to the mountains and hills of my own land."

"Ruth, dear, Mr. Lynde and I have been speaking of the conveyance for
to-morrow; shall it be an open or a close carriage?"

"An open carriage, by all means, aunt."

"That would have its inconvenience in case of showers," said Lynde;
"when April takes her departure from the Alps, she is said to leave all
her capriciousness behind her. I suggest a partially closed vehicle; you
will find a covering comfortable in either rain or shine."

"Mr. Lynde thinks of everything," remarked Mrs. Denham. "He should not
allow himself to be dictated to by unforeseeing woman."

"In strict confidence, Mrs. Denham, I will confess that I have
arbitrarily taken this business in hand. For nearly a week, now, I have
had my eye on a vehicle that must have been built expressly for us; it
is driven by a tall, distinguished person, frosty of mustache and
affable of manner--evidently a French marquis in disguise."

"What an adroit fellow Ned is!" Flemming said to himself. "I wonder that
with all his cleverness he could have got such a foolish notion into his
head about this girl."

"We must have the French marquis at any cost," said Miss Denham.

"The truth is," remarked Lynde, "I have secured him."

"We are to start at eight, Ruth."