Like a Glow- Worm in the Sky 



western heaven ; while the murmuring waves and the whis- 

 pering sea-breeeze only made a pleasant accompaniment to 

 the music of those loving words. 



The evening star came out in the purpling sky like a glow- 

 worm in a violet. By the way, I suppose violets shut up 

 their fragrant chalices at sundown : therefore, no glow-worm 

 probably ever did appear in a violet, so let us drop the 

 simile ; and indeed I don't see that the evening star gains 

 anything by being likened to a dirty little phosphoric worm. 



But poor Venus is used to these odious comparisons by 

 this time, for she has always been a favourite piece of furni- 

 ture with poets and novelists — an officious set of fellows, 

 who never can inform their readers that something does 

 something, without gratuitously adding that it does it in the 

 same manner as some other thing does something else. 



Be this as it may, Venus came out as Venus is in the 

 habit of coming out of clear evenings at this time of year, 

 and obligingly lighted me home to the Parador^ where we 

 had our tea ; and Harry, who has been sitting at home all 

 day at the receipt of customers, told me he had got a bid of 

 two-and-twenty dollars for the two beasts, which, though it 

 was an ignominiously small sum, he thought it would be 

 better to accept rather than lose time, for we have had our 

 money's worth out of them on the road. 



We went out to get our passports v'lskd^ so as to be ready 

 to set off to-morrow morning by the Bayonne diligence. As 

 we were discoursing with one of the officers of police before 

 the door of the bureau^ and advertising our ponies by telling 

 the price they would probably have to go at if they were not 

 rescued by some more worthy bidder, we were joined by a 

 blustering corporal. 



" He had heard of our case, and it was a shame to 

 take advantage of the hurry of travellers, to get valuable 



395 



