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she was lost in dream. Amongthe trees, the red and yellowof the sunset flaunted instreaks, banners of a great festival,the festival of her heart;one star, another, ten, hundreds,thousands, some nearer,some farther away, of varyinggreatness, of varying splendor,came forth in the sk,rr, ancl ofevery one Aura felt herself tobe the friend. In token of syppathytoward their little mortalsister the stars glimmeredmore brightly. Gloriana gentlycaressed Aura's hair whileOliviero unfortunately wasfinding it necessary to declarethat the world is a sea of woe.For example, he found himselfconstrained by the tiresomenecessitl- of having to move toanother pens,ion because hispresent one set certain clishesthat v'ould ruin the stomach ofan .ostrich.One Sunday early in Augustthe lake was so smooth that itt'ould have been eas.v to havetravelled over it on foot; blLtGiovanni, sensible man that hewas, proposed a boat instead,to go across to Isola Bella.ttO letts,t' ancl Aura, in asports sriit which gave her theair of a tiny tot on r.acation"hopped into the boat." You, mother, weigh vervlittle, so sit here. You, Oliviero,also weigh ver.v little,-close to my mother. You aren'tfat, father, but;.ou are heavyail the same; so here on thisside. As for me, I can go rvhereverI lr.ant. Oh, how light Iam, just like a feather ! I canalmost feei myself float. Ginotto,at the oars ! Let r-rs pullhard. Even then one can't gettired : I sola B ella comes to meetus !"In fact Isola Bello, apparelledin green, decoratecl withemeralds, garlanded u'ith florvers,gently nodding on its highlread-dress the tufts of varicoloreclplumes, advanced towardthe boat and seemeil agrand lad;', gliding gracefulTHE FOUNTAIN OF MYSTERYand proud over a carpet of bluevelvet to welcome visitors ofhigh depiree.If /HE\- the rowboat nosedYV up on tlre bank, the island,its stability regained, becameagain as before an enchantedspot with gardens that rverebits of paradise, fountains,statues, some of them liftingto merge themselves in the blueof the sk;r, some of them leaningover to contemplate themselvesin the blue of the lake.X'rom one marYel to the next,from salon to salon, past thesuccessors of the noble Borro-The Empress of the FiveKingsby Clarice Tartufaritranslated byFredericka Blankner(It irst Englislt h'an,slation)With 'eaerythingand in allthings I lioe!I uould not giaeFor 'any kingdom or lor anyprtzeThis tumult of my blood thatis aliaer-This heart ol mine and all itsaaried being.O Life! You are beyond aIIprice lo ffiq-My life,Thi.s humble lile I liae,Lonely, but Ernpress of allthings I seeAnd hear ,onil 16usll-Dear sweetness of the flowers!-0 Sea! Oh Sun!!O Air about me!Beloved eaerything!0 Liuirtgo without measure!I would not giae this ecstasyI knooaFor any kingilonr or for anytredsure.mean family, cardinals, cavaiiers,matrons, frowninggrandmothers, young buds withmouths like strarvberries, dandieswith embroidered vests,fine ladies with exaggeratedhoop-skirts, -finally Olivierohad had enough of it and heoPenl;. declared as m'ch:"Why can't we leave all79these fine folk in peace withintheir portrait-frames ? Thevwill always be here waiting forus when we want them. Whatdo you think aboul it, SignorOdasio ? ""I? Why I think that mylegs are aching me,-and mywife also seems to be tirecl out.Dead personages inspire memore with respect than friendliness.\\rhere is Aura ? "They found her in the adjoiningsalon, where she wascourteously giving some explanationsto two foreigners,irusband and wife or perhapsbrother arid sister; in any casetwo attraotive young foreigners,the si,gnora,-ot: si,gnori,nct,,-ta11, suelte, young, her jacketon her arm and her blouse verycl6collet6,-the man big-boned,vigorous, clean-shaven, withpale rblue eyes whose glanceswam a bit as they looked atolle." They trre Rnssians ; thevwill stay for a little while atPallanza," said Aura."\Ve are Russians, studentsat Zuficb; u'e shall stay for alittle wlrile at Pallanza," theforeigner confirmed, expressinghimself n'ith difiicrilty butwith correctness in Italian. Headded, bowing, "Vladimiroancl Slata Hollende'r. "SORT of friendshipsprang up rapidly. 81'happy chance it turned out thatthe two forcigners were livingin the same pensi,ora with Oiiviero,so that Aura began to goback antl forth from Suna toPallanza, from Pailanza toSuna. Invitations to dinner,trips on the lake, walks, interminableconversations in theaYenlres of the garden,-andOliviero alii,'ays with them, beneaththe sun, beneath thestars.t t You nrust know,' ' saiclAura one clay when the sun,high in the sk;', seemed thewitle-open rnouth of a furnace,"that here in Itah' there is