The Portland daily press., 1876-10-14

third year OF her age. She took much inter-
est in my copy of Correggio, and gave me an
order for copy of the madonna della
Scalla," at Parma, to be done at my leisure.
So we were on friendly terms at once.
All this followed our first breakfast in the
pavilion, through the month which succeeded
Lady Diana's departure. Perhaps l owed
something to the friendship which immedi-
ately sprang up between me and the young
duke, the heir to so many possibilities. AS
he is very great parsonage now, hesitate to
remember that he was bullet-headed little
boy, not at all like his beautiful mother, and
quite full of the dispositions of spoiled child ;
but he liked male companion, big play
fellow, and l liked him. Twice in the course
of our acquaintance did 1 fish him out of the
lake, thus altering, perhaps, the whole face
of European politics. Twice did l deliver
him from perious situations on the roof of
the pavilion, whittier his Italian valet dared
not follow him. He disported himself in my
painting-room to his infinite satisfaction, and,
like most spoiled children, obeyed me better
than he did any of the people whom he was
bound to obey.
Even the small suite whom the princess
had brought with her took away from the
privacy OF my palace of Incidence, and shut
myself up much with my work. Guests
would come and 60, of whom knew nothing,
and only saw my hostess when she chose to
summon me. She and Madame Sermoneta,
and the little duke and myelf, took some
walks, sails, and rambles together, and she
returned my invitation to breakfast by invit-
ing me to dine. She was always the same
pretty, little, young girl in appearance and
manner toward me. but toward her people
there was an unmistakable change of man
ner. Even to Madame Sermoneta she was
princess.
Once she came to my painting room and,
seating Madame Sermoneta in an alcove, led
the conversation toward Lady Diana.
''Lady Diana told me that you pictured me
to yourself as Mary Queen of Scots, and per-
haps as Lady Macbeth" said she, laughing.
"Yes." said l, "here is a sketch which l
made of your probable highness;' and
showed her one of my careless sketches.
1t was rather as Ristori looked then (twen-
| ty years ago now, and as had seen her at
the theatre in Florence. She recognized the
resemblance to the famous tdgedienne and
laughed even more heartily.
Turning over the leaves of my book, she
came upon the first sketches l had made of
the beautiful face OF Courtnay.
'Alfred Courtnay!' said she, and her face
was covered with the deepest, most intense
blush.
"Yes," said /, 'and here is the finished
portrait. Lady Diana and painted Court
| nay at the same time; he said we wanted to
| save the expense of model; Lady Diana,
| as was natural regarding their relations, gave
him mach better expression than l did.
was not fortunate in the expression, but
| what do you think OF the portraits"
| had busted myself turning the picture
| round from the wall and when again looked
| at the princess she was as pale as death.
ut is very good-very like him." said she.
coldly; "but what do you mean by their
relations? p"
"Only that they are betrothed, suppose;
| from their manner and from what Lady Est
court told me-"
| Here, fortunately, the little duke man
aged to pull down one of my easels and to
make great noise.
The princess reused Madame Sermoneta,
and; taking her son by the hand, bade me
Good morning." and retired.
did not see her again for two days, dur
ing which time reflected deeply on what !
had observed. Courtnay's change of manner
when he spoke of the princess had impressed
me at the time, but was it possible that a
man who pretended to love Diana Estcourt
could love another woman? could believe
it of Courtnay more than any man 1 had
ever seen, for there was subtle faseness be-
hind his curious eyes; looked at nv pic.
ture; yes! had painted it there without
knowing it.
| was thinking this over and summing un
| all L knew OF him, and working away at the
| same time at my copy, when I again heard
his sweet voice and English accent pronounc
ing my name. He came in, handsome as the
morning, fresh, fascinating and manly. dis
| arming criticism.
| After the usual salutations and the natural
inquiries for Lady Diana, Courtnay said in
| an off-hand manner.
"By-the-way, Thornton, my friend the
| princess says that you misunderstood the re-
lations of Lady Diana and myself; you sup
| posed US betrothed; it was nothing, I assure
you, but cousinly filtration; Diana has for
| gotten me before this, and indeed, doubt il
she ever thought much of me. Her mother
did me the honor to desire an alliance, be-
lieve, because l belong to branch of her
family, in which there is title pending, but
Diana-no, she is queer girl; think she
never liked me very deeply;' and The false.
beautiful changeful eyes took on another
| cloud, such as l had seen sail over them
| before.
had nothing to say; was the merest
stranger and waif in this society with which
accident had mixed me. Nor was 1 aston
| ished, as the fact became patent before me,
| that Courtnay and the princess were going
through the same "Comedy of Errors5
which had seen played before.
Madame Sermoneta's brow looked very
| clouded as she stood about or sat with her
| tapestry far enough off to not to hear their
| whispered talk, yet near enough to preserve
| the inviolable etiquette. The princess clung
to Courtnay's arm with a far more delicate
| and womanly appeal than had the proud, tall,
English girl, whose attitude had struck me,
| but there was the same alteration for the man
| in both their faces.
| He was one of those magnetic people born
to be loved by women, born to be spoiled by
them, born to deceive and make many of
| them unhappy.
| must do him the justice to say that he
seemed thoroughly in love with the princess.
IL would have been hard for any man not to
| nave loved the gay little creature, who had a
| butterfy's love of freedom, and who always
| seemed, amid the restraints of rank, like a
bird in gilded cage. She was, too, as an in
dlVldual, very admirable and fascinating, and
| there was something positively pathetic in her
| alteration of him. Once saw her fit away
from the shaded seat where they had been to-
| gether for the whole morning, and bring him
back bunch of violets. He rewarded her
with that look and smile which had noticed
| as so radiant and expressive.
She put her hands over her own eyes.
Don't look at me that way,' said she, 81
cannot bear it; your eyes scorch me-"
She was woman of such ethereal pres
ence, so delicate, SO refined by nature. that
she could show her love without losing one
particle of her dignity and womanhood.
There was about her, too, the courtly breed
ing, the elegance of woman of the highest
| rank, the first element of which courtly
breeding is simplicity. 1t seemed strange to
me to be looking out into this enchanted gar
den, this Forest of Ardennes," and to have
seen two Rosalinds fit before me, both in
love with one Orlando. Sometimes | shut
my eyes and asked if were not dreaming: !:
there is something very intoxicating in this
Italian air; it gets into the blood. There are
so many legends floating in it-there are Pa
olo and Francesca di Rlmini; there are all the
sweet heroines of the "Decameron;'' Lucre-
zia Borgia's golden hair floats through ones
brain; Beatrice Cenci, Vittoria Colonna,
deepen and darken the tragic sky. Where
shall one begin or end with the romance of
Italy? "AlI this is fancy" thought; 81
have known no noble English lady, no prin-
cess, no handsome, false, wandering knight;
it is an old tale have been reading, and 1
shall awake to reality.''
So mused, but opened my eyes and looked
out of the window.
AS did so l saw Courtnay and the prin-
cess in the immortal attitude of tho ,GCrn;d