me to Naples to-morrow," said she; and, though
they did not go the next day, they did the next
week, and the week after that saw them safely
landed at Naples, from which place Mrs. Brande
immediately despatched a note to her cousin
telling him of their arrival, and desiring him to
be quite enchanted with this little surprise, and
to show his delight by coming off early the next
day to see them.

The first thing next morning Edward Saville
set out for Naples. On his way, he stopped at
the Hausmanns' door, and saw Elizabeth.

"I shall be back by six o'clock at latest," he
said, "so wait for me until then; but if by any
impossible chance I should be delayed, don't
balk Wanda of her boating. Isn't she up?"

"She is up," answered Elizabeth, laughing,
"but not dressed yet. Yesterday, she saw you
kiss the little grey stocking I work at, and we
can't persuade her to put on her own this
morning. When, after a thousand useless
entreaties, I attempted to slip on the white one,
she whisked it out of my hand as cleverly as
she once did that nosegay of yours, and flung it
right out of window. I ran to pick it up, and
when I came back again I found her trying hard
to get her foot into my work in the midst of all
the needles, and saying to herself all the time,
'Edward loves you, little stocking!'"

His colour rose slightly. "Do you believe
that she really cares at all for me?" he asked.

"In her incomplete way she does," was the
answer. "I am sure she will miss you more
than once to-day, for instance; but she is so
uncertain. I don't think she has what may be
called a settled, dependable affection for anybody
in the world except my mother and Stella's
boy. She perfectly dotes upon Aniello; if anything
were to happen to the child I think it
would kill her. The doctor says that hers is
the most remarkable and powerful development
of maternal instinct that he has ever come
across, and he is quite delighted at it; he declares
that in things which concern the child he
has already observed a decided reawakening of
her intellect, and has desired that she may be
with the boy as much as possible; he thinks it
likely to have a very beneficial influence upon
her mind."

"I am sorry not to see her," said Edward;
"I had thought just to bid her good-by."

"And so you shall. Wait a minute, and she
shall bid you good-by out of the window."

She ran up-stairs, and presently Wanda's fair
head appeared at the casement.

"Say good-by to him, dear, prettily, he is
going away," said Elizabeth, who was just over
her shoulder.

"Good-by, dear Edward. Don't go away,
dear Edward!" said Wanda.

"I shall be with you again before six," said
Edward Saville from below. "Good-by, my darling!"

"Good-by, my darling! good-by, my darling!"
she repeated, in her child's voice.

As she leaned out to look at him, a full-blown
rose that was in her bosom, bruised against the
window-frame, fell in a shower of fresh leaves
upon his face.

It had been a cloudless day, and was a heavenly
evening. Towards half-past six o'clock a fresh
breeze had sprung up, and Benedetto's boat
might be seen dancing along upon the crisp
sparkling wavelets. Edward Saville had not
come back, and Stella, Wanda, and the boy, put
out to sea to enjoy the delicious change in the
weather. Elizabeth Hausmann declined
accompanying them; she was always ill unless it was
a dead calm, so they left her sitting on the shore
under the shadow of a great rock, knitting away
indefatigably at the grey stocking. Wanda had
been fidgety and restless the whole day; they
did not know if she missed Edward Saville, but
something seemed wanting to her. When she
got into the boat, she said "Good-by, good-by,"
once or twice to herself, and looked disturbed;
to quiet and amuse her, Stella put the child into
her arms, and she began her usual game of
trying to hush him to sleep. "Lullaby, my
little son!" she sang to him, and nestled him in
her bosom, but the boy was full of life and
spirits, and would not be put to sleep at any
price. He got at her comb, and, pulling it out,
let all her long hair loose. It was pretty to see
them romping, and kissing, and struggling together,
this dark, rosy Hercules of a boy and the
gentle pale lady with all her fair hair streaming.
Stella was trying in vain to imprison the little
hands, which were making desperate clutches at
Wanda's hair, while Benedetto lay on his oars
and laughed to see them; and the boat danced
gaily over the short wavelets that had become
crimson under the crimsoning sky, and Capri
loomed in the distance like an island of Paradise
in the glory of that evening sunlight. Presently,
Wanda lowered her hand into the water and
sprinkled the boy to make him leave go; his
mother held him by his frock, as, with a shout of
delight, he hung over the side of the boat, and
dipping his little, round, firm, brown arm into
the sea, dashed a handful of sparkling water up
into Wanda's face; it soon became a pitched
battle. The little fellow was in a state of frantic
excitement, laughing, shrieking, and splashing
them all, when suddenly he made a violent
unexpected spring, the frock slipped from between
his mother's fingers, and he fell into the water.
Uttering one wild sharp cry, Wanda plunged in
after him.

"My child! my child! Oh, holy mother of
mercy, save my child!" screamed the agonised
mother.

Benedetto made at once for the floating body,
seized it just as it was sinking for the second
time, and swam safely back with it to the
boat.

The sun had gone down, when a dusty carriage
drove up to the door of the Sirena, and a
lady jumped out, assisted by Edward Saville.

"How lovely it has been," said a pleasant-toned
English voice, "and how sorry I am William
couldn't come. Just run in, Edward dear,
will you, and arrange with the man for me; a
bedroom and a small sitting-room is all I shall