lue waves as if it were alive. Amyntas sniffed in
the salt air and the rushing wind, and felt alive again. The days went
by, the sun became hotter, and the sky a different, deeper blue, while
its vault spread itself over the sea in a vaster expanse. They came in
sight of land again; they coasted down a gloomy country with lofty
cliffs going sheer into the sea; they passed magnificent galleons laden
with gold from America; and one morning, when Amyntas came on deck at
break of day, he saw before him the white walls and red roofs of a
southern city. The ship slowly entered the harbour of Cadiz.

VIII

At last! Amyntas went on shore immediately. His spirit was so airy
within him that he felt he could hover along in the air, like Mr Lang's
spiritualistic butlers, and it was only by a serious effort of will that
he walked soberly down the streets like normal persons. His soul shouted
with the joy of living. He took in long breaths as if to breathe in the
novelty and the strangeness. He walked along, too excited to look at
things, only conscious of a glare of light and colour, a thronging
crowd, life and joyousness on every side.... He walked through street
after street, almost sobbing with delight, through narrow alleys down
which the sun never fell, into big squares hot as ovens and dazzling,
up hill and down hill, past ragged slums, past the splendid palaces of
the rich, past shops, past taverns. Finally he came on to the shore
again and threw himself down in the shade of a little grove of orange
trees to sleep.

When he awoke, he saw, standing motionless by his side, a Spanish lady.
He looked at her silently, noting her olive skin, her dark and lustrous
eyes, the luxuriance of her hair. If she had only possessed a tambourine
she would have been the complete realisation of his dreams. He smiled.

'Why do you lie here alone, sweet youth?' she asked, with an answering
smile. 'And who and what are you?'

'I lay down here to rest, lady,' he replied. 'I have this day arrived
from England, and I am going to Van Tiefel, the merchant.'

'Ah! a young English merchant. They are all very rich. Are you?'

'Yes, lady,' frankly answered Amyntas, pulling out his handful of gold.

The Spaniard smiled on him, and then sighed deeply.

'Why do you sigh?' he asked.

'Ah! you English merchants are so fascinating.' She took his hand and
pressed it. Amyntas was not a forward youth, but he had some experience
of English maidens, and