ppellation bestowed on it. Some of the names M. Zola,
having now made progress with his English, could readily understand;
others, too, were virtually French, such as Bellevue, Beaumont, and so
forth; but there were several that I had to interpret, such as Oakdene,
Thornbrake, Beechcroft, Hillbrow, Woodcote, Fernside, Fairholme,
Inglenook, etc. And there was one name that I could not explain to him at
all--an awful name, which I fancied might be Gaelic or Celtic, though I
appealed in vain to Scottish, Irish, and Welsh friends for an
interpretation of its meaning. It was written thus: 'Ly-ee-Moon.'

Nobody of my acquaintance was able to explain it to me. M. Zola wrote it
down in his memorandum-book as an abstruse puzzle. However, while this
narrative was appearing in the 'Evening News,' several correspondents
kindly informed me that Ly-ee-Moon (at times written 'Lai-Mun') was
Chinese, being the name of a narrow passage or strait between the island
of Hong-Kong and the mainland of China (now transferred to Great
Britain), at the eastern entrance to the harbour of the city of Victoria
on the island.

It seems also that Ly-ee-Moon is a name often given to ships sailing in
the China seas. And in the case of the Norwood house, built by a retired
shipowner and sea captain, the name was taken from a vessel plying on the
Australian coast for many years, and ultimately wrecked with great loss
of life. The owner of the Norwood house had an engraving of the ship
executed on a plate-glass window of this hall. Until these explanations
reached me both M. Zola and myself were quite as much at sea (with regard
to 'Ly-ee-Moon') as ever its owner and captain was.

When I spent an afternoon at Norwood with M. Zola we generally returned
to the hotel about half-past four for a cup of tea. And on the way back
(particularly during the last months) I frequently purchased postage
stamps for him at the chief post-office. He might, of course, have bought
them himself, and as a matter of fact he did at times do so. But he was
aware, I think, that he was regarded with some suspicion by the young
lady clerks under the control of the Duke of Norfolk.

At certain periods, Christmas time and the New Year, for instance, M.
Zola's correspondence became extensive, and on the first occasion when he
entered the Upper Norwood post-office and asked for fifty 2 1_2 d. stamps
he was looked at with surprise. When, a couple of days later, he applied
for another