The Front Yard

ns on horseback were following the long road t

because he was a man (Mrs. Preston was accustomed to say, "Too much lady talk dries my brain"); the second carriage held Isabella Holland and the Abercrombi

mountains to the sea had beauty of another kind; often a fever-swept marsh, it possessed at this season all a marsh's luxuriance of waving reeds and flowers and tasselled jungles, with water birds rising from their feeding-places, and flying along, low down, with a slow motion of their broad wings, their feet stretched out behind. Troops o

ed a little band of the small,

this very bridge only ten years ago?" said Arthur, as they rolled acros

igands who did it!" Mrs. Preston answe

re that no ten brigands cou

neat gloves therefore were sable. "The temples we are about to visit are very ancient also, having been built ages ago by Greeks, who came from-from Greece, of course, naturally; and never ceased to regret it. And all

nterested at all,

," sai

to do," added Dorothea. And the three white faces gla

ked," bega

ourself,"

usybody," sa

ndizer," add

ed not to pretend any more before you, Worm! Dance you

r tones; the strong words they used, therefore, were all the

we turn back?" She wore her India shawl and a Paris bonnet; she was sitting without touching the cushions of the carriage behind her. She had looked neither at the mountains nor at the sea; most of the time her eyes had rested on the blue cloth of the em

thousand devils!" said John Ash. "What a lazy gir

as she could: she laughed when he did. He

them even more lonely, made the sound of the sea breaking near by on the lifeless shore a melancholy dirge. When the party reached the great colonnades there were exclamations; there was even declamation, Mrs. Preston having been fitted by nature for that.

, old fellow!

y, Griff? We've g

m a hundred disputed points. But though they thus paid small attention to Pauline, they were obliged to form part of her train; for as Grif

t temple of Neptune, with her instructive little book in her hand. "'The men of Poseidonia,'" she began, "'having been at first true Greeks, had in process of time gradually

only lawful wife. But their backs were towards her; she could not see their faces; they were able, therefore, to make grimaces at Isabella, and this they immediately proceeded to do i

then at the distorted countenances before her-"'one Hellenic festival, when they met together here to call to remembrance the old days and the old customs, and t

s. Preston, commendi

s walking away, wiping her forehead: tho

ing, Isabella?" M

me asphodel?" Isabella res

aulie lately had given up her rides with the son, that she, as Paulie's cousin (first), could afford to be civil to the mother, in spite of that mother's bad judgment as to English and diamonds. Isabella disapproved of

cious tone. "It seems almost a desecration, doesn't it, to have

I didn't know. But then I'm not a Catholic. They

s eyes had grown into anguish: she was watching her son, who had now joined Pauline and her train. Pauline had Carew on her

ou. Pray take my smelling-salts; they are sometimes refreshing."

ngly at the offering; "I am very well indeed. I was jest

dsome-in her own way. It is not the style that I myself admire. But then I know that my taste is severe. By ordinary peop

?" said

and naturally, I must say, after the way she sometimes goes on. I could never do so, no matter what the temptations were, and I must say I have never been able to understand it in Pauline. At present it is Mr. Carew; she is going to Naples with him to-morrow for the day. As you may imagine, it is against our wish-Cousin Octavia Preston's a

mouth for a moment, the large kid expanse very different from Isabella's little black paw.

stence in standing so near Pauline, in dogging her steps. Mrs. Ash kept this up; she sat near Pauline at lunch; she followed her w

tual effort necessary on the boys' part to detach him from a lady who wished to keep him by her side. They had all been strolling up and down in the shade of the so-called Basilica, amid the fern a

aid, immediately. "I have not had a chan

must. I have

h Ca

es

t is

tell you. I am going to N

going- Da

n she saw the look on his face-the face of thi

sh I could. You shal

can you p

ou dar

"I was calling to your remembrance the fact that there is no tie between us, Mr.

worthy of you. Whether you could make me worthy I don't know; but I don't ask you that; I don't ask you to try; it would be too much. I only ask you to be as you have been; as you were, I me

be kind;

e to-morrow; just

impossible; I told you

and voice. "I never asked you to do th

arranging the flowers which Mrs.

that what you are thinking?" Ash

ar is uncomfortable, and she hated discomfort; she gave herself a little inward shake as if to shake it off. "I shall ask

ng forward eagerly, as though he

Pa

of Paris? To Na

y. In spite of her gayety she turned towards

oman; she would never have tarnished herself with such

ed you, ever having liked you," she said, in a low voice, a

wed in its pallor an anger as vivid as that which had flushed the face of the man beside her, with a red so dar

y concentrated upon holding himself in check. "I shouldn't have said it, even if it were the plain brutal tr

o anything; I have no desire to ta

coming forward, her face set in a tremulous smile. "I'm sure it's very pleasant

uld whisper it if she could; and that is, 'Don't provoke him!' She has some pretty bad memories-haven't you,

even out of her anger by the strangeness of this strange pair. She looked about for some one, and, seeing Carew coming from the tents of

ched his arm entreatingly, for she had learned to be very cautious

dead before me than go

courage, and her unconquerable carelessness too, returning in the approac

!" said Ash, with

her lovely delicate pers

ust. She held the skirt of her habi