Alone in her room later ... she looked at the other portrait
AURORA
THE MAGNIFICENT
BY
GERTRUDE HALL
AUTHOR OF “THE TRUTH ABOUT CAMILLA,”
“THE UNKNOWN QUANTITY,” ETC.
ILLUSTRATED BY
GERALD LEAKE
NEW YORK
THE CENTURY CO.
1917
Copyright, 1916, 1917, by
The Century Co.
Published, March, 1917
TO
MY SISTER GRACE
WITHOUT WHOM THIS BOOK
WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN.
AND TO
MY DEAR HELEN R─,
WITHOUT WHOM IT WOULD
HAVE BEEN
DIFFERENT
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
| Alone in her room later ... she looked at the other portrait | Frontispiece |
| FACING PAGE | |
| After it she still stood a moment, looking toward the sanctuary | 20 |
| “I thought,” said Mrs. Hawthorne, “that you were going to come and take us sight-seeing“ | 82 |
| Aurora, clasping her hands in a delight that could find no words to express it, made a sound like the coo of a dove | 200 |
| Gerald turned, and beheld that lady | 272 |
| Aurora’s eyes, fixed and starry, rested upon the little flame | 290 |
| Aurora, with a comedy of pride, threw up her chin, lifted her arms, and turned as if on a pivot | 316 |
| “Come, let us reason together, Aurora” | 384 |
AURORA THE MAGNIFICENT
CHAPTER I
Near sunset, one day in early October, not too long ago for some of us toremember with distinctness, Mr. Foss, United States consul at Florence, Italy,took a cab, as on other days, to the Porta Romana. Here, where the out-of-towntariff comes into effect, he paid his man, and set out to walk the rest of theway, thus meeting the various needs he felt: that for economy,–he was afamily man with daughters to clothe,–that for exercise,–his wifetold him he was growing fat,–and the need in general for an opportunity tothink. He had found that walking aided reflection, that walking in beautifulplaces started the spring of apt and generous ideas. Though in his modest way ascholar, he was not as yet an author, but Florence had inspired him with thedesire to write a book.
Just beyond the Roman Gate begins the long Viale dei Coll