f a tourist party, but having more time at his
disposal than was contemplated by the contracting agency, he stayed
on, chartered a dragoman and wandered far and wide. On his return he
told me that he had seen Lady Emily Rich at Pherae in Arcadia, and that
he had spoken to her. He had seen her sitting on the door-step of a
one-storied white house, spinning flax. She wore the costume of the
peasants, which he told me is very picturesque. Two or three
half-naked children tumbled about her. They were beautiful as angels,
he said, with curly golden hair and extremely light eyes. He noticed
that particularly, and recurred to it more than once. Now Lady Emily
was a dark girl, with eyes so deeply blue as to be almost black.

My friend spoke to her, he said. He had seen that she recognised him;
in fact, she bowed to him. He felt that he could not disregard her.
Mere commonplaces were exchanged. She told him that her husband was
away on a journey. She fancied that he had been in England; but she
explained half-laughingly that she knew very little about his affairs,
and was quite content to leave them to him. She had her children to
look after. My friend was surprised that she asked no question of
England or family matters; but, in the circumstances, he added, he
hardly liked to refer to them. She served him with bread and wine
before he left her. All he could say was that she appeared to be
perfectly happy.

It is odd, and perhaps it is more than odd, that there was a famous
temple of Hermes in Pherae in former times. Pindar, I believe,
acclaimed it in one of his Epinikean odes; but I have not been able to
verify the reference.

THE SECRET COMMONWEALTH

The interest of my matter has caused me to lose sight of myself and to
fail in my account of the flight of time over my head. That is,
however, comparable with the facts, which were that my attention was
then become solely objective. I had other things to think of than the
development of my own nature. I had other things to think of, indeed,
than those which surround us all, and press upon us until we become
permanently printed by their contact. Solitary as I had ever been in
mind, I now became literally so by choice. I became wholly absorbed in
that circumambient world of being which was graciously opening itself
to my perceptions--how I knew not. I was in a state of momentary
expectation of apparitions; as I went about my ostensible business I
had my ears quick and