Good-night, and good-bye.' * * * * * 'VENICE, _August_ 7.
'Well, I have seen her! It has been a blazing day.

I was sitting in the little garden which separates one half of our rooms from the other, while Caterina was arranging the _dejeuner_ under the little acacia arbour in the centre of it.

Suddenly Felicie came out from the house, and behind her a tall figure in a large hat and a white dress.

The figure held out both hands to me in a cordial, un-English way, and said a number of pleasant things, rapidly, in a delicious voice; while I, with the dazzle of the sun in my eyes so that I could hardly make out the features, stood feeling a little thrilled by the advent of so famous a person.

In a few moments, however, as it seemed to me, we were sitting, under the acacias, she was helping me to cut up the melon and arrange the figs, as if we had known one another for months, and I was experiencing one of those sudden rushes of liking which, as you know, are a weakness of mine.