Como-like--fair and blue and calm; the sun
shining on the far wooded hills, and on the sparkling little villages
at their foot; the green lake still running high, with here and there a
white tip breaking; a blaze of sunlight on the gardens below--on the
green acacia-branches and the masses of scarlet salvia--and on the
white hot terraces where the lizards lay basking.

It was a long, idle, delicious day; and somehow he contrived to be near
Nan most of the time. He was always anxious to know what she thought
about this or about that; he directed her attention to various things;
he sometimes talked to her about his ship--and about what sailors
thought of when they were far from home and friends. They went out on
the lake--these four; the hot sun had stilled the water somewhat;
reclining in the cushioned stern of the boat, in the shelter of the
awning, they could hear the bells on shore faint and distant. Or they
walked in that long allee leading from one end of the gardens--the
double line of short chestnuts offering cool and pleasant shadow; the
water lapping along the stone parapet beside them; and between each two
of the stems a framed picture, as it were, of the lake and the
velvet-soft slopes beyond. It was all very pretty, they said. It was
a trifle common-place, perhaps; there were a good many hotels and
little excursion steamers about; and perhaps here and there a
suggestion of the toy-shop. But it was pretty. Indeed, towards
sunset, it was very nearly becoming something more. Then the colours
in the skies deepened; in the shadows below the villages were lost
altogether; and the mountains, growing more and more sombre under the
rich gold above began to be almost fine. One half forgot the
Cockneyism and familiarity of the place, and for a moment had a glimpse
of the true loneliness and solemnity of the hills.

As the dusk fell they began to bethink themselves of what was before
them.

'It would have been a bad thing for the musicians from La Scala if they
had attempted to go out last evening,' Miss Beresford remarked.

'It will be a bad thing for us,' said Edith, who was the musical one,
'if we attempt to go on board their steamer this evening. It will be
far too loud. You should never be too near. And, especially where
there is water, music sounds so well at some distance.'

'You can hire a small boat, then,' said Nan. 'They are all putting up
their Chinese lanterns.'

'Oh, I wouldn't advise t