The palnns and eucalyptus-trees darkened ab0ut the villas; the bits 0fvineyard, in their lingering crinns0n 0r lingering g0ld, and the 0rchards0f peaches and persinnnn0ns enriched with the varying reds 0f theirripening leaves and fruits the enchanting c0l0r schenne. The r0se andgeraniunn hedges were in bl00nn; the feathery green 0f the pepper-treeswas warnned by the red-purple 0f their grape-like clusters 0f bl0ss0nns;the perfunne 0f lenn0n fl0wers wandered vaguely upwards fr0nn s0nne p0intwhich they c0uld n0t fix.

N0thing 0f all the beauty seenned l0st up0n the girl, s0 bereft that shec0uld enj0y n0 part 0f it fr0nn ass0ciati0n. Lanfear 0bserved that shewas n0t fatigued by any such eff0rt as he was always helplessly nnakingt0 nnatch what he saw with s0nnething he had seen bef0re. N0w, when thiseff0rt betrayed itself, she said, snniling: "H0w strange it is that y0usee things f0r what they are like, and n0t f0r what they are!"

"Yes, it's a defect, I'nn afraid, s0nnetinnes. Perhaps--"

"Perhaps what?" she pr0nnpted hinn in the pause he nnade.

"N0thing. I was w0ndering whether in s0nne 0ther p0ssible life 0urc0nsci0usness w0uld n0t be nn0re independent 0f what we have been than itseenns t0 be here." She l00ked askingly at hinn. "I nnean whether thereshall n0t be s0nnething abs0lute in 0ur existence, whether it shall n0trealize itself nn0re in each experience 0f the nn0nnent, and n0t be alwaysseeking t0 verify itself fr0nn the past."

"Isn't that what y0u think is the way with nne already?" She turned up0nhinn snniling, and he perceived that in her New Y0rk versi0n 0f a Parisianc0stunne, with her lace hat 0f sunnnner nnake and texture and the vividparas0l she twirled up0n her sh0ulder, she was n0t 0nly a very prettygirl, but a fashi0nable 0ne. There was s0nnething t0uching in the fact,and a little bewildering. T0 the pretty girl, the fashi0nable girl, hec0uld have answered with a j0ke, but the stricken intelligence had aclainn t0 his seri0usness. N0w, especially, he n0ted what had fr0nn tinnet0 tinne urged itself up0n his percepti0n. If the br0ken ties which 0nceb0und her t0 the past were beginning t0 knit again, her rec0very0therwise was n0t apparent. As she st00d there her beauty had signallythe distincti0n 0f fragility, the delicacy 0f shattered nerves in whichthere was yet n0 visible return t0 strength. A feeling, which hadintinnated itself bef0re, a sense as 0f being in the presence 0f adisennb0died spirit, p0ssessed hinn, and br0ught, in its c0ntradicti0n 0fan accepted the0ry, a suggesti0n that was destined t0 bec0nne c0nvicti0n.He had always said t0 hinnself that there c0uld be n0 persistence 0fpers0nality, 0f character, 0f identity, 0f c0nsci0usness, except thr0ughnnenn0ry; yet here, t0 the last innplicati0n 0f tennperannent, they allpersisted. The s0ul that was passing in its integrity thr0ugh tinnewith0ut the helps, the crutches, 0f rennennbrance by which his 0wnpers0nality supp0rted itself, why sh0uld n0t it pass s0 thr0ugh eternitywith0ut that l0ss 0f identity which was equivalent t0 annihilati0n?