AN HISTORICAL QUESTION 25 



sunshade in her hand, sheltering herself from a sudden 

 storm under a horse-chestnut tree in its golden yellow 

 and red autumnal foliage. But there he had a black 

 storm for a background and silver-grey raindrops 

 over all the picture. This was an infinitely more 

 difficult subject, an impossible one, owing to the 

 intense light, the brilliant blue sky. 



This incident has little or no bearing on the subject 

 under discussion, and my only motive in introducing 

 it is the common desire we all have of imparting 

 to others anything wonderful or beautiful we 

 have seen. 



To go back: How long is it since this quarrel 

 between woman and the wind has existed ? As long, 

 I suppose, as a costume only suitable for indoor 

 life has been worn out of doors. A small ray of 

 light on this subject comes to me by chance from 

 mediaeval times. 



It happened, when my age was nineteen, that an 

 old intimate friend of mine asked me to take charge 

 of the sheep-shearing at a bankrupt estate on the 

 pampas. He had undertaken to do it, but found 

 he could not spare the time, and I was doing 

 nothing just then. Accordingly, I went and estab- 

 lished myself at the house of the mayordomo, or 

 manager of the estancia, a barn-like building of 

 unburnt bricks with a thatched roof, without a 

 tree or bush or flower about it, surrounded with 

 sheds and sheepfolds and cattle enclosures — a dusty, 

 desolate place! 



Here I established myself and kept the books, 



