Queen Lucia

d simultaneously she became aware that there would be macaroni au gratin for lunch, which was very dear and remembering of Peppino. But before

I saw just now with Daisy Quantock? They

rings of it into his mouth. But the haste with which he did so was sufficient g

he asked with the

mained in Riseholme if he could not give her precise and certain information on local news when she returned. His prose-po

on her part seemed

id, "for I have not set my eyes on him. But putt

ony for which she was feared and famous. "Now

She had a cold, and though she recited the True Statement of Being just as frequently as before, her cold got no better. But

rrupted his wife, brilliantl

k was very full of some Indian philosophy which made you quite

n?" aske

in Yoga or else you may injure yourself.

y w

rcises; you have to hold your ear with one hand and your toes with the other, and y

e to the Indian s

dy. I suggest that Mrs Quantock has ap

and his conjectures were generally correct. But if he was right in this instance, it struck Lucia as being a very irregular thing that anyone should

whether I ought to be officially aware of this man's existence or not. I can't write to Daisy Quantock and say 'Pray bring your black friend Om or whate

olme half an hour," said her husband. "It would have

ace c

him," she said. "I may find a full ac

feeling as not to have told you. I think, too, that her visitor must only

ro

on, but by tea-time I shall be ready to see anyone who calls. Give m

l manner much as you would look at a view. Treated thus, scattered words began to leap into being, and when you had got a sufficiency of these, like glimpses of the country seen by flashes of lightning, you could hope to get a collective idea of it all. The procedure led to the most promising results as Mrs Lucas sat with the sheets at arm's length

red, even as her husband had told her at lunch, that Mrs Quantock found her cold too obstinate for all the precepts of Mrs Eddy; the True Statement of Being, however often repeated, only seemed to inflame it furthe

ff Sloane Street that day; Mrs Quantock had entered (she scarcely knew why) and had found herself in a Testimony Meeting, where witness after witness declared the miraculous healings they had experienced. One had had a cough, another canc

wanted and she instantly wrote to the address from which this book was issued asking for any guidance on the subject. She had read in "Oriental Philosophies" that for the successful practice of Yoga, it was necessary to have a teacher, and did they know of any teacher who could give her in

ue Path. He has the spare bedroom and the little room adjoining where he meditates and does Postures and Pranyama which is breathing. If you persevere in them under instruction, you have perfect health and youth, and my cold is gone already. He is a Brahmin of the very highest caste, indeed caste means nothing to him any longer, just as a Baronet and an Honourable must seem about the same thing to the King. He comes from Benares where he used to meditate all day by the Ganges, and I can see for myself that he is a person of the most extraordinary sanctity. But he can meditate just as well in my little room, for he says he was never in any house that h

a beautiful soul and may help him in that way, as well as his helping you. I am helping him too he say

ur

AI

res was the truly Athenian character of Daisy's mind, for she was always enquiring into "some new thing," which was the secret of life when first discovered, and got speedily relegated to the dust-heap. But against such a course was the undoubted fact that Daisy did occasionally get hold of somebody who subsequently proved to be of interest, and Lucia would never forget to her dying day the advent in Riseholme of a little Welsh attorney, in whom Daisy had discovered a wonderful mentality. Lucia had refused to extend her queenly hospitality to him, or to r

would adjourn to delicious moonlit suppers in the pergola, or if the moon was indisposed-she could not be expected to regulate the affairs of the moon as well as of Riseholme-there would be dim seances and sandwiches in the smoking-parlour. The humorous furniture should be put in cupboards, and as they drifted towards the front hall again, when the clocks struck an unexpectedly late hour, little whispered colloquies of "How wonderful he was tonight" would be heard, and there would be faraway looks and sighs, and the notings down of the titles of books that conducted the pilgrim on the Way. Perhaps as they softly assembled for departure, a little music would be suggested to round off the

my little garden-party on Friday. There will be only a f

he standard of dress. For one of Lucia's quaint ideas was to divide dresses into three classes, "Hightum," "Tightum" and "Scrub." "Hightum" was your very best dress, the smartest and newest of all, and when "Hightum" was written on a card of invitation, it implied that the party was a very resplendent one. "Tightum" similarly ind

