Beauty, appears so suddenly, in her omnipotence!

Ah, why must a deep, cold cloud steal through this pure and lofty
heaven?

The inauguration of the new prince was held--of the enfeebled Prince
Luigi--upon whose expected speedy decease the neighbouring princely
house of Haarkaar founded its hopes of acquiring the dominions of
Hohenfliess. It was on the night of an inauguration ball that Albano,
having poured out his heart to Roquairol in a letter, met his
long-hoped-for friend, and sealed their affections by declaring that he
would never wed Linda de Romeiro, whom it was thought Count Gaspard had
designed for his son's bride, and for whom Roquairol's youthful passion
had not been extinguished.

When Liana recovered her sight, she was sent to Blümenbuhl for
restoration of health--to the home of Albano's foster-father, the
provincial-director Wehrfritz. Thither often came Albano; thither also
came Roquairol, to bask in the wondering admiration that Rabette,
Albano's foster-sister, bestowed on him with all the fervour of her
innocent rural mind. Albano's dream was fulfilled; he loved Liana in
realty as he had loved her in imagination. Roquairol thought he loved
Rabette; in truth, her simplicity was to this experienced conqueror of
feminine hearts but a new and, for the moment, overmastering sensation.

On a glorious evening Albano and Liana stood on a sloping
mountain-ridge; overhead was a heaven filled with a life-intoxicated,
tumultuous creation, as the sun-god stalked away over his evening-world.
He seized Liana's hands and pressed them wildly to his breast; flames
and tears suffused his eyes and his cheeks, and he stammered, "Liana, I