gentlemen and generally honest, but of a common sense that is
disastrous to sentiment or romance. If you were not so polished, and
lazy and strong--and beautiful to look at, one would not consider you
much beyond the German."

"Not consider us beyond a beastly German!" exclaimed Paul
indignantly.

And the lady laughed like a child.

"Oh! you darling Paul!" she said. "You dear, insular, arrogant
Englishman! You have no equal in the world!"

Paul was offended.

"If you had said an Austrian now--but a German--" he growled sulkily.

"The Austrians are charming," allowed the lady, "but they err the
other way; they have not enough common sense, they are only great
gentlemen. Also, they are naturally awake, whereas you English are
naturally asleep, and you yourself are the Sleeping Beauty, Paul."

They had climbed up the path now some two hundred feet, and all around
them were stripling beeches of an unnaturally exquisite green, as
fresh and pure and light almost as leaves of the forced lily of the
valley.

The whole world throbbed with youth and freshness, and here and there,
wide of the path, by a mossy stone, a gentian raised its azure head,
"small essences of sky;" the lady called them.