he millions who have been born, and loved, and died, before our
experience began."

"But how did it happen," I urged, unable to repress my curiosity, "that
you lived here, in this place, _years ago_? That seems so strange to
me."

"My parents brought me here when a little child. It is a common enough
history. My mother was an enthusiast with brain, who joined her fortunes
to those of an enthusiast without brain, and emigrated to this coast,
when it was an Indian country, in the vain hope of doing good to the
savages. They only succeeded in doing harm to themselves, and
indirectly, harm to the savages also. The spirit of the man became
embittered, and the mean traits of his nature asserted themselves, and
wreaked their malice, as is customary with mean natures, on the nearest
or most inoffensive object. My poor mother! Maternity was marred for you
by fear and pain and contempt; and whatever errors your child has fallen
into, were an evil inheritance that only years of suffering and
discipline could eradicate."

As Mrs. Sancy pronounced the last sentence, she seemed for the moment to
have forgotten my presence, and stood, looking off over the calm grey
sea, with absent unrecognizing gaze. After a brief silence she turned to
me with a smile: "Pardon my mental desertion. It is not good to talk of
our own lives. We all become Adams again, and imagine ourselves sole in
the universe."

On this hint I changed the conversation, and we returned to the hotel to
lunch, after which, I saw no more of Mrs. Sancy for that day.

That afternoon, my correspondent, Mr. Kittredge arrived; and as it was
bright and sunny after the fog, we took a boat, and pulled along under
the alders that shade the Neah-can-a-cum. It was there that I listened
to this story:

"While I was still a young man, nearly fifteen years ago, I floated on
this stream, as we are doing to-day. My companion was a young girl whom
I shall call Teresa. She was very young, I remember now with sorrow, and
very beautiful; though _beautiful_ is not so much the word to describe
her as _charming_--magnetic, graceful, intelligent. A lithe, rather tall
figure, a high-bred, sensitive, fine face, and pleasing manners. She
seemed older than she really was, on account of her commanding physique
and distinguished manner.

"I will not go over the details of our acquaintance, which ripened
rapidly into love;--so I thought. This was a new country then, even more
emphatically that i