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The two men looked at each other in silence
"You will not succeed by thwarting her!"--said Aloysius, warningly
Rivardi gave an iesture
"And you?"
"I? My son, I have no aiard to her! I should like to see her happy--she has great wealth, and great gifts of intellect and ability--but these do not make real happiness for a woman And yet--I doubt whether she could ever be happy in the ordinary woman's way"
"No, because she is not an 'ordinary' woman," said Rivardi, quickly--"More's the pity I think--for HER!"
"And for you!" added Aloysius, ly
Rivardi made no answer, and they walked on in silence, the priest parting with his co on to his own half-ruined villa lifting its cru the historic past, when a Caesar spent festal hours in its great gardens which were noilderness
Meanwhile, Morgana, the subject of their hts, followed the path she had taken down to the seashore Alone there, she stood absorbed,--a fairylike figure in her shi in her hair--now looking at the moonlit water,--now back to the beautiful outline of the Palazzo d'Oro, lifted on its rocky height and surrounded by a paradise of flowers and foliage--then to the long wide structure of the huge shed where her wonderful air-ship lay, as it were, in harbour She stretched out her aresture
"I have all I want!"--she said softly aloud,--"All!--all that ht!--and yet--the unknown quantity called happiness is not in the bargain What is it? Why is it? I ahts' as quite satisfied with her beautiful palace till an old wo to make it perfect And she became at once ! I thought her a fool when I read that story in reat a fool as she to-day I want that roc's egg!"
She laughed to herself and looked up at the splendid olden shield in heaven
"How the er Seaton--bear-iven worlds to hold me in his arms and kiss me as he did once when he 'didn't mean it!' Ah! I wonder if he ever WILL mean it! Perhaps--when it is too late!"