ent was so severely inflamed by
neuritis that the danger of an affection to the retina seemed
imminent,--the left was entirely blind. For the purpose of keeping up
his spirits, under this unwonted constraint, Dr. Papellier, in spite of
his professional engagements, went out of his way to visit the little
man frequently, and would stop hours chatting; showed him, indeed, a
kindness and consideration that, we were told, were quite exceptional.
Hearn, Dr. Papellier relates, was a good and fluent talker, content to
keep the ball rolling himself, and preferred an attentive listener
rather than a person who stated his own opinions.

Their topics of conversations circled round the characteristics of the
civilisation in which they were living. Hearn's emotional enthusiasm for
the Japanese, the doctor said, had cooled; he had received several
shocks in dealing with officials at Kumamoto, and said his illusions
were vanishing, and he wanted to leave the country; France, China, or
the South Sea Islands seemed each in turn to attract his wayward fancy.

The account of Stevenson's life in Samoa had made a great impression on
him. He declared that if he had not his Japanese family to look after he
would pack up his books of reference and start at once for Samoa.

"His wife, who understood no English at all, seldom appeared, a servant
girl usually attending to his wants when I was present.

"It struck me at the time that his knowledge of the Japanese vernacular
was very poor for a man of his intelligence, who, for nearly four years,
had lived almost entirely in the interior, surrounded by those who could
only talk the language of the country.

"It was plain that what he knew about Japan must have been gained
through the medium of interpreters. I was still more surprised when I
discovered how extremely near-sighted he was. His impressions of scenery
or Japanese works of art could never have been obtained as ordinary
people obtain them. The details had to be studied piece by piece with a
small telescope, and then described as a whole."

His mode of life, Dr. Papellier said, was almost penurious, although he
must have been receiving a good salary from the _Kobe Chronicle_, and
was making something by his books. At home he dressed invariably in
Japanese style; his clothes being very clean and neat. The furniture of
his small house was scanty. His food, which was partly Japanese and
partly so-called "foreign," was prepared in a small