guess at how many pounds they spent in the year, and at the number
of their servants. Just before I finished, I the younger girl came
back with three or four other young_ _women, who were followed in a
little while by a party of men.

I showed them some photographs of the Aran Islands and Wicklow,
which they looked at with eagerness. The little hostess was
especially taken with two or three that had babies or children in
their foreground; and as she put her hands on my shoulders, and
leaned over to look at them, with the confidence that is so usual in
these places, I could see that she had her full share of the passion
for children which is powerful in all women who are permanently and
profoundly attractive. While I was telling her what I could about
the children, I saw one of the men looking with peculiar amazement
at an old photograph of myself that had been taken many years ago in
an alley of the Luxembourg Gardens, where there were many statues in
the background. 'Look at that,' he whispered in Irish to one of the
girls, pointing to the statues; 'in those countries they do have
naked people standing about in their skins.'

I explained that the figures were of marble only, and then the
little hostess and all the girls examined them also. 'Oh! dear me,'
said the little hostess, 'Is deas an rud do bheith ag siubhal ins an
domhain mor' ('It's a fine thing to be travelling in the big world').

In the afternoon I went up and walked along the narrow central ridge
of the island, till I came to the highest point, which is nearly
three miles west of the village. The weather was gloomy and wild,
and there was something nearly appalling in the loneliness of the
place. I could look down on either side into a foggy edge of grey