第6章

ButbeforeIbegintodescribeVissarionIshallthrowasoptoyouasachatelaine；thatmaygiveyoupatiencetoreadtherest。TheCastleneedsalotofthingstomakeitcomfortable——asyouwouldconsiderit。Infact，itisabsolutelydestituteofeverythingofadomesticnature。UncleRogerhaditvettedonthedefenceside，andsofaritcouldstandasiege。Butitcouldn’tcookadinnerorgothroughaspring—cleaning！Asyouknow，Iamnotmuchupindomesticmatters，andsoIcannotgiveyoudetails；butyoumaytakeitthatitwantseverything。Idon’tmeanfurniture，orsilver，orevengold—plate，orworksofart，foritisfullofthemostmagnificentoldthingsthatyoucanimagine。IthinkUncleRogermusthavebeenacollector，andgatheredalotofgoodthingsinallsortsofplaces，storedthemforyears，andthensentthemhere。Butastoglass，china，delft，allsortsofcrockery，linen，householdappliancesandmachinery，cookingutensils——exceptofthesimplest——

therearenone。Idon’tthinkUncleRogercouldhavelivedheremorethanonatemporarypicnic。SofarasIonlyamconcerned，Iamallright；agridironandasaucepanareall_I_want——andIcanusethemmyself。But，dearAuntJanet，Idon’twantyoutopigit。Iwouldlikeyoutohaveeverythingyoucanimagine，andalloftheverybest。Costdoesn’tcountnowforus，thankstoUncleRoger；andsoI

wantyoutoorderall。Iknowyou，dear——beingawoman——won’tobjecttoshopping。Butitwillhavetobewholesale。Thisisanenormousplace，andwillswallowupallyoucanbuy——likeaquicksand。Doasyoulikeaboutchoosing，butgetallthehelpyoucan。Don’tbeafraidofgettingtoomuch。Youcan’t，orofbeingidlewhenyouarehere。Iassureyouthatwhenyoucometherewillbesomuchtodoandsomanythingstothinkofthatyouwillwanttogetawayfromitall。And，besides，AuntJanet，Ihopeyouwon’tbetoolong。

Indeed，Idon’twishtobeselfish，butyourboyislonely，andwantsyou。AndwhenyougethereyouwillbeanEMPRESS。Idon’taltogetherlikedoingso，lestIshouldoffendamillionairesslikeyou；butitmayfacilitatematters，andtheway’sofcommercearestrict，thoughdevious。SoIsendyouachequefor1，000poundsforthelittlethings：andalettertothebanktohonouryourownchequesforanyamountIhavegot。

Ithink，bytheway，Ishould，ifIwereyou，takeorsendoutafewservants——nottoomanyatfirst，onlyjustenoughtoattendonourtwoselves。Youcanarrangetosendforanymoreyoumaywantlater。

Engagethem，andarrangefortheirbeingpaid——whentheyareinourservicewemusttreatthemwell——andthentheycanbeatourcallasyoufindthatwewantthem。Ithinkyoushouldsecure，say，fiftyorahundred——’tisanawfu’bigplace，AuntJanet！Andinthesamewaywillyousecure——and，ofcourse，arrangeforpaysimilarly——ahundredmen，exclusiveofanyservantsyouthinkitwelltohave。IshouldliketheGeneral，ifhecangivethetime，tochooseorpassthem。I

wantclansmenthatIcandependon，ifneedbe。Wearegoingtoliveinacountrywhichisatpresentstrangetous，anditiswelltolookthingsintheface。IknowSirColinwillonlyhavemenwhoareacredittoScotlandandtoRossandtoCroom——menwhowillimpresstheBlueMountaineers。Iknowtheywilltakethemtotheirhearts——

certainlyifanyofthemarebachelorsthegirlswill！Forgiveme！

Butifwearetosettlehere，ourfollowerswillprobablywanttosettlealso。Moreover，theBlueMountaineersmaywantfollowersalso！Andwillwantthemtosettle，too，andhavesuccessors！

Nowforthedescriptionoftheplace。Well，Isimplycan’tjustnow。

Itisallsowonderfulandsobeautiful。TheCastle——IhavewrittensomuchalreadyaboutotherthingsthatIreallymustkeeptheCastleforanotherletter！LovetoSirColinifheisatCroom。Andoh，dearAuntJanet，howIwishthatmydearmotherwascomingout！Itallseemssodarkandemptywithouther。Howshewouldhaveenjoyedit！Howproudshewouldhavebeen！And，mydear，ifshecouldbewithusagain，howgratefulshewouldhavebeentoyouforallyouhavedoneforherboy！AsIam，believeme，mosttrulyandsincerelyandaffectionatelygrateful。

