Page:In Maremma, by Ouida (vol 3).djvu/90

 trembled with their mirth and their pleasure; the lowly tussocks of dog-grass and the lofty ilex and robur-oaks were alike the home of their innocent passions, and down the shadowy waters, between the solitary brakes and thickets, the water birds sailed before each other's eyes in their pomp of courtship and coquetry of wooing.

All living things loved one another; from the partridges that tripped together through the thyme to the little warblers sounding the first notes of their return amidst the sedges of the pools.

And the human lovers were also happy, and even in the shadows of the sepulchres their hearts thrilled in unison with the joy of the awakening year.

Now and then love triumphs over circumstances, and nature is a stronger thing than all the laws of men.