THE VENETIANS

A Novel
BY THE AUTHOR OF
“LADY AUDLEY’S SECRET,” “VIXEN,”
“ISHMAEL,” Etc.
Stereotyped Edition
LONDON
SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, HAMILTON, KENT & CO. LIMITED
STATIONERS’ HALL COURT
1893
[All rights reserved]

LONDON:
PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED,
STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTERPAGE
I.In the City by the Sea[1]
II.After-thoughts[14]
III.“Fairies!”[30]
IV.“The Prelude to some Brighter World”[49]
V.Teatime in Arcadia[56]
VI.Why should he refrain?[67]
VII.He would take his Time[83]
VIII.A Face in the Crowd[92]
IX.“Though Love, and Life, and Death should come and go”[99]
X.“As Things that are not shall these Things be”[106]
XI.“One Thread in Life worth spinning”[116]
XII.“One born to love you, Sweet”[132]
XIII.“The Time of Lovers is Brief”[137]
XIV.As a Spirit from Dream to Dream[143]
XV.“Love should be Absolute Love”[151]
XVI.To Live Forgotten and Love Forlorn[164]
XVII.“She was more Fair than Words can say”[179]
XVIII.“The Shadow passeth when the Tree shall fall”[190]
XIX.“He said, ‘She has a Lovely Face’”[196]
XX.Peggy’s Chance[212]
XXI.“From the Evil to come”[228]
XXII.“So very Wilful”[235]
XXIII.The Little Rift[244]
XXIV.“Poor Kind Wild Eyes so dashed with Light Quick Tears”[257]
XXV.“And every Gentle Passion Sick to Death”[268]
XXVI.“Closer and closer swam the Thunder-cloud”[284]
XXVII.“Thou mayst be False and yet I know it not”[298]
XXVIII.In the Blue Chamber[303]
XXIX.“’Tis not the Same now, never more can be”[311]
XXX.A Double Exile[321]
XXXI.“Oh tell her, Brief is Life, but Love is Long”[325]
XXXII.“A Scene of Light and Glory”[333]
XXXIII.“Both together, he her God, she his Idol”[335]

THE VENETIANS.

CHAPTER I.

IN THE CITY BY THE SEA.

Little golden cloudlets, like winged living creatures, were hanging high up in the rosy glow above Santa Maria della Salute, and all along the Grand Canal the crowded gondolas were floating in a golden haze, and all the westward-facing palace windows flashed and shone with an illumination which the lamps and lanterns that were to be lighted after sundown could never equal, burnt they never so merrily. It was Shrove Tuesday in Venice, Carnival time. The sun had been shining on the city and on the lagunes all day long. It was one of those Shrove Tuesdays which recall the familiar proverb—