april, the beautiful april of southern italy, was half-way spent before the villa camellia broke up for the holidays. there were the usual term-end examinations, at which distressed damsels, with agitated minds and ink-stained fingers, sat at desks furnished with piles of foolscap, and cudgeled their brains to supply facts to fill the sheets of blank paper; there was the reading out of results, with congratulations to those who had succeeded, and glum looks from miss rodgers to those who had failed; then followed the bringing down of boxes, the joyful flutter of packing, the last breakfast, and the final universal exodus.
"good-by, dear old thing!"
"do miss me a little!"
"hope you'll have a ripping time!"
"be a sport and write to me, won't you?"
"hold me down, somebody, i'm ready to fizz over!"
"you won't forget me, dearie? all right! just so long as we know!"
lorna, who had anticipated previous vacations as simply a relief from the toil of lessons, went home to naples with quite altered feelings from those of[273] former occasions. she was determined that, if it possibly lay in her power, she would make her father enjoy the time she spent with him. in spite of injustice and cruel wrong there might surely be some happy hours together, and she would win him to live in the present, instead of continually brooding over the past. the immense, terrible pathos of the situation appealed to the deepest chords in her nature. her father was still in the prime of his years, a handsome, clever man, who might have done much in the world. was it yet too late? lorna sometimes had faint, budding hopes that in some fresh country his wrecked career might be righted, and that he might make a new start and rise triumphant over the ruin of other days. he was glad to see her. there was no doubt about that. the knowledge that she now shared his secret placed her on a different footing. it was a relief to him to have some one in whom he could confide, some one who knew the reason for his hermit mode of living, and above all who believed in his innocence. insensibly lorna's presence acted upon him for good. the nervous, hunted look began to fade out of his eyes, and sometimes he actually smiled as she recounted the doings of the camellia buds, or other happenings at school.
"daddy!" she said once, "couldn't we go out to australia or america, or somewhere where nobody would know us, and make a fresh life for ourselves?"[274]
a gleam of hope flitted for a moment over the sad face.
"i've thought of that, lorna. perhaps i've been too morbid. it seemed to me that every englishman must know of what i had been accused. and i had no credentials to offer. now, with a five years' reference from the ferroni company in naples i might have a chance of a job in australia. it's worth considering—for your sake, child, if not for mine."
during the whole of the first week of the holidays lorna amused herself as best she might in their little lodgings in naples. while her father was at the office she read or sewed, or played on a wretched old piano, which had little tune in it but was better than nothing. the evenings were her golden times, for then they would go out together, sometimes into the italian quarters of the city, or sometimes by tram into the suburbs, where there were beautiful promenades with views of the sea. in these walks she grew to be his companion, and instead of shrinking from him as in former days, she met him on a new footing and gave him of her best. together they planned a home in a fresh hemisphere, and talked hopefully of better things that were perhaps in store for them over the ocean. and so life went on, and father and daughter might have realized their vision, and have emigrated to another continent where no one knew their name or their former history, and have made a fresh start and won comparative suc[275]cess, but dame fortune, who sometimes has a use for our past however bitterly she seems to have mismanaged it, interfered again, and with fateful fingers re-flung the dice.
it certainly did not seem a fortunate circumstance, but quite the reverse, when the grandchildren of their landlady, who occupied the étage above their rooms, sickened with measles. lorna had never had the complaint, and it was, of course, most important that she should not convey germs back to the villa camellia, so it was a vital necessity to move her immediately out of the area of infection. signora fiorenza, harassed but sympathetic, suggested a visit to capri, where her sister, signora verdi, who owned a little orange farm and had a couple of spare bedrooms, would probably take her in for the remainder of the holidays, which would give the necessary quarantine before returning to the school.
mr. carson jumped at the opportunity, and lorna was told to pack her bag.
"but daddy, daddy!" she remonstrated. "i don't want to leave you. just when we're happy together must i run away? do measles matter? i'd rather have them and stay here. i would indeed."
