The next day, black Tom came with a barouche, and they took a drive round the lovely island.

The cotton-fields were all abloom on Gerald's plantation, and his stuccoed villa, with spacious veranda and high porch, gleamed out in whiteness among a magnificent growth of trees, and a garden gorgeous with efflorescence.

The only drawback to the pleasure was, that Gerald charged them to wear thick veils, and never to raise them when any person was in sight.

They made no complaint, because he told them that he should be deeply involved in trouble if his participation in their escape should be discovered; but, happy as Rosa was in reciprocated love, this necessity of concealment was a skeleton ever sitting at her feast; and Floracita, who had no romantic compensation for it, chafed under the restraint.
It was dusk when they returned to the cottage, and the thickets were alive with fire-flies, as if Queen Mab and all her train were out dancing in spangles.
A few days after was Rosa's birthday, and Floracita busied herself in adorning the rooms with flowery festoons.

After breakfast, Gerald placed a small parcel in the hand of each of the sisters.