YourlovingRUPERT。

RupertSentLeger，Vissarion，toJanetMacKelpie，Croom。

January26，1907。

MYDEARAUNTJANET，PleasereadthisasifitwasapartoftheletterIwroteyesterday。

TheCastleitselfissovastthatIreallycan’tdescribeitindetail。SoIamwaitingtillyoucome；andthenyouandIwillgooverittogetherandlearnallthatwecanaboutit。WeshalltakeRookewithus，and，asheissupposedtoknoweverypartofit，fromthekeeptothetorture—chamber，wecanspendafewdaysoverit。Ofcourse，Ihavebeenovermostofit，sinceIcame——that，is，Iwentatvarioustimestoseedifferentportions——thebattlements，thebastions，theoldguard—room，thehall，thechapel，thewalls，theroof。AndIhavebeenthroughsomeofthenetworkofrockpassages。

UncleRogermusthavespentamintofmoneyonit，sofarasIcansee；andthoughIamnotasoldier，IhavebeeninsomanyplacesfortifiedindifferentwaysthatIamnotentirelyignorantofthesubject。Hehasrestoreditinsuchanup—to—datewaythatitispracticallyimpregnabletoanythingunderbiggunsorasiege—train。

Hehasgonesofarastohavecertainoutworksandthekeepcoveredwitharmouredplatingofwhatlookslikeharveyizedsteel。Youwillwonderwhenyouseeit。ButasyetIreallyknowonlyafewrooms，andamfamiliarwithonlyone——myownroom。Thedrawing—room——notthegreathall，whichisavastplace；thelibrary——amagnificentone，butinsaddisorder——wemustgetalibrariansomedaytoputitintrim；andthedrawing—roomandboudoirandbedroomsuitewhichI

haveselectedforyou，areallfine。Butmyownroomiswhatsuitsmebest，thoughIdonotthinkyouwouldcareforitforyourself。

Ifyoudo，youshallhaveit。ItwasUncleRoger’sownroomwhenhestayedhere；livinginitforafewdaysservedtogivememoreinsighttohischaracter——orrathertohismind——thanIcouldhaveotherwisehad。ItisjustthekindofplaceIlikemyself；so，naturally，Iunderstandtheotherchapwholikedittoo。Itisafinebigroom，notquitewithintheCastle，butanoutlyingpartofit。Itisnotdetached，oranythingofthatsort，butisasortofgarden—roombuiltontoit。Thereseemstohavebeenalwayssomesortofplacewhereitis，forthepassagesandopeningsinsideseemtoacceptorrecognizeit。Itcanbeshutoffifnecessary——itwouldbeincaseofattack——byagreatslabofsteel，justlikethedoorofasafe，whichslidesfrominsidethewall，andcanbeoperatedfromeitherinsideoroutside——ifyouknowhow。Thatisfrommyroomorfromwithinthekeep。Themechanismisasecret，andnoonebutRookeandIknowit。TheroomopensoutthroughagreatFrenchwindow——theFrenchwindowismodern，Itakeit，andwasarrangedbyorforUncleRoger；Ithinktheremusthavebeenalwaysalargeopeningthere，forcenturiesatleast——whichopensonawideterraceorbalconyofwhitemarble，extendingrightandleft。Fromthisawhitemarblestairliesstraightinfrontofthewindow，andleadsdowntothegarden。Thebalconyandstaircasearequiteancient——ofoldItalianwork，beautifullycarved，and，ofcourse，weather—wornthroughcenturies。Thereisjustthatlittletingingofgreenhereandtherewhichmakesalloutdoormarblesocharming。Itishardtobelieveattimesthatitisapartofafortifiedcastle，itissoelegantandfreeandopen。Thefirstglanceofitwouldmakeaburglar’sheartglad。Hewouldsaytohimself："HereisthesortofcribIlikewhenI’monthejob。Youcanjustwalkinandoutasyouchoose。"But，AuntJanet，oldRogerwascuterthananyburglar。Hehadtheplacesoguardedthattheburglarwouldhavebeenabaffledburglar。Therearetwosteelshieldswhichcanslideoutfromthewallandlockintotheothersiderightacrossthewholebigwindow。

