The Project Gutenberg EBook of Aurora the Magnificent, by Gertrude Hall

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

Title: Aurora the Magnificent

Author: Gertrude Hall

Release Date: December 10, 2009 [EBook #30642]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AURORA THE MAGNIFICENT ***

Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

[Illustration: Alone in her room later ... she looked at the other
portrait]

AURORA THE MAGNIFICENT

BY

GERTRUDE HALL

AUTHOR OF "THE TRUTH ABOUT CAMILLA," "THE UNKNOWN QUANTITY," ETC.

ILLUSTRATED BY GERALD LEAKE

NEW YORK

THE CENTURY CO.

1917

Copyright, 1916, 1917, by

The Century Co.

Published, March, 1917

TO

MY SISTER GRACE

WITHOUT WHOM THIS BOOK

WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN.

AND TO

MY DEAR HELEN R----,

WITHOUT WHOM IT WOULD

HAVE BEEN

DIFFERENT

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Alone in her room later ... she looked at the
other portrait Frontispiece

FACING PAGE

After it she still stood a moment, looking toward the sanctuary 20

"I thought," said Mrs. Hawthorne, "that you were going to
come and take us sight-seeing" 82

Aurora, clasping her hands in a delight that could find no
words to express it, made a sound like the coo of a dove 200

Gerald turned, and beheld that lady 272

Aurora's eyes, fixed and starry, rested upon the little flame 290

Aurora, with a comedy of pride, threw up her chin, lifted
her arms, and turned as if on a pivot 316

"Come, let us reason together, Aurora" 384

AURORA THE MAGNIFICENT

CHAPTER I

Near sunset, one day in early October, not too long ago for some of us
to remember with distinctness, Mr. Foss, United States consul at
Florence, Italy, took a cab, as on other days, to the Porta Romana.
Here, where the out-of-town tariff comes into effect, he paid his man,
and set out to walk the rest of the wa