ords, accompanied by a wistful smile
pointed by a suspicion of mockery. She turned away.

"And you, Monsieur Mills?" she asked.

"I am going back to my books," he declared with a very serious face. "My
adventure is over."

"Each one to his love," she bantered us gently. "Didn't I love books,
too, at one time! They seemed to contain all wisdom and hold a magic
power, too. Tell me, Monsieur Mills, have you found amongst them in some
black-letter volume the power of foretelling a poor mortal's destiny, the
power to look into the future? Anybody's future . . ." Mills shook his
head. . . "What, not even mine?" she coaxed as if she really believed in
a magic power to be found in books.

Mills shook his head again. "No, I have not the power," he said. "I am
no more a great magician, than you are a poor mortal. You have your
ancient spells. You are as old as the world. Of us two it's you that
are more fit to foretell the future of the poor mortals on whom you
happen to cast your eyes."

At these words she cast her eyes down and in the moment of deep silence I
watched the slight rising and falling of her breast. Then Mills
pronounced distinctly: "Good-bye, old Enchantress."

They shook hands cordially. "Good-bye, poor Magician," she said.

Mills made as if to speak but seemed to think better of it. Dona Rita
returned my distant bow with a slight, charmingly ceremonious inclination
of her body.

"_Bon voyage_ and a happy return," she said formally.

I was following Mills through the door when I heard her voice behind us
raised in recall:

"Oh, a moment . . . I forgot . . ."

I turned round. The call was for me, and I walked slowly back wondering
what she could have forgotten. She waited in the middle of the room with
lowered head, with a mute gleam in her deep blue eyes. When I was near
enough she extended to me without a word her bare white arm and suddenly
pressed the back of her hand against my lips. I was too startled to
seize it with rapture. It detached itself from my lips and fell slowly
by her side. We had made it up and there was nothing to say. She turned
away to the window and I hurried out of the room.

PART THREE

CHAPTER I

It was on our return from that first trip that I took Dominic up to the
Villa to be presented to Dona Rita. If she wanted to look on the
embodiment of fidelity, resource, and courage, she could behold it all in
that man. Apparently she was not d