"I am entranced, Thorwald," said the doctor, "with everything I see. But I
would like to ask if you own this comfortable carriage and had it sent to
the wharf to meet you."

"I own it," our friend replied, "just as I own the street we are riding
over or the house I live in. I own this or any other vehicle whenever I
desire to use it. You saw a great number of carriages near the wharf, and
there are several over on that corner. Anyone is at perfect liberty to
appropriate one to his own use at any time, and when he is through he
merely leaves it at a convenient place by the roadside for some one else
to take."

"I should think they would be stolen," said I.

Thorwald laughed at my ignorance and answered: "Why, who is there to steal
when everybody, either friend or stranger, can use them as often and as
long as he likes?"

The talk promised to grow more interesting still, but now our attention
was turned to the delightful scene through which we were passing. It will
be utterly impossible to describe the beauty of the landscape, where
nature and art seemed to be striving to outdo each other. Before reaching
land I had imagined that the houses, if they were to be proportioned to
the inhabitants, must pierce the sky. But we were surprised to find that
they were all comparatively low, of not more than two or three stories.
And all, even those near the wharf, were surrounded with ample grounds.
Some of the houses were larger than others, some more ornate than their
neighbors, and the architecture varied as much as the size and arrangement
of the grounds. But all were beautiful beyond description. One thing that