, for he had come to speak as he
thought and felt, "and learn also that men admired you, and grow vain of
your looks, and become one of the artful women of society, instead of
sweet and pure-minded Mona. You are better off where you are, for here
you are happy and care-free."

Then one evening came another, and more serious, revelation to him.

They had strolled up to the old tide mill, and sat watching the moon
high overhead, outlining its path of silver sheen upon the rippled
waters of the harbor, while he, as usual, was giving utterance to some
of his delicately worded sayings.

"I do not understand," she said in response to one more pointed than the
rest, "why you think so badly of womankind in the great world. Are they
all so selfish, and artful, and deceitful, as you say? I have seen some
who came here in their beautiful yachts, and they looked so nice in
their white dresses, and so sweet and gentle, I envied them."

Winn looked at her and smiled.

"I have no doubt, little girl, you admired and envied them, and that
they looked to you as beautiful and charming as so many fairies. That
was the principal reason they came ashore--just to be seen and admired
by you people here, who, they knew, never were, and, most likely, never
would be, clad as they were. That is all these butterflies of fashion
live for--to show off their beautiful plumage and be envied by others."

"Maybe you know them best," she responded regretfully, as if sorry he
had spoiled an illusion, "but I thought them so beautiful and sweet and
so like pictures in books, it seemed to me they must be as described
there and never wicked or deceitful."

"And so you have been believing all you read in books, have you, little
one?" he said, smiling again, "and that those show birds who lit on the
island flew out of the pages of story books? And yet, the other day,
when I told you about the nymphs and elfins, you did not believe me,
Mona!"

"I have never seen those creatures," she replied, "and I have seen
these."

"Neither have you seen God, or the Saviour, or the angels," he said,
"and yet you believe they exist."

"I do," she answered firmly, "and I should go crazy with fear if I
didn't. But your wonderful creatures, who lived so long ago, did not
make this world, as God did."

"People believed they did in those days," he replied quietly, "and just
as firmly as we believe God did."

She made no answer, for the subject was beyond her, but sile