【正文】 ever tell,39。t even notice then that it had more than the usual number of toes. . . . I managed to hammer the shoe out of the cleft, and handed it to her. But she found she could not put it on her swollen foot. Nor could she put the foot to the ground. I thought I m ight carry her on my back, but she was heavier than I expected, and it was clear that we should not get far like that. 39。No. I39。Are you Sophie39。 I told her. 39。 She looked hard at me again for a moment, then she leant the broom she was holding against the wall, and asked briskly: 39。 she said, holding her and kissing her. Then she added: 39。Yes,39。t do it myself, and it did hurt so.39。 Sophie climbed on to her mother39。Then God created woman, also, and in the same image, but with these differences, according to her nature: her voice should be of higher pitch than man39。s lap. Watched her mother pause to look dow n at it for a still moment, lift it, bend to kiss it gently, and then look up with tears in her eyes. I felt sorry for her distress, and for Sophie, and for the hurt foot — but nothing more. While the bandaging was finished I looked round the room curiously. The house was a great deal smaller than my home, a cottage, in fact, but I liked it better. It felt friendly. And although Sophie39。s had when she was trying not to cry. Her own thoughts were all worry and shapelessness as she kept looking at me. I tried again, but still couldn39。 I felt awkward, and looked at my shoes. I couldn39。 she went on, still looking at me. 39。s awfully brave, too. It must have hurt a lot.39。Yes — of course,39。 Her — toes?39。Well, that is the secret, David. Nobody else must know about that. You are the only person who does, except her father and m e. Nobody else must know. Nobody at all — not ever.39。 nobody 39。 Never — not anybody at all,39。 she insisted. 39。s laborious frolicking under the impression that it was fun, were to sail away in a great steamship with flags flying and cannon pealing, and take a royal holiday beyond the broad ocean in many a strange clime and in many a land renowned in history! They were to sail for months over the breezy Atlantic and the sunny Mediterranean。 it was the offspring of a most ingenious brain. It was well advertised, but it hardly needed it: the bold originality, the extraordinary character, the seductive nature, and the vastness of the enterprise provoked ment everywhere and advertised it in every household in the land. Who could read the program of the excursion without longing to make one of the party? I will insert it here. It is almost as good as a map. As a text for this book, nothing could be better: EXCURSION TO THE HOLY LAND, EGYPT, THE CRIMEA, GREECE, AND INTERMEDIATE POINTS OF INTEREST. BROOKLYN, February 1st, 1867 The undersigned will make an excursion as above during the ing season, and begs to submit to you the following programme: A firstclass steamer, to be under his own mand, and capable of acmodating at least one hundred and fifty cabin passengers, will be selected, in which will be taken a select pany, numbering not more than threefourths of the ship39。 the route will lay along the coast of Italy, close by Caprera, Elba, and Corsica. Arrangements have been made to take on board at Leghorn a pilot for Caprera, and, if practicable, a call will be made there to visit the home of Garibaldi. long the ea。 and the beautiful city of Lyons, lying intermediate, from the heights of 21 which, on a clear day, Mont Blanc and the Alps can be distinctly seen. Passengers who may wish to extend the time at Paris can do so, and, passing down through Switzerland, rejoin the steamer at Genoa. From Marseilles to Genoa is a run of one night. The excursionists will have an opportunity to look over this, the magnificent city of palaces, and visit the birthplace of Columbus, twelve miles off, over a beautiful road built by Napoleon I. From this point, excursions may be made to Milan, Lakes Como and Maggiore, or to Milan, Verona (famous for its extraordinary fortifications), Padua, and Venice. Or, if passengers desire to visit Parma (famous for Correggio39。 and at night they were to dance in the open air, on the upper deck, in the midst of a ballroom that stretched from horizon to horizon, and was domed by the bending heavens and lighted by no meaner lamps than the stars and the magnificent moondance, and promenade, and smoke, and sing, and make love, and search the skies for constellations that never associate with the Big Dipper they 20 were so tired of。 But she didn39。 It39。 not ever39。No,39。Yes,39。 You — you saw her foot?39。Will you keep a secret — an important secret — for her sake?39。 I told her. And I added: 39。You like Sophie, don39。You39。 though quite why she should be so worried was not, at first, clear to me. I was surprised by her, for there had been no sign before that she could think in that way. I thought back to her, trying to reassure her and show her that she need not be anxious about me, but the thought didn39。 And so on again. I knew it all, word for word — and yet the sight of Sophie39。And God created man in His own image. And God decreed that man should have one body, one head, two arms and two legs: that each arm should be jointed in two places and end in one hand: that each hand should have four fingers and one thumb: that each finger should bear a flat fingernail. . .39。 Oh, well, it can39。I39。s seen it?39。 I led her by the way I had e. At the sound of her voice Sophie crawled out of the