The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-10-10

"You have made me very handsome fell
low with very cunning bad look" said he
as he regarded my work.
Lady Diana had given him the expression
of an angel. Those black eyes SWAN in
sort of liquid beatitude I could not say that
it was not like him. had once seen that
look in his eyes, but it was when he spoke of
the princess.
"You have made me look as shall look in
heaven, DIANA" said he, and for moment
he deserved the compliment, for. he bent his
sion which have never caught in another
face, and smiled lovers smile.
had grown to admire Lady Diana more and
more. She has very honorable, ingenious,
courageous nature, full of impulse, but OF i'm
pulse under the control of the purest prin,
ciple. Our enforced intimacy, as pupil and
teacher, took us on many expeditions up and
down the beautiful lake which "Claude Mel
notte' has described to so many audiences,
who always listen, l notice, to the alluson TO
"alabaster lamps with bated breath, The
only "alabastar lamps we had at the villa
were the moon and stars, and Courtnay's
magnetic eyes. For a month 1 saw Lady
Diana several hours of every day. We talked
perpetually; it was impossible not to know
her well and not 10 revere tina. clear and
elevated intelligence. The fact that she was
desperately in love with another man had
perhaps its advantages-I could study her
from more unselfish stand point.
could not make out Courtney; he was
mystery, as changeful as his eyes. could
not say that he was not all that was gentle
manlike, lover-like, admirably polite, agree
able, with a thousand attractive qualities !;
but in my heart of hearts I dstrusted him.
I knew that he did not love Lady Diana as
she loved him.
1t occurred one day to me as we sat and
painted together to ask Lady Diana about the
unknown princess whose silent and unob-
truslve hospitality sheltered us both. I told
her of my Imagination OF her-a rather digni-
fed copy of Mary Queen of Scots, sugges-
ton of Lady Macbeth" something rather
dark and terrible. Mystery is great paint
er, have observed-one of the Oldest mas
tiers.
She laughed her pretty, hearty, sweet,
musical laugh. Dear Lady Di! in those days
she had that laugh; in the enormously long
inventory of her charms that must not be for
gotten. She could laugh well-not too loud,
| not too heartily. Terpsichore herself could
| have envied Lady Diana her sweet, silvery
laugh.
''Hear, Alfred-hear Mr.. Thornton's de-
scrption of the princess" said she.
He, too, laughed, but turned his head away
as looked.
swell, we will let you believe in your two
rather contending imaginations of the prin-
cess until you see her." said Lady Diana;
"only advise you to cultivate the Lady
Macbeth theory; and again she laughed.
So l was all wrong. The princess was
probably large, red haired blonde, type I
hated. remembered she was from the north
of Italy-yes, undoubtedly she was the Flora
| of Titan, and all that sort Of thing. Well, !
did not want to see her.
| But these golden days were numbered.
| Lady Estcourt got i'll. She thought there
was malaria at the Villa Lucca. The oGor
of the "Olia fragrans," which has been watt
ed to this lower sphere directly from the gates
of paradise, gave her the headache. When
Lady Estcourt got headache she grew cross.
| Alfred Courtney was called away by business,
toward Milan, believe. Lady Diana lost her
interest in water-colors. Alas! color seemed
to be losing its interest in her, for her lovely
cheek grew pale, and thought her blue eyes
were less brilliant. Yet she was sweeter and
more lovaDle every day; and, when she came
to bid me good-by, and to say that the lessons
were at an end, tears stood in those great,
pure, honest eyes.
| [To BE CONTINUED.