Referring to the
bouquet that she had pinned into the Marquis's buttonhole, he said:

'_Il y a des amants partout ou il y a des oiseaux et des roses_.' And
again: '_Les regardes des amoureux sont la lumiere comme le baiser est
la vie du monde_.'

After dinner no time was lost, although the Marquis pleaded fatigue, in
settling Alice at the piano, and dancing began in sober earnest. After
each waltz Olive conducted him to the dining-room; she helped him
liberally to wine, and when she held a match to his cigarette their
fingers touched. But to find occupation for the long morning hours of
her young couple was a grave trouble to Mrs. Barton. She was determined
to make every moment of the little Marquis's stay in Galway moments of
sunshine; but mental no more than atmospheric sunshine is to be had by
the willing, and the poor little fellow seemed to pine in his Galway
cage like a moulting canary. He submitted to all the efforts made in his
behalf, but his submission was that of a victim. After breakfast he
always attempted to escape, and if he succeeded in eluding Mrs. Barton,
he would remain for hours hidden in the laurels, enwrapped in summer
meditations, the nature of which it was impossible even to conjecture.
In the afternoon he spoke of the burden of his correspondence, and when
the inevitable dancing was spoken of, he often excused himself on the
ground of having a long letter to finish. If it were impossible for her
to learn the contents of these letters, Mrs. Barton ardently desired to
know to whom they were addressed. Daily she volunteered to send special
messengers to the post on his account; the footman, the coachman, and
pony-chaise, were in turn rejected by him.

'Thank you, Mrs. Barton, thank you, but I should like to avail myself of
the chance of a constitutional.'

'_La sante de notre petit Marquis avant tout_,' she would exclaim, with
much silvery laughter and all the habitual movements of the white hands.
'But what do you say: I am sure the young ladies would like a walk,
too?'

With a view to picturesque effect Mrs. Barton's thoughts had long been
centred on a picnic. They were now within a few days of the first of
May, and there was enough sunshine in the air to justify an excursion to
Kinvarra Castle. It is about four miles distant, at the end of a long
narrow bay.

Mrs. Barton applied herself diligently to the task of organization.
Having heard from Dublin of the hoax that was being played on t