arge landed proprietor.
Aph-Lin was the wealthiest member of the community, and his eldest son
preferred keeping a shop to any other avocation; nor was this choice
thought to show any want of elevated notions on his part.

This young man had been much interested in examining my watch, the works
of which were new to him, and was greatly pleased when I made him a
present of it. Shortly after, he returned the gift with interest, by a
watch of his own construction, marking both the time as in my watch and
the time as kept among the Vril-ya. I have that watch still, and it has
been much admired by many among the most eminent watchmakers of London
and Paris. It is of gold, with diamond hands and figures, and it plays a
favorite tune among the Vril-ya in striking the hours: it only requires
to be wound up once in ten months, and has never gone wrong since I had
it. These young brothers being thus occupied, my usual companions in
that family, when I went abroad, were my host or his daughter. Now,
agreeably with the honourable conclusions I had come to, I began to
excuse myself from Zee's invitations to go out alone with her, and
seized an occasion when that learned Gy was delivering a lecture at the
College of Sages to ask Aph-Lin to show me his country-seat. As this was
at some little distance, and as Aph-Lin was not fond of walking, while I
had discreetly relinquished all attempts at flying, we proceeded to our
destination in one of the aerial boats belonging to my host. A child of
eight years old, in his employ, was our conductor. My host and myself
reclined on cushions, and I found the movement very easy and luxurious.
"Aph-Lin," said I, "you will not, I trust, be displeased with me, if I
ask your permission to travel for a short time, and visit other tribes
or communities of your illustrious race. I have also a strong desire to
see those nations which do not adopt your institutions, and which you
consider as savages. It would interest me greatly to notice what are the
distinctions between them and the races whom we consider civilised in
the world I have left."

"It is utterly impossible that you should go hence alone," said Aph-Lin.
"Even among the Vril-ya you would be exposed to great dangers. Certain
peculiarities of formation and colour, and the extraordinary phenomenon
of hirsute bushes upon your cheeks and chin, denoting in you a species
of An distinct alike from our own race and any known race of barbarians
yet exta