and he clasped more tightly her hand. The lady, too, leant back and closed
her eyes.

"Oh! the beautiful dream!" she said, "the beautiful, beautiful--certainly!
Sweetheart, let us have done with all this philosophising and go back to
our palace, where we are happy in the temple of the greatest of all
Gods--the God of Love!"

Then she gave the order for home.

But on the way they stopped at Jesurum's, and she supervised Paul's
purchases for his mother, and allowed him to buy herself some small gifts.
And between them they spent a good deal of money, and laughed over it like
happy children. So when they got back to the palazzo there was joy in
their hearts like the sunlight of the late afternoon.

She would not let Paul go on to the loggia overlooking the Grand Canal. He
had noticed as they passed that some high screens of lilac-bushes had been
placed in front of the wide arched openings. No fear of prying eyes from
opposite houses now! And yet they were not too high to prevent those in the
loggia from seeing the moon and the sky. Their feast was preparing
evidently, and he knew it would be a night of the gods.

But from then until it was time to dress for dinner his lady decreed that
they should rest in their rooms.

"Thou must sleep, my Paul," she said, "so that thy spirit may be fresh for
new joys."

And it was only after hard pleading she would allow him to have it that