"don't be silly, lorna. miss rodgers wouldn't thank you to start an epidemic. of course you must go to capri. it's a splendid opportunity. signora verdi has a nice little villa. cheer up, child. i'll tell you what i'll do. i'll take you myself to-mor[276]row, stay over sunday, and come again and spend the next week-end with you. i can get an extra day or two of holiday if i want, and the casa verdi is a quiet spot, quite out of the way of tourists. we can have the orange groves to ourselves and see nobody. if i catch the early boat i'm not likely to be troubled with english trippers; that's one good business."
"daddy! you darling! oh, that would be glorious! i'd go to the north pole if you'd come too. two week-ends with you in capri! what fun. we'll have the time of our lives!"
to poor lorna, who so seldom had the opportunity of enjoying family outings, this visit indeed was an event. she packed her bag joyously, and was all excitement to start.
following his usual custom of avoiding the vicinity of english people, mr. carson decided not to go to capri by the ordinary steamer that conveyed pleasure-seekers, but to secure passages in a cargo vessel which was crossing with supplies. to lorna the mode of conveyance was immaterial; she would have sailed cheerfully on a raft if necessary. she rather enjoyed the picturesque neapolitan tramp steamer with its cargo of wine barrels and packing cases, and its crew of bare-footed, red-capped seamen, talking and gesticulating with all the excitability of their southern temperament. the voyage across the blue bay was longer than that to fossato, and she sat in a cozy nook among the casks,[277] and watched first the white houses of naples fading away, then the distant mountains of the coast, then the gay sails of the fishing craft that plied to and fro over the water.
it was sunset when they reached the beautiful island of capri, a pink ethereal sunset that flooded headland and rock, orange orchard and vineyard, in a faint and luminous opal glow. their vessel anchored outside the quay of the marina grande, and signaled for a boat to take them off. a little skiff put out from the beach, and into this they and their luggage were transferred. the transparent crystal water over which they rowed was clear as an aquarium, and alive with gorgeous medusæ whose pink tentacles seemed to flash with the colors of the sunset; to gaze down at them was like watching a flock of sea-butterflies flitting across a background of undulating green.
they landed at the jetty, walked to the shore, and after securing a carriage started on a long drive uphill to the terreno of signora verdi. capri, betwixt the glow of the fading sunset and the light of the rising full moon, was a veritable land of romance, with its domed eastern-looking houses set in a mass of vines and lemon trees, and the luscious scent of its many flowers wafted on the evening air. it seemed no less attractive in the morning, when, after drinking their coffee in a rose-covered arbor that stood at the bottom of their landlady's orange grove, they wandered away through the bosco and up on to[278] the open hillside. here flora had surely played a trick to plant golden genista against the intense sapphire blue of a capri sea, and she must have emptied her apron all at once to have spangled the rough grass with cistus, anemone, and starry asphodel. below them lay a stretch of rugged rocks and turquoise bay, with no sound to break the silence but the tinkling of goat-bells, or the piping of a little dark-eyed boy who practiced a rustic flute as he minded his flock. to poor mr. carson, wearied with the noise and clamor of naples, it was a veritable paradise, a haven of refuge, a breathing space in the dreary pilgrimage of his sad life. on the top of this sunlit, rock-crowned islet he gained a short period of peace and rest before he once more shouldered his heavy burden.
"if i could live all my days here, lorna, who knows, i might learn to forget," he said wistfully.
"oh, dad! we must find a way out somehow. you can't go on like this! it's killing you. why have we to suffer under this unjust accusation? why should some one else do a shameful deed and shift the blame on to you? is there no plan by which you could clear your name?"
"i've asked myself that question, lorna, through many black hours, but i've never hit on an answer."
