s, and read a short
proof all by herself, it was one o'clock, and she was dismissed in
search of lunch.

When she returned, nearly an hour later, she found Owen alone, studying
a dummy copy of the review; and seeing she was interested, Owen handed
it over for her to see.

"The _Bridge_." She quoted the title a little dubiously. "Is that what
you call it? But--what does it mean?"

Taking it back into his own hands, Owen pointed with a pencil to the
design on the cover.

"Here is the Bridge, you see, and this stream of people passing over it
symbolize the present generation. This side of the bridge represents the
past, from which the present comes; this, over the bridge, is the
future, towards which the pilgrims are hastening. The idea is to bridge
the gulf between past and future, between the old worlds and the new;
and with that in mind we try, while never neglecting the storehouse of
the past, to point to the future, with all its wonderful, and as yet
unwon, rewards and discoveries."

She murmured a word or two, and he went on with a note of enthusiasm in
his voice.

"Personally, I look to the future with confidence. Some people say
the golden age of poetry, of music and letters generally, is past;
but I don't agree. I think that there will be a fresh Renaissance
presently, that there will be found fresh hands to pass on the sacred
torch ... there's a flood of brilliant youth let loose in the world just
now; and every bit of help the _Bridge_ can give is at the service of
that marvellous band."

He broke off suddenly, the light of the visionary gleaming in his eyes;
but seeing, with a slight pang of disappointment, that his outburst was
unintelligible to his hearer, he threw down the paper and laughed.

"There, Miss Gibbs, I have finished! Don't start me on the subject
unless you're ready to be bored. Talk to Barry about it--he is able to
look upon the _Bridge_ quite sanely, as a means of providing bread and
butter; but I'm afraid I'm a bit of a fanatic."

Toni, uncertain of her ground, but desperately anxious to appear
intelligent, murmured something shyly, and Rose pulled out his watch
with a smile.

"After two already! Well, Miss Gibbs, I'm off for lunch. You might just
sort these papers out a bit, will you? We seem to have let things get
into rather a muddle."

"I'll do it at once. There would be plenty of room for everything if
some of these papers wore tidied up."

"Yes, I suppose you're right."