SIXTEEN

book was given me by Graham; it tells about distant countries, a long, long

way from England, which no traveller can reach without sailing thousands

of miles over the sea. Wild men live in these countries, Miss Snowe, who

wear clothes different from ours: indeed, some of them wear scarcely any

clothes, for the sake of being cool, you know; for they have very hot weath-

er. Here is a picture of thousands gathered in a desolate place— a plain,

spread with sand— round a man in black,— a good, good Englishman— a

missionary, who is preaching to them under a palm-tree." (She showed a

little coloured cut to that effect.) "And here are pictures" (she went on)

"more stranger" (grammar was occasionally forgotten) "than that. There is

the wonderful Great Wall of China; here is a Chinese lady, with a foot littler

than mine. There is a wild horse of Tartary; and here, most strange of all—