Oneisagrilleofsteelbandsthatopenoutintodiamond—shapedlozenges。Nothingbiggerthanakittencouldgetthrough；andyetyoucanseethegardenandthemountainsandthewholeview——muchthesameasyouladiescanseethroughyourveils。Theotherisagreatsheetofsteel，whichslidesoutinasimilarwayindifferentgrooves。Itisnot，ofcourse，soheavyandstrongasthesafe—doorwhichcoversthelittleopeninginthemainwall，butRooketellsmeitisproofagainsttheheaviestrifle—hall。

Havingtoldyouthis，Imusttellyou，too，AuntJanet，lestyoushouldbemadeanxiousbythearriere—penseeofallthesewarlikemeasuresofdefence，thatIalwayssleepatnightwithoneoftheseironscreensacrossthewindow。Ofcourse，whenIamawakeIleaveitopen。AsyetIhavetriedonly，butnotused，thegrille；andI

don’tthinkIshalleveruseanythingelse，foritisaperfectguard。Ifitshouldbetamperedwithfromoutsideitwouldsoundanalarmattheheadofthebed，andthepressingofabuttonwouldrolloutthesolidsteelscreeninfrontofit。Asamatteroffact，I

havebeensousedtotheopenthatIdon’tfeelcomfortableshutin。

Ionlyclosewindowsagainstcoldorrain。Theweatherhereisdelightful——asyet，atallevents——buttheytellmethattherainyseasonwillbeonusbeforeverylong。

Ithinkyouwilllikemyden，auntydear，thoughitwilldoubtlessbeaworrytoyoutoseeitsountidy。Butthatcan’tbehelped。I

mustbeuntidySOMEWHERE；anditisbestinmyownden！

AgainIfindmylettersolongthatImustcutitoffnowandgoonagainto—night。Sothismustgoasitstands。IshallnotcauseyoutowaittohearallIcantellyouaboutournewhome。

YourlovingRUPERT。

FromRupertSentLeger，Vissarion，toJanetMacKelpie，Croom。

January29，1907。

MYDEARAUNTJANET，Mydenlooksout，asItoldyouinmylastletter，onthegarden，or，tospeakmoreaccurately，onONEofthegardens，forthereareacresofthem。Thisistheoldone，whichmustbealmostasoldastheCastleitself，foritwaswithinthedefencesintheolddaysofbows。Thewallthatsurroundstheinnerportionofithaslongagobeenlevelled，butsufficientremainsateitherendwhereitjoinedtheouterdefencestoshowthelongcasematesforthebowmentoshootthroughandtheraisedstonegallerywheretheystood。Itisjustthesamekindofbuildingasthestone—workofthesentry’swalkontheroofandofthegreatoldguard—roomunderit。

Butwhateverthegardenmayhavebeen，andnomatterhowitwasguarded，itisamostlovelyplace。Therearewholesectionsofgardenhereofvariousstyles——Greek，Italian，French，German，Dutch，British，Spanish，African，Moorish——alltheoldernationalities。I

amgoingtohaveanewonelaidoutforyou——aJapanesegarden。I

havesenttothegreatgardenerofJapan，Minaro，tomaketheplansforit，andtocomeoverwithworkmentocarryitout。Heistobringtreesandshrubsandflowersandstone—work，andeverythingthatcanberequired；andyoushallsuperintendthefinishing，ifnotthedoing，ofityourself。Wehavesuchafineheadofwaterhere，andtheclimateis，theytellme，usuallysolovelythatwecandoanythinginthegardeningway。Ifitshouldeverturnoutthattheclimatedoesnotsuit，weshallputagreathighglassroofoverit，andMAKEasuitableclimate。

ThisgardeninfrontofmyroomistheoldItaliangarden。Itmusthavebeendonewithextraordinarytasteandcare，forthereisnotabitofitwhichisnotrarelybeautiful。SirThomasBrownehimself，forallhisQuincunx，wouldhavebeendelightedwithit，andhavefoundmaterialforanother"GardenofCyrus。"Itissobigthatthereareendless"episodes"ofgardenbeautyIthinkallItalymusthavebeenransackedinoldtimesforgardenstone—workofexceptionalbeauty；andthesetreasureshavebeenputtogetherbysomemaster—

hand。Eventheformalbordersofthewalksareofoldporousstone，whichtakestheweather—stainingsobeautifully，andarecarvedinendlessvariety。Nowthatthegardenshavebeensolongneglectedorleftinabeyance，thegreenstaininghasbecomeperfect。Thoughthestone—workisitselfintact，ithasallthepicturesqueeffectofthewearandruinwroughtbymanycenturies。Iamhavingitkeptforyoujustasitis，exceptthatIhavehadtheweedsandundergrowthclearedawaysothatitsbeautiesmightbevisible。

