“She had by this time approached a small gate, which communicated with the apartments on the ground-floor of the Zenana; when, turning to me, she said, “You can return the way you came, but I must leave you here;” and, making a slight bow, she sprung like a young fawn through the gate, and was out of sight in a moment.

“You may wonder, my dear Atterley, that I should remember all these minute circumstances, after the lapse of more than forty years; but every incident of that day is as fresh in my memory as the occurrence of yesterday.  To this single green spot in my existence, my mind is never tired of returning.

“I continued for some time in a sort of dreaming ecstasy; but as soon as I collected my thoughts, I began to devise some scheme by which I could again have the happiness of seeing and conversing with the lovely Veenah.  My brain had before that time teemed with ambitious projects of distinguishing myself; sometimes as a priest—­sometimes as a writer; and occasionally I thought I would bend all my efforts to rouse my countrymen to throw off the ignominious yoke of Great Britain.  But this short interview had changed the whole current of my thoughts.  I had now a new set of feelings, opinions, and wishes.  My mind dwelt solely upon the pleasures of domestic life—­the surpassing bliss of loving and of being beloved.

“When the cavalcade returned in the evening, its gaudy magnificence, which I would not permit myself even to see in the morning, I now regarded with cold indifference; nay, more, I congratulated myself on having missed the exhibition, though a few hours before I had deemed this privation one of the misfortunes of my life.

“The next day I went to the garden betimes; and as it communicated with the shrubbery and grounds attached to the Zenana, and the males of the family occasionally entered it when the ladies were not present, I prevailed on the gardener to grant me admission, under the pretext of gathering some uncommonly fine mangoes, which were then ripe.  I went to the several spots where I had first seen Veenah—­where I had conversed with her—­where I had parted from her; and they each had some secret and indescribable charm for me.  I fear, Atterley, I fatigue you.  The feelings of which I speak, are fully known only to the natives of warm climates, and to those but once in their lives.”

I assured him that he was mistaken; that the emotions he described, were the same in all countries, and at all times, and begged him to proceed.

“I repeated my visit,” he continued, “several times the same day, under any pretext I could invent—­to gather an orange, or other fruit—­to pluck a rose—­to frighten away mischievous birds—­to catch the unobstructed breeze, or sit in a cooler shade; in which artifices I played a part that had before been foreign to my nature.  I was disappointed, however, in my wishes.  I thought, indeed, I once saw some one in the veranda, looking through the lattice into the garden, but the figure soon disappeared.