122 UNDER THE TREES. 



It was with some such feeling that Rosalind and 

 I found ourselves in the Forest of Arden. The 

 journey was so soon accomplished that we had no 

 time to accustom ourselves to the changes between 

 the country we had left and that to which we had 

 come. We had always fancied that the road would 

 be long and hard, and that we should arrive worn 

 and spent with the fatigues of travel. We were 

 astonished and delighted when we suddenly dis 

 covered that we were within the boundaries of the 

 Forest long before we had begun to think of the 

 end of our journey. We had said nothing to each 

 other by the way ; our thoughts were so busy that 

 we had no time for speech. There were no other 

 travelers ; everybody seemed to be going in the 

 opposite direction ; and we were left to undisturbed 

 meditation. The route to the Forest is one of those 

 open secrets which whosoever would know must 

 learn for himself ; it is impossible to direct those 

 who do not discover for themselves how to make 

 the journey. The Forest is probably the most 

 accessible place on the face of the earth, but it is 

 so rarely visited that one may go half a lifetime 

 without meeting a person who has been there. I 

 have never been able to explain the fact that those 

 who have spent some time in the Forest, as well as 

 those who are later to see it, seem to recognize each 

 other by instinct. Rosalind and I happen to have 

 a large circle of acquaintances, and it has been our 

 good fortune to meet and recognize many who 



