286 THE CRUISE OF THE ROVER CARAVAN

would gladly have gone with her to the uttermost
regions of the earth.

‘When parting from friends is imminent, with only a
night between, the best way to spend that time is to
talk about the future. And this they now did, hope-
fully, joyously.

The Count drew a very pretty picture indeed of the
beautiful home of his ancestors on the banks of the
winding G@ , of old garden walls, of the ancient
gardens with their wealth of flowers rich and rare,
of the walks, and the birds that sang in spring, of
the terraces and the fountains that played thereon,
through the spray of which Sayola remembered,
as a boy, the wild birds flying by way of taking a
bath.

Then he spoke of the sunshine, of blue skies and
fleecy clouds, and air so soft and sweet that but to
breathe it seemed to make one happy with a lazy,
dreamy kind of happiness—dolce far niente.

“Douglas,” said Carleton, after Savola had finished
and lit another cigarette, “if you are here next
summer, would it not be delightful to travel in the
‘Rover’ across fair France and visit our friends in
their own beautiful home ?”

‘How delighted I would be to see you,” said Savola
sincerely, “I need not tell you.”

“Oh, do come! do come!” cried impulsive little
Neeta, seizing Carleton by the hand. “Say you will
come, and to-morrow I will part with dry eyes. I will
Just live all the time after thinking how sweet it will
be to welcome my friends once more.”

This would have been quite a long speech for most