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able fully to tell why, affect our spirits as Ave look at them with as many moods and meanings. I have said already that in my morning journeys to Kythrea the plains conveyed to me a sense of the patriarchal ages. Plains to-day which were bordered by the same mountains made me feel that I was travelling through Arcadia. Far and near over pale rocky expanses, green in the sunlight, rose the leaves of innumerable asphodel, and vaguely here and there flocks of sheep were wandering. For the first part of the way I could distinguish Kythrea to the left of me, eight miles off or so—a straggling blot of green, lying at the foot of the mountains. Then it died out of sight, and the wonderful mountain ranges shifted their peaks into a new succession of citadels, and reached away like a tapering purple spear into the distance. We arrived about one o'clock at a long, mud-built village ; and at the door of a courtyard be-longing to some house we halted. Almost instantly an old bearded man, very dirty, but, despite the dirt, very dignified, made his appearance at the side of the carriage and bowed. At the same time Scotty explained to me, ' Here, sir, we stop for one hour. The luncheon you bring—you eat it in this house.' ' No,' I said, ' I should prefer eating it in the carriage.' ' But, sir,' said Scotty, ' this is the head-man of the village. All English gentlemen eat their luncheon here. Upstairs he has nice room ready for you.' Unwilling to wound the old man's feelings, or disap- 240 IN AN ENCHANTED ISLAND

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