ort, but it is a fact that sometimes when Georgie's name came up in conversation, her eyes wore that "far-away" look that only the masterpieces of art could otherwise call up, and she would sigh and murmur "Dear Georgie"! and change the subject, with the tact that characterized her. In fact their mutual relations were among the most Beautiful Things of Riseholme, and hardly less beautiful was Peppino's attitude towards it all. That large hearted man trusted them both, and his trust was perfectly justified. Georgie was in and out of the house all day, chiefly in; and not only did scandal never rear its hissing head, but it positively had not a head to hiss with, or a foot to stand on. On his side again Georgie had never said that he was in love with her (n

tel; these were of two types, elderly ladies in lace caps with a row of pearls, and boys in cricket shirts with their sleeves rolled up. He was not very good at eyes, so his sitters always were looking down, but he was excellent at smiles, and the old ladies smiled patiently and sweetly, and the boys gaily. But his finest accomplishment was needlework and his house was full of the creations of his needle, wool-work curtains, petit-point chair seats, and silk embroideries framed and glazed. Next to Lucia he was the hardest worked inhabitant of Riseholme but not being so strong as the Queen, he had often to go away for little rests by the sea-side. Travelling by train fussed him a good deal, for he might not be able to get a corner seat, or somebody with a pipe or a baby might ge

ur, made him a curtsey, and next moment they were treading a little improvised minuet together with hands held high, and pointed toes. Georgie had very small feet, and it was a really elegant toe that he pointed, encased in cloth-topped boots. He had on a suit of fresh white flannels and over his shoulders, for fear of the evening air being chilly after this hot day, he had a little cape of a military cut, like those in which young ladies a

gie (this exposure shewing a crop of hair grown on one side of his head and brushed smoothly ov

cried from the te

s compliment and smiled on her partner. "Amico!" s

e could talk Italian too. "Va ver

all the news. We'll

mn gladness" at the word, like a d

to tell you. I think we must begin with a gre

ysterious news was, and also that she knew far more about it than Georgie

o!" she said.

nt the day before. Rush is very negligent sometimes-and I was just saying a sharp word about it, when suddenly I s

said she. "How can I guess? A

uess a

an in full

f. (It would have been awful if she had guessed.) At this moment Peppin

look at me. I'm going to read your thoughts.

pressed it to her fore

other Indian. And-and he has slippers on and brown stockings-no,

ave a

I can see,

vellous," said he. "

came from Peppino, and G

en him!" he said. "H

d been assured that Lucia really, word of honour, had

ng, I just looked through a wine list for a moment, and the Indian with quantities more bows came up to the counter and said, 'If you will ha

air of Lady Macbeth an

or

n to Mrs Quantock's

Quantock's garden, and since he could not keep his eyes shut all day, it followed that the happenings there were quite common property. Indeed that was a general rule in Riseholme: anyone in an adjoining property could say, "What an exciting game of lawn-tennis you had this afternoon!" having followed it from his bedroom. That was part of the charm of Riseholme; it was as if it contained just one happy family with common interests and pursuits. What happened in

d had wond

t I had left in my bedroom, and happening to glance out, I saw the Indian sittin

a excitedly. "He has hi

rds, he wasn't drunk, for presently he stood on one leg, and crooked the other behind it, and remained there with his hands up, as if he was praying, for quite a long time without swaying at all. So he couldn't have been tipsy. And then he sat down again, and took off his slippers, and held

say 'Chela'?

by Rudyard Kipling, and found that Chela meant 'Disciple.' What you have told me

y do?" asked Mrs L

ed to hold the toe of her shoe in her fingers, and naturally she couldn't get within ya

d hear too,"

ith her finger and inhale through the other, and then hold her breath, while he counted six. Then she breathed it all out again, and started with the o

rful indeed if dear Dai

"What

ds and forwards again and muttere

d be 'Om',

longer for I had so

iled a

r report," she said. "It has all been most interesting. Te

ating him, and Peppino came round in order to get a better view of what Georgie was doing. Then

word, it does give one a sort of feeling of vigour a