holy, and his spirit chastened itself before her. Dear were his friends
to him; his heart lodged them in spacious chambers and lapped them with
observance; now he thought whimsically and lightly of his guests as
though their lodgings were far removed from that misty central hall
where he himself abode. Loyal with the fantastic loyalty of an earlier
time, practiser of chivalry and Honor's fanatic, for a moment those
things also lost their saliency and edge. Word and deed of this life
appeared of the silver and the moonlight, not of gold and sunlight;
existence a dream and no matter of moment. He plucked the flowers one by
one, looked at them tranquilly, and laid them down, nor thought, This
is Farewell.

Nueva Cordoba lay still amongst her rustling palms; the ocean rippled
gold, and like gold-dust were the scintillating clouds of insects; the
limpid river palely slid between its mangrove banks, a low wind sighed,
a night-bird called; far, far in the forest behind the hill a muffled
roar proclaimed that the jaguar had found its meat. The moon rose--such
a moon as never had England looked upon. Pearl, amethyst, and topaz were
her rings; she made the boss of a vast shield; like God's own candle she
lit the night. "At home the nightingales would sing," thought Sir
Mortimer. "Ah, Philomela, here befits a wilder song than thine!" He
looked towards the _Cygnet_, still as a painted ship upon the silver
sluggish flood. "When there shall be no more sea, what will seamen do?"
Over the marsh wandered the _ignes fatui_. "How restlessly and to no
bourne dost thou move, lost soul!" The boy at his feet stirred and
sighed. "Poor Robin! Tired and sleepy and frightened, art not? Why, dear
knave, the jaguar is not roaring for thee!" Bending, he put an arm about
the lad and drew him to his side. "I only wait for the brightness to
grow," he said. "Do not shiver so! In a little while we shall be gone."