“Now, we call this a room, a part of the house.  Outside is a street.  That street is one of hundreds in a vast city, which consists of a multitude of such houses together with other and vastly larger structures.  And these structures all rest upon a solid material which we call the ground or earth.

“The fact that you understand our language indicates that either you have fallen heir to a body and a brain which are thoroughly in tune with ours, or else—­and please understand that we know very little of this mystery—­or else your own body has somehow become translated into a condition which answers the same purpose.

“At any rate, you ought to comprehend what I mean by the term ‘earth.’  Do you?”

“Oh, yes,” brightly.  “I seem to understand everything you say, Hobart.”

“Then there is a corresponding picture in your mind to each thought I have given you?”

“I think so,” not so positively.

“Well,” hoping that I could make it clear, “this earth is formed in a huge globe, part of which is covered by another material, which we term water.  And the portions which are not so covered, and are capable of supporting the structures which constitute the city, we call by still another name.  Can you supply that name?”

“Continents,” without hesitation.

“Fine!” This was a starter anyhow.  “We’ll soon have your memory working!

“However, what I really began to say is this; each of these continents—­and they are several in number—­is inhabited by people more or less like ourselves.  There is a vast number, all told.  Each is either male or female, like ourselves—­you seem to take this for granted, however—­and you will find them all exceedingly interesting.

“Now, in all fairness,” letting go her hands at last “you must understand that there are, among the people whom you have yet to see, great numbers who are far more—­well, attractive, than I am.

“And you must know,” even taking my gaze away, “that not all persons are as friendly as we.  You will find some who are antagonistic to you, and likely to take advantage of—­well, your unsophisticated viewpoint.  In short”—­desperately—­“you must learn right away not to accept people without question; you must form the habit of reserving judgment, of waiting until you have more facts, before reaching an opinion of others.

“You must do this as a matter of self-protection, and in the interests of your greatest welfare.”

And I stopped.

She seemed to be thinking over what I said.  In the end she observed:  “This seems reasonable.  I feel sure that wherever I came from such advice would have fitted.

“However”—­smiling at me in a manner to which I can give no description other than affectionate—­“I have no doubts about you, Hobart.  I know you are absolutely all right.”

And before I could recover from the bliss into which her statement threw me, she turned to Charlotte with “You too, Charlotte; I know I can trust you.”