"i hate the man who's wronged you," she sobbed passionately. "yes! i hate him—hate him—hate him—and all belonging to him. is it wicked to hate? i can't help it when it's my own father's honor that's[279] at stake. oh, daddy, daddy, if i could only 'get even' i'd be content. it seems so hard to let the wicked prosper and just do nothing. why should some people have all the laughter of life and others all the tears?"
lorna parted reluctantly from her father on monday morning. he sailed by a very early boat, so that the sun had not yet risen high, as, after watching his vessel leave the harbor, she turned from the marina to walk back to the casa verdi. half of the little town was still asleep. there were no signs of life in the hotel, where the wistaria was blooming in a purple shower over the veranda, and green shutters barred the lower windows of most of the villas. a few peasant people were stirring about; three dark-eyed girls, as straight as greek goddesses, were coming down the steep path from anacapri with orange baskets on their heads, and their hands full of posies of pink cyclamen; a mother with a child clinging to her yellow-bordered skirt was taking an earthenware pitcher to the well for water; a persistent bell in the little church of s. costanzo was calling some to prayers, and others were starting the ordinary routine of the day, attending to animals, cutting salads in their gardens, spreading out fishing-nets, or getting ready the hand barrows on which they sold their wares. in the gleaming morning light the beautiful island seemed more than ever like a radiant jewel set in a sapphire sea. lorna had left the winding highroad, and was taking a short cut up[280] flights of steep steps between the flowery gardens of villas, where geraniums grew like weeds, and every bush seemed a mass of scented blossoms. she was passing a small flat-topped eastern house, whose gatepost bore the attractive title of "la carina," when she suddenly heard her own name called, and turning round, startled and surprised, what should she see peeping over the cactus hedge but the smiling face and blonde bobbed locks of irene. the amazement was mutual.
"hello! what are you doing in capri?"
"what are you doing here?"
"i'm staying up on the hill!"
"and we're staying at this villa!"
"to think of meeting you!"
"sporting, isn't it? come inside the garden! i can't talk to you down there in the road."
that her chum should actually also have come to capri for the holidays seemed a marvelous piece of luck to lorna.
"we decided quite in a hurry," explained irene. "dad heard this little place was to let furnished, and took it for three weeks. the camerons have taken that big pink house over there, with the umbrella pine in the garden. peachy is staying with them. isn't it absolutely ripping? i was only saying yesterday i wished you were here too. and my cousin marjorie anderson and her friends are stopping at the hotel, just down below. we're having the most glorious times all together. here's vincent! vin,[281] you remember meeting lorna at school? she's actually staying in capri! no, don't go, lorna! sit down and talk! now i've found you i mean to keep you. we're not generally up so early, but dad wants to catch the first steamer. he has to get back to naples this morning."
"my father has gone already by a sailing vessel."
"then you are alone? oh, i say! you must spend most of your time with us. it's a lucky chance that has blown you our way, isn't it? we seem quite a cluster of camellia buds in capri."
so lorna, who had expected a very quiet, not to say dull, visit at the casa verdi during her father's absence, found herself instead in the midst of hospitable friends who extended cordial invitations to her for every occasion.
"by all means let your friend join us," agreed mrs. beverley, in answer to her daughter's urgent request. "we've heard so much about lorna in your letters. she seems a nice girl. i remember i was quite struck with her when i saw her at your school carnival. one more or less makes no difference for picnics. it must certainly be slow for her up there with only an italian landlady to talk to, poor child."
capri was an idyllic place for holiday-making. the beautiful climate, perfect at this season of the year, made living out of doors a delight. every day the various friends met together, and either went for excursions or passed happy hours in each other's gardens. the camerons had several young people[282] staying with them as well as peachy, and the party at the hotel proved a great acquisition. this consisted of captain hilton preston and his sister joyce, their married sister kathleen and her husband, mr. frank roper, and marjorie anderson, who was traveling under their chaperonage. they were fond of the sea, and had at once made arrangements to hire a boat and a boatman for their visit, so that they might have as much pleasure as possible on the water during their short stay.
"we shan't be able to paddle about on the mediterranean when we get home," said captain preston with mock tragedy. "my leave will soon be up and i shall be off to india again. it's a case of 'let's enjoy while the season invites us.' these rocks and bays and coves are simply magnificent. we've decided to go to the blue grotto to-day. who cares to join us?"
this was an expedition which could only be undertaken when the sea was absolutely calm, so, as even the mediterranean may be treacherous, and sudden squalls can lash its smooth surface into waves, it was wise to take advantage of a cloudless day.
