, and began to
believe in joy only because I loved her. I remember I wrote in the
little book I kept for my stray thoughts, these words which are not mine
but reflect my thought of her; "Thine is the skill of the Fairy Woman,
and the virtue of St. Bride, and the faith of Mary the Mild, and the
gracious way of the Greek woman, and the beauty of lovely Emer, and the
tenderness of heart-sweet Deirdre, and the courage of Maev the great
Queen, and the charm of Mouth-of-Music."

Yes, all that and more, but I feared lest I should see the heaven of joy
through her eyes only and find it mirage as I had found so much else.

SECOND PART Early in the pure dawn the men came and our boat was towed
up into the Dal Lake through crystal waterways and flowery banks, the
men on the path keeping step and straining at the rope until the bronze
muscles stood out on their legs and backs, shouting strong rhythmic
phrases to mark the pull.

"They shout the Wondrous Names of God--as they are called," said Vanna
when I asked. "They always do that for a timid effort. Bad shah! The
Lord, the Compassionate, and so on. I don't think there is any religion
about it but it is as natural to them as One, Two, Three, to us. It
gives a tremendous lift. Watch and see."

It was part of the delightful strangeness that we should move to that
strong music. We sat on the upper deck and watched the dream--like
beauty drift slowly by until we emerged beneath a little bridge into the
fairy land of the lake which the Mogul Emperors loved so well that they
made their noble pleasance gardens on the banks, and thought it little
to travel up yearly from far--off Delhi over the snowy Pir Panjal with
their Queens and courts for the perfect summer of Kashmir.

We moored by a low bank under a great wood of chenar trees, and saw the
little table in the wilderness set in the greenest shade with our chairs
beside it, and my pipe laid reverently upon it by Kahdra.

Across the glittering water lay on one side the Shalimar Garden known
to all readers of "Lalla Ruhk"--a paradise of roses; and beyond it
again the lovelier gardens of Nour-Mahal, the Light of the Palace, that
imperial woman who ruled India under the weak Emperor's name--she whose
name he set thus upon his coins:

"By order of King Jehangir. Gold has a hundred splendours added to it by
receiving the name of Nour-Jahan the Queen."

Has any woman ever had a more royal homage than this most royal
lady--known firs