Butitisnotmerelythearchitectworkofthegardenthatissobeautiful，noristheassemblingthereofthemanifoldwealthoffloralbeauty——thereisthebeautythatNaturecreatesbythehandofherservant，Time。Yousee，AuntJanet，howthebeautifulgardeninspiresadanger—hardenedoldtramplikemetohigh—gradesentimentsofpoeticfancy！Notonlyhavelimestoneandsandstone，andevenmarble，growngreenintime，buteventheshrubsplantedandthenneglectedhavedevelopednewkindsofbeautyoftheirown。Insomefar—distanttimesomemaster—gardeneroftheVissarionshastriedtorealizeanidea——thatoftinyplantsthatwouldgrowjustalittlehigherthantheflowers，sothattheeffectofanunevenfloralsurfacewouldbeachievedwithoutanyhidingofanythinginthegardenseenfromanywhere。Thisisonlymyreadingofwhathasbeenfromtheeffectofwhatis！Inthelongperiodofneglecttheshrubshaveoutlivedtheflowers。Naturehasbeendoingherownworkallthetimeinenforcingthesurvivalofthefittest。Theshrubshavegrownandgrown，andhaveovertoppedflowerandweed，accordingtotheirinherentvarietiesofstature；totheeffectthatnowyouseeirregularlyscatteredthroughthegardenquiteanumber——foritisabigplace——ofvegetableproductswhichfromalandscapestandpointhavesomethingofthegeneraleffectofstatueswithoutthecrampingfeelingofdetail。Whoeveritwasthatlaidoutthatpartofthegardenormadethechoiceofitems，musthavetakenpainstogetstrangespecimens，forallthosetallershrubsareinspecialcolours，mostlyyelloworwhite——whitecypress，whiteholly，yellowyew，grey—goldenbox，silverjuniper，variegatedmaple，spiraea，andnumbersofdwarfshrubswhosenamesIdon’tknow。Ionlyknowthatwhenthemoonshines——andthis，mydearAuntJanet，istheverylandofmoonlightitself！——theyalllookghastlypale。Theeffectisweirdtothelastdegree，andIamsurethatyouwillenjoyit。Formyself，asyouknow，uncannythingsholdnofear。IsupposeitisthatIhavebeenupagainstsomanydifferentkindsoffears，or，rather，ofthingswhichformostpeoplehaveterrorsoftheirown，thatIhavecometohaveacontempt——notanactivecontempt，youknow，butatolerativecontempt——forthewholefamilyofthem。Andyou，too，willenjoyyourselfherefamously，Iknow。You’llhavetocollectallthestoriesofsuchmattersinournewworldandmakeanewbookoffactsforthePsychicalResearchSociety。Itwillbenicetoseeyourownnameonatitle—page，won’tit，AuntJanet？

FromRupertSentLeger，Vissarion，toJanetMacKelpie，Croom。

January30，1907。

MYDEARAUNTJANET，Istoppedwritinglastnight——doyouknowwhy？BecauseIwantedtowritemore！Thissoundsaparadox，butitistrue。Thefactisthat，asIgoontellingyouofthisdelightfulplace，Ikeepfindingoutnewbeautiesmyself。Broadlyspeaking，itISALLbeautiful。Inthelongvieworthelittleview——asthetelescopeorthemicroscopedirects——itisallthesame。Youreyecanturnonnothingthatdoesnotentranceyou。IwasyesterdayroamingabouttheupperpartoftimeCastle，andcameacrosssomedelightfulnooks，whichatonceI

becamefondof，andalreadylikethemasifIhadknownthemallmylife。IfeltatfirstasenseofgreedinesswhenIhadappropriatedtomyselfseveralroomsindifferentplaces——IwhohaveneverinmylifehadmorethanoneroomwhichIcouldcallmyown——andthatonlyforatime！ButwhenIsleptonitthefeelingchanged，anditsaspectisnownothalfbad。Itisnowunderanotherclassification——

underamuchmoreimportantlabel——PROPRIETORSHIP。IfIwerewritingphilosophy，Ishouldhereputinacynicalremark：

"Selfishnessisanappanageofpoverty。Itmightappearinthestud—

bookasby’Morals’outof’Wants。’"

