What more do you know of him ?" "I have only read 'The Heroes,'" Halcyone admitted, "but I know it by heart--and I know it is all true though my governess says it is fairy-tales and not for girls.

I want to learn Greek, but they can't teach me." "That is too bad." "When things are put vaguely I always want to know, them--I want to know why Medusa turned into a gorgon?
What was her sin ?" The old man smiled.
"I see," said Halcyone, "you won't tell me, but some day I shall know." "Yes, some day you shall know," he said.
"They seem such great people, those Greeks; they knew everything--so the preface of my 'Heroes' says, and I want to learn the things they knew--mathematics and geometry, rather--and especially logic and metaphysics, because I want to know the meaning of words and the art of reasoning, and above everything I want to know about my own thoughts and soul." "You strange little girl," said the old man.

"Have you a soul ?" "I don't know, I have something in there," and Halcyone pointed to her head--"and it talks to me like another voice, and when I am alone up a tree away from people, and all is beautiful, it seems to make it tight round here,--and go from my head into my side," and she placed her lean brown paw over her heart.
"Yes--you perhaps have a soul," said the old man, and then he added, half to himself--"What a pity." "Why a pity ?" demanded Halcyone.
"Because a woman with a soul suffers, and brings tribulation--but since you have one we may as well teach you how to keep the thing in hand." At that moment, the dark servant brought tea, and the fine oriental china pleased Halcyone whose perceptions took in the texture of every single thing she came in contact with.
The old man seemed to go into a reverie, he was quite silent while he poured out the tea, forgetting to enquire her tastes as to cream and sugar--he drank his black--and handed Halcyone a cup of the same.
She looked at him, her inquiring eyes full of intelligence and understanding, and she realized at once that these trifles were not in his consideration for the moment.

So she helped herself to what she wanted and sat down again in her armchair.

She did not even rattle her teaspoon.