hing to do but to go forward, and he called up that old, mighty,
intangible safeguard of honor. The matter was settled beyond any
question of surprise--he must avoid the long, sapping days of contact,
the wasting, feverish yearnings of absence coming after.

Flying over miles and miles of the summer land, heaped with the red
tangled sweets of clover fields, belted with white starry mayweed, blue
with marshy growth of wild flag, with hazy lines of far-off hills,
fading into purple depths of distance, and near low ones lying green and
calm close beside them, with brown clear brooks, famous trout streams,
after the New England fashion, went running across their way, the old
home pride leaped up in George's eyes and voice, and even Moore forgot
his weariness, and talked with a flash of the old, careless spirit.

The hack that brought them to their destination left them, deep in the
summer night, at the foot of the long avenue of elms--going up which,
with slow steps, on a sudden the house broke on them, ablaze with
lights, athrob with music, whereat there was a renewal of explosive
utterances, and the captain led his friend to the rear of the house to
insure a quiet entrance.

From the dark piazza, where he waited while George summoned some one to
receive them, he caught, through the long, open casement, the vista of
the parlors, with their glitter and confusion of light drapery and
glimpses of bright faces and light forms, and softened hum of voices, as
the dancers circled with the music. And through it all, straight down
toward him, floating in one of the weird Strauss waltzes, came the
princess, swathed in something white, airy, wide-falling. The same dark,
unflushed face, the same wide, far-looking eyes, and fixed mouth, the
same silky falling hair, but cut short now, and floating back as she
moved. It was only for a moment: the perfumed darkness that seemed to
throb with a sudden life of its own, the great, slow, summer stars above
him, the wailing, passionate music that came trembling out among the
heavy dew-wet foliage, the dark, calm earth about him, and the light and
color and giddy motion that filled the gleaming square before him,
struck in on his senses with staggering force; and then she swayed out
of his sight, and Mrs. Morris came forward with words of cheer and
welcome.

That night, lying sleepless after the music was hushed and the wheels
had done rolling away from the door, as if material enough for all