The Washington times., 1911-10-17
CHAPTER III.
I Begin to Wonder.

Begin to Wonder.
| GLANCED toward the westering
sun, IT'S growing late" ven
| tured. eve spent an unconscion-
= able time at Dardo's. suppose we
| let the rest OF the 3unk-the eur'o
places-go for todayH'
1 was bound I would not endure an.
other such hour Of shopping a. ! mao
Just suffered, II by any pretense Win.
in the scope Of human wit couid avold
It. As she hesitated ! went on quickly.
"It,s only a little way down the hill
IN the chiaIa. The Riviera is at its
| brirhtest at this time of the afternoon.
All the mobiles and ignobles are on pa
rade there-and a lot Of tourists besidess
It,u be a Jolly fashion Of winding up q
Jolly afternoon. Sha'n't we 80 nome
II believe you want to give the Nea-
politans a chance to view that new
scarab OF yours" she laughed. vanty,
thy name is man! And you were uth .utn
| Won acquired that adornment! Well, as
you can't exactly desert me and as you
| will he miserable II We keep all your
glory hidden among these BACK Pn, yon streets sre
yesv svppe1i pselfish. for all that" she went
on. How do you suppose ! shaii en-
low driving amid the elite OF ltaiy IN
| this aged and tumble.down carrase
drawn by 0seeT one Gesre parceis? You viii have
to look very imposins indeed to counter
aI'ii try" / promised. meekly. glad, at
any price ito to set Srivep ep' the % new direction,
and three minutes later we had turned
into the Riviera de Chiaja.
| AS 1 had predicted. the tr,ms avs snd
thronged. Every sort sort 90 OF crowded soss the the
Sayy SSreyy roaaway. while the sidewalks
were alive with Neapolitan dandies ana
gaily dressed women.
Out and beyond the piue .r Dny tai
ian sky. Far to the east-tne one
point M solemnity and grandfse1Wr. W..i IN
all It's lavish, gay beautyIrose o,u
vius; dark, grim, menaei1s ,e sowe,ans ~raen
sun.kissed plains; the fan Of dense
smoke hanging ever above the summit
as IL in stern reminder of what had
been and sterner warning OF what
| II was foolish, but never was l able
! to look on Vesuvius without feelins
an involuntary shudder of fear. AS
child l had read and trem6led over
"The Last Days of Pompeii," until to
my mind the fire mountain had taken
on the horrid aspect of a fairy tale
ogre or dragon. Now. on looking
across the bay at 1t recalled the old
custom of lifting on high deaths
head at every bacchanal feast as a
summons to remember death.
Vesuvius in the background OF this
fairest, tolliest, most care-free bit OF
the world seemed to me to serve the
same purpose-to emhody the same
mute summons. Yet. as at the bac-
chante revels, none looked, none heed
ed.
L was recalled to pleasanter
thoughts by Miss Todd.
Why, did you buy the scarab" shc
was asking.
in some surprise. "Isn't itr
Yes. very. Only you dress SO quiet
ly. so unobstrusively as a rule. The
scarlet scarab somehow doesn't seem
tS go with the rest Of you. 1t Il. all
account. Now, If 1t were worn by your
friend Mr.. Gregg"
She paused and we both laughed.
make fun OF him, even II he does try
to come a close second to Joseph'e coat
OF many colors. His taste in dress Is
Just trifie noisy;I admit. But at heart
sLcok" she cried. with sudden change
OF subject. Here come the Duke OF
Ferata and one Of his aids! Count Sc
taste pointed him out to me yester-
| day"
The victoria with two gray horses, Iv-
cried coachman and footman was spin.
ming along the Riviera toward us In 1,
iolled a short. fat man with scrubby
sat a very erect, dandifed little officer.
looked with considerable interest
For j was too newly arrived from the
land OF the free not to feel keen inter.
sem!-royalty.
AS We surveyed him in open curiosit,
that rat little man CHANGED to raise his
bicodshot eyes and met our. gage. To
glance carelessly as I had expected
h'm to. but gave a second and closer
leokTnot at my lovely companion, but
sraveiSto tnem meana gnsa9ys.ns he bowed
l sat bewildered, with barely sufficient
presence Of mind to raise my hat in re.
ply to the salute
before had been a working nobody
Today. dukes were taking OF their hat.
Miss Todd's surprised voice broush,
why. Mr.. D'Auban." she gasped. 81
didn't did know You knew the duke. Where
81 don't" I answered. still dumfound.
"But he bowed to you.''
so noticed,
1T was to You. not to me. And Il
wasn't by mistake for some one else
then Of absolute recognition flash across
MS face You must know him."
"MustNI? I'm sorry. but don't"
Then why did he bow to your"
II didn't ask him. Shall we turn bacl
and"
Don't be fiippantv she reproved
you say you don't know him: and ye
It's evident he does know you. How
do YOU account for it?'
II don't. I let 1t go at that. On my
honor ! don't know a soul in Naples
outside our hotel"
A big red automobile chugged by. A
woman-gorgeously dressed, handsom,
in a dashing sort OF way. and unmis
takably Italian-was it's sole occupan,
with the exception of the chauffeur
There was a momentary block of traf
fic, and we found ourselves Just oppo
site her. She gave the lie to my las
words of denial by leaning forward anc
bestowing on me a gracious. almost rev,
erential bow. Then the block wa.
opened and she whizzed past. while
was still clutching my hat in one hand
"a gripping the side Of the carriag.
with the other.
turned in perplexity to Miss Todd
But now her great gray eyes were darl
with dsapproval.
"You said," she observed, after 4
dreadful pause, "you said you knew M
one In Naples outside our hotel. / d.
| hot 20 20 H.