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Rh Alvarez said she felt much interested in my ship the Penguin, and would be delighted to be able to pay her a visit.

Indeed, the idea of forming a second expedition, including herself and some of her lady friends, had been already discussed, but had to be abandoned on account of the difficulties attending a long journey through the mountains and rugged country that must be traversed. I knew that Alvarez did feel interested; the slight flash on her beautiful cheek, the brightness of her fine dark eyes, together with her nervous temperament, indicated the animation of her nature, and bespoke the manner in which she threw her whole soul into anything that happened to be foremost in her thoughts for the time being.

The guests now began to disperse, and Yondozi took his departure, to superintend the preparations for our trip. Meanwhile, Alvarez and myself wandered through the grounds some distance away from the palace, and found ourselves beside a small running stream that trickled, twisted, and murmured through a long romantic valley, the slopes of which were lightly timbered with forest trees. The soft rays of the sun shone through the foliage, and gave a livelier aspect to the green sward