book upon the rail and she obeyed the request. Afterwards he
held the page to the light until he was apparently thoroughly assured of
some doubtful point, and then put it back in his pocket.

"I shall send you a card _Poste Restante_ at Zurich," he announced, as
the lights of Lucerne blazed up close beside them.

"Be sure that you spell my name right."

"Yes," he said, taking out his note-book again; "it is like this, _n'est
ce pas_?" and he wrote, and then showed her the result.

"Yes, that's it," she assented.

He continued to regard his book with deep attention.

"It exasperates me to have my name spelled wrong," she went on; "doesn't
it you?"

"Yes," he said; "it is for that that I look in my book."

She came close and looked at what she had written,--"Von Ebn."

"Isn't that right?" she asked in surprise.

"It is your English E, but not my letter."

"How do you spell your name?"

"I-b-n."

"Oh!"

She laughed, and he laughed with her.

"That was very stupid in me," she exclaimed.

"Yes," he replied, with one of his rare smiles; "but I would have said
nothing, only that at the _Poste Restante_ I shall lose all my letters
from you."

"All! what leads you to suppose that there would ever be any?"

He turned and looked steadily at her, his eyes widely earnest.

"What, not even a post card?"

Rosina forgave the yawn, or perhaps she had forgotten it.

"Do you really want to hear from me again?"

"Yes, really."

"Shall you remember me after I am gone?"

"_Naturlich._"

"For how long?"

At that he shrugged his shoulders. Down below they were making ready for
the landing.

"Who can say?" he answered at last.

"At least, monsieur, you are frank."

"I am always frank."

"Is that always best?"

"I think so."

People were beginning to move towards the staircase. Below, the man
stood ready to fling the rope.

"Let us go to the other landing and walk back across the stone bridge,"
he suggested.

"There is not time; it is quite seven o'clock now."

"But I shall not again be with you, and there is something that I must
say."

"You must say it here, then."

The rope was thrown and caught, and every one aboard received the
violent jolt that attends some boat-landings. Rosina was thrown against
her companion and he was thrown against the stair-rail.

"Can you hear if I speak now," he whispered.

"Yes."

"You will see that I really interest myself in you."

Just then some one in