them were still wrapped in shadow, but on its white and lofty crest
already the lights of dawn were burning. Never have I seen anything more
beautiful than this soaring mountain top flaming like some giant torch
over a world of darkness; indeed, the unearthly grandeur of the sight
amazed and half paralysed my mind.

A lantern swung from the roof of the coach, and, turning my eyes from
the mountain, in its light I saw the face of my travelling companion
and--fell in love with it. I had seen it before without any such idea
entering my mind; then it had been to me only the face of a rather
piquante and pretty girl, but with this strange and inconvenient result,
the sight of the dawn breaking upon Orizaba seemed to have worked some
change in me. At least, if only for an instant, it had pierced the
barrier that day by day we build within us to protect ourselves from the
attack of the impulses of nature.

In that moment at any rate there was a look upon this girl's countenance
and a light shining in her eyes which overcame my caution and swept
me out of myself, for I think that she too was under the shadow of the
glory which broke upon the crest of Orizaba. In vain did I try to save
myself and to struggle back to common-sense, since hitherto the prospect
of domestic love had played no part in my scheme of life. It was
useless, so I gave it up, and our eyes met.

Neither of us said anything, but from that time forward we knew that we
did not wish to be parted any more.

After a while, to relieve a tension of mind which neither of us cared to
reveal, we drifted into desultory and indifferent conversation. In the
course of our talk Emma told me that her aunt had written to her that if