the damsel's parents
before the twenty-third; as they were away on an excursion in South
Tyrol:--away, flown, with just a word of the hurried departure to their
envious, exiled girl; though they did not tell her of new constructions
at the London house partly causing them to fly. Subject to their
consent, she wrote, she had given hers. The letter was telegramic on the
essential point. She wrote of Mr. Barmby's having visited Mr. Posterley
at the Wells, and she put it just as flatly. Her principal concern, to
judge by her writing, was, to know what Mr. Durance had done, during her
absence, with the group of emissary-advocates of the various tongues of
Europe on board the steam-Liner conducting them the first stage of their
journey to the Court of Japan.

Mr. Simeon Fenellan had written his opinion, that all these delegates of
the different European nationalities were nothing other than dupes of
a New-York Syndicate of American Humorists, not without an eye on the
mainchance; and he was sure they would be set to debate publicly, before
an audience of high-priced tickets, in the principal North American
Cities, previous to the embarcation for Japan at San Francisco. Mr.
Fenellan eulogized the immense astuteness of Dr. Gannius in taking
his daughter Delphica with him. Dr. Gannius had singled forth poor Dr.
Bouthoin for the object of his attacks; but Nesta was chiefly anxious
to hear of Delphica's proceedings; she was immensely interested in
Delphica, and envied her; and the girl's funny speculations over the
play of Delphica's divers arts upon the Greek, and upon the Russian,
and upon the English curate Mr. Semhians, and upon M. Falarique--set
Gallically pluming and crowing out of an Alsace-Lorraine growl--were
clever. Only, in such a letter, they were amazing.

Nataly received it at Campiglio, when about to start for an excursion
down the Sarca Valley to Arco. Her letter of reply was delayed. One to
Victor from Dudley Sowerby, awaited them, on their return. 'Confirms
Fredi,' he said, showing it, and praising it as commendable, properly
fervid. She made pretence to read, she saw the words.

Her short beat of wings was over. She had joined herself with Victor's
leap for a change, thirsting for the scenery of the white peaks in
heaven, to enjoy through his enjoyment, if her own capacity was dead:
and she had found it revive, up to some recovery of her old songful
readiness for invocations of pleasure. Escape and beauty beck