Cross-browser hover with layers

Hi: I am attempting to write a script that will display links in Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer that both look as if they use the "hover" effect (I know, everyone wants to do that). Here is my first attempt which works fine as a "hover" link with both browsers: hover test 1. This is based on this script. The problem I am having is when I try to put text inline immediately following the link. See hover test 2. This displays fine with Internet Explorer. But in Netscape, the following text is on top of the link. Though I've enclosed the link inside an inline layer, it doesn't seem to work. Nor does it help if I put the following text inside an inline layer. It always appears on top of the first link layer. Any ideas? How do I use the regular <layer> tag to make the following text in a layer that's relative to the first one (without trying to specify in pixels -- I want to make a layer that follows the one before it. Any ideas? Help would be really appreciated! -Phyllis