A Venetian June

"May watched the yacht until it disappeared from sight" ToList A Venetian June By Anna Fuller With 16 Illustrations in Color by Frederick S. Coburn New York & London G. P. Putnam's Sons The Knickerbocker Press Copyright , 1896 by G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS Copyright , 1913 by G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS 23d Printing The Knickerbocker Press, New York To ELENA If from the flower of thy perfect gift One drop of cordial be distilled, 'tis thine. Contents PAGE I.— Venice 3 II.— A Venetian Thoroughfare 13 III.— A Pair of Pollys 25 IV.— A Reverie 37 V.— The Signora 49 VI.— A Festa 65 VII.— Gathering Poppies 87 VIII.— The Pulse of the Sea 109 IX.— By-ways of Venice 129 X.— A Benediction 145 XI.— At Torcello 163 XII.— A Promotion 179 XIII.— Illuminations 197 XIV.— A Summer's Day 219 XV.— June Roses 239 XVI.— A Surrender 253 XVII.— The Serenata 269 XVIII.— Search-Lights 285 XIX.— "Decus Et Praesidium" 301 Illustrations PAGE "May Watched the Yacht Until it Disappeared from Sight" Frontispiece "Between Frowning Walls and Low-arched Bridges" 4 "Time-worn Palaces, and the Darkly Doubtful Water at their Base" 6 "On a Stone Bridge, Leaning Against the Iron Railing, Stood a Woman in a Sulphur Shawl" 8 "They Were Passing the Charming Little Gothic Palace Known as the House of Desdemona" 14 "They had Mounted to the High Gallery that Spans the Space between Pillar and Pillar" 50 "The Gondola is the Centre of Everything; it is Venice and a Living Creature Besides" 72 "Now and then they Stopped at Some Doorway Opening upon the Water, where they Landed" 138 "A Courtyard Embellished by an Exquisite Old Stone Staircase" 140 "The Madonnas, under their Iron Canopies, Looked down, Serene and Beneficent" 142 "Where the Loveliest of All the Parasol Madonnas Keeps Guard over the Still Lagoon" 166 "The Morning was Truly Venetian, Soft and Fair as a Dream" 170 "Under the Beautiful Colonnade of the Cathedral" 172 "May Watched the Water-logged Craft as it Vanished under a Distant Bridge" 224 "The Serenata" 272 "It Seems as if the Lagoons Belonged to them this Evening" 316 I Venice I ToC Venice "Si, Signore!" The gondola stirred gently, as with a long, quiet breath, and a moment later it had pushed its way out from among the thronging craft at the steps of the railway quay, and was gliding with its…