"we'll start early, so as to arrive there before the steamer, and have the grotto to ourselves, instead of going in with a rabble of tourists," decreed hilton preston.
"four boatfuls of us will be a big enough party," agreed vincent. "they say the best light is at about eleven."[283]
the group of friends therefore set off from the marina in their various craft. the row along the base of the precipitous craggy shore was most beautiful, the water swarmed with gayly-colored sea-stars and jelly-fish, and on the rocks at the edge of the waves grew gorgeous madrepores, and other "frutti di mare." the blue grotto is one of the wonders of italy, but to explore it is not a particularly easy matter, for its entrance is scarcely three feet in height.
"my! have we got to squeeze under there!" exclaimed peachy wonderingly, looking at the tiny space at the foot of the crag through which they would be obliged to pass.
"not in these boats, of course," said vincent. "the skiffs are waiting, and if we just leave it to the boatmen they'll show us how to manage."
the tiny craft that were in readiness for visitors now came forward, and the party was transferred to them. three passengers were taken in each skiff, and were required to lie flat on their backs in the bottom of the boat. the boatman paddled to the entrance of the grotto, then also lying on his back he directed the skiff into a low passage, working his way along by pulling at a chain which was fastened to the roof of the rocky corridor. in a short space of time they shot into an enormous cavern, 175 feet in length, and over 40 feet in height. here for a moment or two all seemed dazzled, but as their be[284]wildered vision gradually grew accustomed to the light they saw that everything in the grotto, walls, sea, or any objects, appeared of a heavenly blue color. the faces of their friends, their own hands, the water when they scooped it up and dropped it again, all were turned to sapphire, while articles under the sea gleamed with a beautiful silver shade. the girls bared their arms and enjoyed dipping them to obtain this effect. the glorious blue of the cave was indescribable.
"i feel like a mermaid at the bottom of the ocean," exulted peachy.
"or a cherub in the sky!" said jess.
"why is it blue though?" asked lorna.
"because of the refraction of light," explained mrs. beverley from the next boat. "we see a kind of concentrated reflection of the sky sent to us under the sea. if it were a gray day outside it would be gray in here too. some people think that the mediterranean has risen, and that once the water in this grotto was much lower, so that boats could sail in and out of it quite easily. do you see that landing-place over there? it leads to some broken steps and a blocked-up passage that tradition says wound up through the cliff right to the villa of tiberius. perhaps it was a secret way by which he thought he might escape if danger threatened him."
"how i'd love to explore it," sighed irene.
"it only goes a little way before it is blocked. it's hardly worth landing to look at it. be careful,[285] renie! if you lean over the edge of the boat so far you'll be upsetting us, and, although we might look very delightful and silvery objects under the water, i'm not at all anxious to offer myself for the experiment."
"why don't they enlarge the entrance?" asked vincent.
"because nobody is sure whether by doing so they might or might not spoil the beautiful effect of blue light in the grotto. it's too risky a venture to try. besides in present conditions the boatmen make a great deal of money by taking tourists into the grotto. if it were very easy to get in they could not charge so much. it's a little mine of wealth to the capri fisherfolk now, though years ago they used to say the place was haunted, and tell terrible tales about it. they said fire and smoke had been seen issuing from the entrance, that creatures like crocodiles crept in and out, that every day the opening expanded and contracted seven times, that at night the sirens sang sweetly there, that any young fishermen who ventured to sail near disappeared and were never seen again, and that the place was full of human bones."
"what a gruesome record," declared vincent. "i agree with renie though, i'd like to explore that passage with a strong bicycle lamp, or an electric torch. who knows what we might find if we looked about—a coin that tiberius had dropped out of his pocket, or one of the sirens' hairpins, or a crocodile's[286] tooth at least. yes, i must positively come again, mater. just to prove the truth of your stories."
"silly boy," laughed his mother. "i expect every stone of the place has been well turned over in search of treasure. trust the fisher people not to lose a chance. now our stay here's limited by the official tariff to a quarter of an hour, and if we stop any longer we shall have to pay our dues a second time. if you're ready so am i. tell the first boat to go on. don't forget we must lie on our backs again to scrape through the entrance."[
