Hesperides."

Poor Dorothea glanced towards the panel.

"Ah, you remember it! But he must have painted in the face after
showing it to us the other day, or I should have recognised it at the
time. You must come and see it; really an excellent portrait!"

He led her towards it. The orange curtain no longer hid the third
nymph. But the blood which had left Dorothea's face rushed back as
she saw that the trinket had been roughly erased.

"It was quite a _coup_, but M. Raoul loves an audience."

Shortly before noon the road by the bridge was reported to be clear.
Carriages were announced, and the guests shook hands and were rolled
away--the elder glum, their juniors in boisterous spirits. As each
carriage passed the bridge, where M. Raoul stood among the workmen,
handkerchiefs fluttered out, and he lifted his hat gaily in response.




CHAPTER V

BEGINS WITH ANCIENT HISTORY AND ENDS WITH AN OLD STORY


"_Ubicunque vicit Romanus habitat_,--Where the Roman conquered he
settled--and it is from his settlements that to-day we deduce his