Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images available at The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) THE FRONT YARD AND OTHER ITALIAN STORIES CONSTANCE FENIMORE WOOLSON [Illustration: image of the book's cover] [Illustration: Page 202 "'MADEMOISELLE NEED GIVE HERSELF NO UNEASINESS'"] THE FRONT YARD AND OTHER ITALIAN STORIES BY CONSTANCE FENIMORE WOOLSON AUTHOR OF "ANNE" "HORACE CHASE" ETC. ILLUSTRATED [Illustration: colophon] NEW YORK HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS 1895 Copyright, 1895, by HARPER & BROTHERS. _All rights reserved._ NOTE Of the stories contained in this volume, "In Venice" was originally published in the _Atlantic Monthly_, "The Street of the Hyacinth" in the _Century Magazine_, and the other four stories in _Harper's Magazine_. CONTENTS PAGE THE FRONT YARD 1 NEPTUNE'S SHORE 50 A PINK VILLA 91 THE STREET OF THE HYACINTH 137 A CHRISTMAS PARTY 194 IN VENICE 234 ILLUSTRATIONS "'MADEMOISELLE NEED GIVE HERSELF NO UNEASINESS'" _Frontispiece_ "''TWOULD BE SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE THE DAY WITH, THAT WOULD'" _Facing p._ 2 "NOUNCE TOO CAME OUT, AND SAT ON THE WALL NEAR BY, LISTENING" " 22 "STILL HOLDING NOUNCE'S HAND, SHE WENT ROUND TO THE FRONT OF THE HOUSE" " 42 "'YOU KNOW I AM YOUR SLAVE'" " 58 AZUBAH ASH " 68 THE OLD WATCH-TOWER " 86 "THE CART WAS GOING SLOWLY ACROSS THE FIELDS, FOR THE ROAD WAS OVERFLOWED" " 88 "'MRS. CHURCHILL, LET ME PRESENT TO YOU MR. DAVID ROD'" " 100 SORRENTO " 102 ON THE WAY TO THE DESERTO " 112 AT THE DESERTO " 114 "SHE SAT DOWN AND GATHERED HER CHILD TO HER BREAST" " 128 "FANNY PUT OUT HER HANDS WITH A BITTER CRY" " 134 "A SMALL CHILD PERCHED ON EACH OF HIS SHOULDERS" " 214 THE FRONT YARD