Ihavenowthreebedroomsarrangedasmyownparticulardens。OneoftheothertwowasalsoachoiceofUncleRoger’s。Itisatthetopofoneofthetowerstotheextremeeast，andfromitIcancatchthefirstrayoflightoverthemountains。Isleptinitlastnight，andwhenIwoke，asinmytravellingIwasaccustomedtodo，atdawn，I

sawfrommybedthroughanopenwindow——asmallwindow，foritisinafortresstower——thewholegreatexpansetotheeast。Notfaroff，andspringingfromthesummitofagreatruin，wherelongagoaseedhadfallen，roseagreatsilver—birch，andthehalf—transparent，droopingbranchesandhangingclustersofleafbroketheoutlineofthegreyhillsbeyond，forthehillswere，forawonder，greyinsteadofblue。Therewasamackerelsky，withthecloudsdroppingonthemountain—topstillyoucouldhardlysaywhichwaswhich。Itwasamackerelskyofaveryboldandextraordinarykind——notadishofmackerel，butaworldofmackerel！Themountainsarecertainlymostlovely。Inthisclearairtheyusuallyseemcloseathand。Itwasonlythismorning，withthefaintglimpseofthedawnwhilstthenightcloudswerestillunpiercedbythesunlight，thatIseemedtorealizetheirgreatness。Ihaveseenthesameenlighteningeffectofaerialperspectiveafewtimesbefore——inColorado，inUpperIndia，inThibet，andintheuplandsamongsttheAndes。

Thereiscertainlysomethinginlookingatthingsfromabovewhichtendstoraiseone’sownself—esteem。Fromtheheight，inequalitiessimplydisappear。ThisIhaveoftenfeltonabigscalewhenballooning，or，betterstill，fromanaeroplane。Evenherefromthetowertheoutlookissomehowquitedifferentfrombelow。Onerealizestheplaceandallaroundit，notindetail，butasawhole。

Ishallcertainlysleepuphereoccasionally，whenyouhavecomeandwehavesettleddowntoourlifeasitistobe。Ishallliveinmyownroomdownstairs，whereIcanhavetheintimacyofthegarden。

ButIshallappreciateitallthemorefromnowandagainlosingthesenseofintimacyforawhile，andsurveyingitwithoutthesenseofone’sownself—importance。

Ihopeyouhavestartedonthatmatteroftheservants。Formyself，Idon’tcareabuttonwhetherornotthereareanyservantsatall；

butIknowwellthatyouwon’tcometillyouhavemadeyourarrangementsregardingthem！Anotherthing，AuntJanet。Youmustnotbekilledwithworkhere，anditisallsovast……Whycan’tyougetsomesortofsecretarywhowillwriteyourlettersanddoallthatsortofthingforyou？Iknowyouwon’thaveamansecretary；

buttherearelotsofwomennowwhocanwriteshorthandandtypewrite。Youcoulddoubtlessgetoneintheclan——someonewithadesiretobetterherself。Iknowyouwouldmakeherhappyhere。Ifsheisnottooyoung，allthebetter；shewillhavelearnedtoholdhertongueandmindherownbusiness，andnotbetooinquisitive。

Thatwouldbeanuisancewhenwearefindingourwayaboutinanewcountryandtryingtoreconcileallsortsofoppositesinawholenewcountrywithnewpeople，whomatfirstweshan’tunderstand，andwhocertainlywon’tunderstandus；whereeverymancarriesagunwithaslittlethoughtofitashehasofbuttons！Good—byeforawhile。

YourlovingRUPERT。

FromRupertSentLeger，Vissarion，toJanetMacKelpie，Croom。

February3，1907。

Iambackinmyownroomagain。Alreadyitseemstomethattogethereagainislikecominghome。Ihavebeengoingaboutforthelastfewdaysamongstthemountaineersandtryingtomaketheiracquaintance。Itisatoughjob；andIcanseethattherewillbenothingbuttosticktoit。TheyareinrealitythemostprimitivepeopleIevermet——themostfixedtotheirownideas，whichbelongtocenturiesback。IcanunderstandnowwhatpeoplewerelikeinEngland——notinQueenElizabeth’stime，forthatwascivilizedtime，butinthetimeofCoeur—de—Lion，orevenearlier——andallthetimewiththemostabsolutemasteryofweaponsofprecision。Everymancarriesarifle——andknowshowtouseit，too。Idobelievetheywouldrathergowithouttheirclothesthantheirgunsiftheyhadtochoosebetweenthem。Theyalsocarryahandjar，whichusedtobetheirnationalweapon。Itisasortofheavy，straightcutlass，andtheyaresoexpertwithitaswellassostrongthatitisasfacileinthehandsofaBlueMountaineerasisafoilinthehandsofaPersianmaitred’armes。Theyaresoproudandreservedthattheymakeonefeelquitesmall，andan"outsider"aswell。Icanseequitewellthattheyratherresentmybeinghereatall。Itisnotpersonal，forwhenalonewithmetheyaregenial，almostbrotherly；

