geable as water now. I won't send another photo of him till he
looks pretty again.

"With best love,
"LAFCADIO HEARN.
"_June_ 24, '94.

"I must go off travelling in a couple of weeks. Perhaps there will be a
little delay before my next letter reaches you."

[Illustration: KAZUO (HEARN'S SON, AGED ABOUT SEVEN).]

In the next letter he touches upon these travels undertaken with his
wife, mother-in-law, and Kaji (an abbreviation of Kazuo, or Kajiwo, as
Hearn was in the habit of calling him at first).

"How sweet of you," he says, "to send that charming photo of the
children. It delighted us all. Setsu never saw a donkey--there are none
in Japan; and all wondered at the strange animal. What I wondered at was
to see what a perfect pretty little woman the charming Marjory is. As
for the boy, he is certainly what every parent wants a boy to be as to
good looks; but I also think he must have a very sweet temper. I trust
that you won't allow the world to spoil it for him. They do spoil
tempers at some of the great public schools. I cannot believe it is
necessary to let young lads be subjected to the brutality of places like
Eton and Harrow. It hardens them too much. The answer is that the great
school turns out the conquerors of the world,--the subalterns of
Kipling,--the Clives,--the daring admirals and great captains, etc.
Perhaps in this militant age it is necessary. But I notice the great
thinkers generally come from other places. However, this is the
_practical_ age,--there is nothing for philosophers, poets, or painters
to succeed in, unless they are independently situated. I shall try to
make a good doctor out of Kaji, if I can. I could never afford to do
more for him. And if possible I shall take him to Europe, and stay there
with him for a couple of years. But that is a far-away matter."

Characteristically with that apprehensive mind of his, his son's future,
as Hearn himself confesses, became a perfect nightmare.

"I must make an Englishman of him, I fear. His hair has turned bright
brown. He is so strong that I expect him to become a very powerful man:
he is very deep-chested and thick-built and so heavy now, that people
think I am not telling the truth about his age.

"Kajiwo's soul seems to be so English that I fancy his memory of former
births would scarcely refer much to Japan. How about the real compound