ssages, of pleasure in, and even gratitude for,
the book which leave me in no sort of doubt that it was worth writing;
though I wish with all my heart that it had been worthier of its
motive, and had been better able to communicate the delight of my
visions and dreams.

ARTHUR CHRISTOPHER BENSON.

MAGDALENE COLLEGE,
CAMBRIDGE, 24_th November_ 1906.

THE THREAD OF GOLD

INTRODUCTION

I have for a great part of my life desired, perhaps more than I have
desired anything else, to make a beautiful book; and I have tried,
perhaps too hard and too often, to do this, without ever quite
succeeding; by that I mean that my little books, when finished, were
not worthy to be compared with the hope that I had had of them. I
think now that I tried to do too many things in my books, to amuse, to
interest, to please persons who might read them; and I fear, too, that
in the back of my mind there lay a thought, like a snake in its
hole--the desire to show others how fine I could be. I tried honestly
not to let this thought rule me; whenever it put its head out, I drove
it back; but of course I ought to have waited till it came out, and
then killed it, if I had only known how to do that; but I suppose I had
a secret tenderness for the little creature as being indeed a part of
myself.

But now I have hit upon a plan which I hope may succeed. I do not
intend to try to be interesting and amusing, or even fine. I mean to
put into my book only the things that appear to me deep and strange and
beautiful; and I can happily say that things seem to me to be more and
more beautiful every day. As when a man goes on a journey, and sees,
in far-off lands, things that please him, things curious and rare, and
buys them, not for himself or for his own delight, but for the delight
of one that sits at home, whom he loves and thinks of, and wishes every
day that he could see;--well, I will try to be like that. I will keep
the thought of those whom I love best in my mind--and God has been very
good in sending me many, both old and young, whom I love--and I will
try to put down in the best words that I can find the things that
delight me, not for my sake but for theirs. For one of the strangest
things of all about beauty is, that it is often more clearly perceived
when expressed by another, than when we see it for ourselves. The only
difficulty that I see ahead is that many of the things that I love best
and that give me the best j