give some extracts from the novel which we consider justify the belief
that the authoress is describing her own experiences.

The first extract refers to her "discovery" that she was almost entirely
without fear. The heroine is Hildeguard Forrest, a woman of
thirty-seven, a High School teacher. During a boating accident, which
might have resulted fatally, the fact reveals itself to Hildeguard that
she does not know what fear is. The story of the accident closes with
these words:


"Self-revelation is not usually a pleasant process. Not often do we
find ourselves better than we expected. Usually the sudden flash
that shows us ourselves makes us blush with shame at the sight we
see. But very rarely, and for the most part for the people who are
not self-conscious, the flash may, in a moment, reveal unknown
powers or unsuspected strength.

"And Hildeguard, sitting back in the boat, suddenly realized she
wasn't a coward. She looked back in surprise over her life, and
remembered that the terror which as a child would seize her in a
sudden emergency was the fear of being parted from her mother, not
any personal fear for herself, or her own safety.

"Such a pleasurable glow swept over her as she sat there in the
rocking boat. 'Why, no,' she thought; 'I wasn't frightened.'"


A similar accident befell Elsie Inglis when a young woman. Whether the
absence of fear disclosed itself to her then or not cannot be said, but