgio.

A small tower on the top known as the _Torretta_ is used as a station
from which men-of-war are signaled.

Everywhere can be seen the insignia of this ancient order, the white
Maltese cross on a blood-red field, arousing thoughts of men in armor,
the crusades, and much that is stirring and romantic in the history of
the centuries that are gone.

A student of history would find much to entrance him in this peculiar
hill-side city on the Br