ed itself, moulding them all to its liking, making
and destroying.

She looked at Rachel walking beside her, still crushing the leaves in
her fingers and absorbed in her own thoughts. She was in love, and she
pitied her profoundly. But she roused herself from these thoughts
and apologised. "I'm very sorry," she said, "but if I'm dull, it's my
nature, and it can't be helped." If it was a natural defect, however,
she found an easy remedy, for she went on to say that she thought Mr.
Flushing's scheme a very good one, only needing a little consideration,
which it appeared she had given it by the time they reached home. By
that time they had settled that if anything more was said, they would
accept the invitation.

Chapter XX

When considered in detail by Mr. Flushing and Mrs. Ambrose the
expedition proved neither dangerous nor difficult. They found also that
it was not even unusual. Every year at this season English people made
parties which steamed a short way up the river, landed, and looked at
the native village, bought a certain number of things from the natives,
and returned again without damage done to mind or body. When it was
discovered that six people really wished the same thing the arrangements
were soon carried out.

Since the time of Elizabeth very few people had seen the river, and
nothing has been done to change its appearance from what it was to the
eyes of the Elizabethan voyagers. The time of Elizabeth was only distant
from the present time by a moment of space compared with the ages which
had passed since the water had run between those banks, and the green
thickets swarmed there, and the small trees had grown to huge wrinkled
trees in solitude. Changing only with the change of the sun and the
clouds, the waving green mass had stood there for century after century,
and the water had run between its banks ceaselessly, sometimes washing
away earth and sometimes the branches of trees, while in other parts of
the world one town had risen upon the ruins of another town, and the men
in the towns had become more and more articulate and unlike each other.
A few miles of this river were visible from the top of the mountain
where some weeks before the party from the hotel had picnicked. Susan
and Arthur had seen it as they kissed each other, and Terence and Rachel
as they sat talking about Richmond, and Evelyn and Perrott as they
strolled about, imagining that they were great captains sent to colonise