itual distance for all that. The
souls who do not return to earth are very far off, as you will sometime
see. But we messengers have our short cuts, and I shall take advantage
of them to-day."

We went out of the great door of the fortress, and I felt a sense of
relief. It was good to put it all behind one. For a long time I talked
to Amroth about all my doings. "Come," he said at last, "this will never
do! You are becoming something of a bore! Do you know that your talk is
very provincial? You seem to have forgotten about every one and
everything except your Philips and Annas--very worthy creatures, no
doubt--and the Master, who is a very able man, but not the little
demigod you believe. You are hypnotised! It is indeed time for you to
have a holiday. Why, I believe you have half forgotten about me, and yet
you made a great fuss when I quitted you."

I smiled, frowned, blushed. It was indeed true. Now that he was with me
I loved him as well, indeed better than ever; but I had not been
thinking very much about him.

We went over the moorlands in the keen air, Amroth striding cleanly and
lightly over the heather. Then we began to descend into the valley,
through a fine forest country, somewhat like the chestnut-woods of the
Apennines. The view was of incomparable beauty and width. I could see a
great city far out in the plain, with a river entering it and leaving
it, like a ribbon of silver. There were rolling ridges beyond. On the
left rose huge, shadowy, snow-clad hills, rising to one tremendous dome
of snow.

"Where are you going to take me?" I said to Amroth.

"Never mind," said he; "it's my day and my plan for once. You shall see
what you shall see, and it will amuse me to hear your ingenuous
conjectures."

We were soon on the outskirts of the city we had seen, which seemed a
different kind of place from any I had yet visited. It was built, I
perceived, upon an exactly conceived plan, of a stately, classical kind
of architecture, with great gateways and colonnades. There were people
about, rather silent and serious-looking, soberly clad, who saluted us
as we passed, but made no attempt to talk to us. "This is rather a
tiresome place, I always think," said Amroth; "but you ought to see it."

We went along the great street and reached a square. I was surprised at
the elderly air of all we met. We found ourselves opposite a great
building with a dome, like a church. People were going in under the
portico, and