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BY ORDER OF THE CZAR. 321

debted to you for your kindness and attention. We shall pay for your rooms until the end of the term for which I engaged them, and we shall hope to return next spring for a long stay in Venice. Any loss that you may have sustained by our monopoly of the hotel during the fdtes I shall discharge with pleasure."

tl Monsieur is most generous," said the manager. " I hold myself at your command." With which the cour- uous host withdrew, and Walter and his wife returned to the subject in hand.

' That letter, my dear," said Jenny, " is our justifi- cation."

" Yes," said Walter, "it relieves my mind very con- siderably. I should have felt troubled about leaving Venice without having something definite from Forsyth. Now all we have .to do is to try and forget the disagree- able part of our journey, to look upon what has happened as all for the best, and continue our holiday in a cheerful spirit."

" We never, my dear Walter, were more unanimous upon any subject. Where do you propose to go ? "

" I think we might spend a few days at Verona, a week or two at Belaggio, and then travel quietly through Switzerland and home by Paris."

" Delightful," said Jenny, as Dolly and Sam Swynford entered the room. " Don't you think so ? " she said, addressing Doliy and her new fiance.

" The morning," said Dolly, " or what ? Venice is certainly lovely. Sam has given me an ice at Florian's, and I have been feeding the pigeons."

" For sixty seconds," said Sam, cheerily, " I was afraid the pigeons were going to feed on Dolly. She was literally in a cloud of feathers. I had positively to rescue