laying not only his gallantry, but his fine voice and
handsome figure.

Down rattled the carriage at last, accompanied, to Amanda's dismay, by
three of the Colonel's friends, who had evidently received a hint of
the affair, and had come to have a hand in it.

With much bowing of the gentlemen, and much prancing of their fine
horses, Amanda was handed to her seat, and went lumbering back to the
hotel with her splendid escort careering about her, to the great
edification of the town.

When the rescued damsel told the tale to her mates, Matilda tore her
hair and lamented that she had not been there. Even the stern Livy had
no lecture for the erring lamb, but was as full of interest as either of
the girls, for anything in the shape of a soldier was dear to her heart.

When the ladies rode forth next day, three elegant St. Georges in full
rig saluted as these modern Unas ambled by on their meek donkeys--a
performance punctually executed ever afterward whenever the three blue
veils appeared. Much curvetting went on before the hotel door; much
clanking of spurs and sabres was heard in the little lane on to which
the apartment of the ladies looked, and splendid officers seemed to
spring up like violets in secluded spots where maidens love to stroll.

It was all very nice; and the girls were beginning to feel that the
charms of Albano rivalled those of Rome, when a sad blow upset their
castles in the air, and desolated the knights over the way.

The highly respectable Americans who were to serve as the link between
the soldiers and the ladies decidedly declined the office, objecting to
the martial gentleman as being altogether too dangerous to bring into
the dove-cot. So the poor dears sighed in vain, and the longing damsels
never rode the fine horses that were temptingly paraded before them on
all occasions.

They did their best; but it was soon evident to Lavinia that in some
unguarded moment the impetuous Mat would yield to the spell and go
gambading away for a ride _sans_ duenna, _sans_ habit, _sans_ propriety,
_sans_ everything. Amanda likewise seemed losing her head, and permitted
the dark-eyed Colonel to talk to her when they met; only a moment--but
what a perilous moment it was!--when this six-foot Mars leaned over a
green hedge and talked about the weather in the softest Italian that
ever melted a woman's heart.

'I'm going to Venice next week; so you may as well make up your minds to
it, girls. I _cannot_ bear