her hand, think the key may
with more probability be found in a passage from one of his letters
written at this time, saying he had received letters from relatives in
England that had made his thoughts not blue, but indigo blue. A longing
had entered his heart that each year henceforward became stronger, to
return to his native land, to hold communion with those of his own race;
this nostalgia was rendered acute by his sister's letters, his literary
work was interfered with and his nerves upset; he therefore made up his
mind suddenly to stop the correspondence.

The person who behaved thus was the same erratic creature, who, having
previously made an appointment, on going to keep it, rang the bell and
then, seized with nervous panic--ran away; or had fits of nervous
depression lasting for days because a printer had put a few commas in
the wrong place or misspelt some Japanese words. Hearn possessed supreme
intellectual courage, would stick to his artistic "pedestal of faith"
with a determination that was heroic, but where his nerves were
concerned he was an arrant coward. If letters, or arguments with
friends, flurried him, or awakened uncongenial thoughts or memories, he
was capable of putting the letters away unread, and breaking off a
friendship that had lasted for years.

Thinking his silence might be caused by ill-health, Mrs. Atkinson wrote
several times. The only answer she received was from Mr. James Beale of
the _Japan Mail_:--

"Japan Mail _Office_,
"_Yokohama_,
"_July_ 9_th_, 1896.

"Dear Madam,

"I hasten to relieve your anxiety in regard to your brother's health. I
have just returned from an expedition in the North, and previous to
leaving about a month ago, was on the point of asking Hearn if he could
accompany me, because it was a part of the country which he has never
visited, but about that time I received a letter from him in which he
stated that he was very busy (I believe he has another book on the
stocks), and I did not mention the matter when I wrote. His letter was
written in a very cheerful strain and indicated no illness or trouble
with his eyes. In regard to the latter I have heard nothing since the
spring of '95, when, through rest from study, they had recovered their
normal condition. As Hearn once lived in a very isolated town on the
West Coast I used