butthemomentafewofthemgettogethertheyarelikeasortofjury，withmeasthecriminalbeforethem。Itisanoddsituation，andquitenewtome。Iamprettywellaccustomedtoallsortsofpeople，fromcannibalstoMahatmas，butI’mblessedifIeverstrucksuchatypeasthis——soproud，sohaughty，soreserved，sodistant，soabsolutelyfearless，sohonourable，sohospitable。UncleRoger’sheadwaslevelwhenhechosethemoutasapeopletoliveamongst。

Doyouknow，AuntJanet，Ican’thelpfeelingthattheyareverymuchlikeyourownHighlanders——onlymoreso。I’msureofonething：

thatintheendweshallgetoncapitallytogether。Butitwillbeaslowjob，andwillneedalotofpatience。Ihaveafeelinginmybonesthatwhentheyknowmebettertheywillbeveryloyalandverytrue；andIamnotahair’s—breadthafraidofthemoranythingtheyshallormightdo。Thatis，ofcourse，ifIlivelongenoughforthemtohavetimetoknowme。Anythingmayhappenwithsuchanindomitable，proudpeopletowhomprideismorethanvictuals。Afterall，itonlyneedsonemanoutofacrowdtohaveawrongideaortomakeamistakeastoone’smotive——andthereyouare。Butitwillbeallrightthatway，Iamsure。Iamcomeheretostay，asUncleRogerwished。AndstayIshallevenifithastobeinalittlebedofmyownbeyondthegarden——sevenfeetoddlong，andnottoonarrow—

—orelseastone—boxofequalproportionsinthevaultsofSt。Sava’sChurchacrosstheCreek——theoldburial—placeoftheVissarionsandothernoblepeopleforagoodmanycenturiesback……

Ihavebeenreadingoverthisletter，dearAuntJanet，andIamafraidtherecordisratheranalarmingone。Butdon’tyougobuildingupsuperstitioushorrorsorfearsonit。Honestly，Iamonlyjokingaboutdeath——athingtowhichIhavebeenratherproneforagoodmanyyearsback。Notinverygoodtaste，Isuppose，butcertainlyveryusefulwhentheoldmanwiththeblackwingsgoesflyingaboutyoudayandnightinstrangeplaces，sometimesvisibleandatothersinvisible。Butyoucanalwayshearwings，especiallyinthedark，whenyoucannotseethem。YOUknowthat，AuntJanet，whocomeofaraceofwarriors，andwhohavespecialsightbehindorthroughtheblackcurtain。

Honestly，IaminnowhitafraidoftheBlueMountaineers，norhaveI

adoubtofthem。Ilovethemalreadyfortheirsplendidqualities，andIampreparedtolovethemforthemselves。Ifeel，too，thattheywillloveme（andincidentallytheyaresuretoloveyou）。I

haveasortofundercurrentofthoughtthatthereissomethingintheirmindsconcerningme——somethingnotpainful，butdisturbing；

somethingthathasabaseinthepast；somethingthathashopeinitandpossiblepride，andnotalittlerespect。AsyettheycanhavehadnoopportunityofformingsuchimpressionfromseeingmeorfromanythingIhavedone。Ofcourse，itmaybethat，althoughtheyarefine，tall，stalwartmen，IamstillaheadandshouldersoverthetallestofthemthatIhaveyetseen。Icatchtheireyeslookingupatmeasthoughtheyweremeasuringme，evenwhentheyarekeepingawayfromme，or，rather，keepingmefromthematarm’slength。I

supposeIshallunderstandwhatitallmeanssomeday。Inthemeantimethereisnothingtodobuttogoonmyownway——whichisUncleRoger’s——andwaitandbepatientandjust。Ihavelearnedthevalueofthat，anyway，inmylifeamongststrangepeoples。Good—

night。

YourlovingRUPERT。

FromRupertSentLeger，Vissarion，toJanetMacKelpie，Croom。

February24，1907。

MYDEARAUNTJANET，Iammorethanrejoicedtohearthatyouarecomingheresosoon。