Page:The Diothas, or, A far look ahead (IA diothasorfarlook01macn).pdf/265

 of the reality of what he referred to, I began to appreciale how greatly the situation was changed to my advantage from what I had feared in the morning. Far from having to urge my suit as a suspected lunatic, I saw myself regarded with an interest that bordered on awe. If I should be held in the same esteem as my prototype, Metis, my position would leave little to be desired. Reva said nothing, but I could see that her father's conviction was hers also.

"Though my story is in many ways similar to that of Metis," I began, by way of preface to the account I saw was expected of me; yet, in one important respect, my experience is widely different from his."

"In what way?" inquired Hulmar, whose interest in what I was about to say was scarcely veiled by the calm courtesy of his manner.

"The reminiscences of Metis began at a comparatively early age, and only by slow degrees attained the consistency of a connected history. They never obscured his recollection of his early life among the generation to whom he related his wonderful story. My knowledge of this present age of the world, on the other hand, seems to date from only a few days back."

I then went on to give a brief account of my experiences during the preceding week,—briefer, that is to say, than the account contained in these pages, yet omitting nothing essential. I was listened to with a rapt attention that showed the intense interest of my hearers. In Reva's beautiful eyes. upraised from where she sat on a low sent beside her father, I could read the mutations of curiosity, wonder, and sympathy, as I advanced in my narrative.