The Front Yard

owned one of the perpendicular cliffs of Sorrento, its rosy fa?ade overlooking wh

low, or turn it to the white line of Naples opposite, shining under castled heights, to Vesuvius with its plume of smoke, or to beautiful dark Ischia rising from the waves in the west, guarding the entrance to the sea. On each side, close at hand, the cliffs of Sorrento stretched away, tipped with their villas, with their crowded orange and lemon groves. Each villa had its private stairway leading to the beach

RR

partially covered by a large Persian rug, and it was upon this rich surface that the easy-chairs were assembled, and also the low tea-table, which was of a construction so solid that no one could possibly knoc

ine planets, Fanny," said Dallas. "Aft

we who live

led. Mr. Gordon-Gray, Mark Ferguson, Pierre de Vernueil, Horace

it in the shade and talk. I give very good

d dinners on th

n; the most satisfactory men, in short-nothing draws them so surely as a good dinner

is hostess in her easy-chair. "Your villa is admirable, and you yourself, as you sit there, are the personification

, busied herself in arranging

e with her because I said that about affectiona

ought; Eva handed the cups. Dallas, looking at her, was again struck by something in the manner and bearing of Fanny's daughter. Or rather he was

the foreign system it really makes them too quiet," thought Dallas. Eva had a pair of large gray eyes under dark lashes: these eyes were thoughtful; sometimes they were dull. Her smooth complexion was rather brown. The oval of her face was perfect. Though her dress was so child-like, her figure was womanly; the poise of her head was noble, her step light and free. Nothing could be more unlike the

ted, summing her up finally before he dismissed her. "Fan

as cup-bearer, walked across the terrace and st

beautiful!" t

children whom he might have should be much benefited by it; Fanny herself, though she had a comfortable income for life, could not d

ays was, in every other respect her existence had been arranged as though a large fortune certainly awaited her. This had been the mot

erday in that unceremonious way, Mrs. Churchill," Bartholomew was saying. "But I wanted

of yours-" said Fanny,

g, with an expression of dry humor in his brown eyes.

a moment

sn't he?" said Dallas, unconsciously assuming t

do, coming from you, Dallas. Rod has never been abroad

k Ferguson; "I've got convictions too; I'm

ell you about Rod, then, may

emember; I thought he had plenty of intelligence. Hi

o doubt but that he took pains with

learned that he came from that-that place in the States you have just named-a wild part of the country,

wild, you mean; trousers in

American

aid there would be little use in attempting to explain it to you. But this Mr. Rod seemed to me painfully unconscious of his opportun

e has something better to

rmured the Engli

. Dallas, who caught this smile on the wing, learned from it unexpectedly that there was a closer intimacy between his hostess and Bartholomew than he had suspected. "Bartholomew!" he thought, contempt

ew, addressing the Englishman. "I saw him once bring down a mad bull,

n a safe place mean

ld. If he had missed his aim by an eighth of an inch, the

or old man?

e-to rescue two men whose boat had capsized in the bay. They were clinging to the bottom; no one else would stir; they said it was certain

?" said

e never been saved yourself, Dallas,

alier Bayard, doesn't he?" sa

Bayard. He's a modern

rs!" murmured Gordon-

ricans recogniz

David was the youngest; his five brothers, who had come up almost laborers, were determined to give this lad a chance if they could; together they managed to send him to school, and later to a forlorn little Methodist college somewhere in Georgia. David doesn't call it forlorn, mind you; he still thinks it an important institution. For nine years now-he is thirty-he has taken care of himself; he and a partner have cleared this large farm, and have already done well with it. Their hop

ildren, do they g

on long bare feet. He has got a brisk little Yankee school-mistress for them.

e Northern man with c

omitable pluck, his simple but tremendous belief in the importance of what he has undertaken to do, that's my own affair. I do admire him just as he stands, clot

Friday evenings, say?" asked Ferguson. "Because if he does he will ma

how. In fact, he's no talker at all; he says very little at any time; he's a doer-David is; he does things. I declare it used to

here,' besides making yourself s

ing, of course. What else doe

you don't mind," said the English

y soon," said Fanny; "a lunch party. We shall be sure to