He extended his hand courteously to assist her across the gangway of the vessel, and in a few minutes the Royal party were landed, and the yacht was left to the stewards and servants, who soon had all hands at work preparing the dinner which was to be served during the return sail.
CHAPTER XI. — “GLORIA—IN EXCELSIS!”
The King and Queen, followed by their suite and their guests, walked leisurely off the pier, and down a well-made road, sparkling with crushed sea-shells and powdered coral, towards a group of tall trees and green grass which they perceived a little way ahead of them. There was a soothing quietness everywhere,—save for the singing of birds and the soft ripple of the waves on the sandy shore, it was a silent land:
“In which it seemed always afternoon—
All round the coast the languid air did swoon—
Breathing like one that hath a weary dream.”
The Queen paused once or twice to look around her; she was vaguely touched and charmed by the still beauty of the scene.
“It is very lovely!” she said, more to herself than to any of her companions; “The world must have looked something like this in the first days of creation,—so unspoilt and fresh and simple!”
The Countess Amabil, walking with Sir Walter Langton, glanced coquettishly at her cavalier and smiled.
“It is idyllic!” she said;—“A sort of Arcadia without Corydon or Phyllis! Do all the inhabitants go to sleep or disappear in the daytime, I wonder?”