thing but admiration. And now you give your
heart in a day to this Russian--who must be nearly
forty--unasked."

"I have not thought of my heart at all. But I
could love him, of course. He is so handsome, so
kind, so grand, so gay! But love is for men and
wives--has not my mother said so? Now I think
only of St. Petersburg! of Paris! of London! of
the beautiful gowns and jewels I shall wear at court
--a red velvet train as long as a queen's, and all
embroidered with gold, a white veil spangled with
gold, a head-dress a foot high studded with jewels,
ropes of diamonds and pearls--I made him tell me
how the great ladies dressed. Ah! there is the
pleasure of being a girl--to think and dream of all
those beautiful things, not of when the wife must
live always for the husband and children. That
comes soon enough. And why should I not have
all!--there is so little in life for the girl. It seems
to me now that I have had nothing. When he asks
me to marry him he will tell me of the fine things
I shall have and the great sights I shall witness--
the ceremonies at court, the winter streets--with
snow--snow, Santiago!--where the great nobles
drive four horses through the drifts like little hills,
and are wrapped in furs like bears! The grand
military parades--how I shall laugh when I think
of our poor little Presidios with their dozen officers
strutting about--" She stopped abruptly and