She | Page 5

Indeed, I think I had better
begin by reminding you that we once met, now some five years ago,
when I and my ward Leo Vincey were introduced to you in the street at
Cambridge. To be brief and come to my business. I have recently read
with much interest a book of yours describing a Central African
adventure. I take it that this book is partly true, and partly an effort of
the imagination. However this may be, it has given me an idea. It
happens, how you will see in the accompanying manuscript (which
together with the Scarab, the 'Royal Son of the Sun,' and the original
sherd, I am sending to you by hand), that my ward, or rather my
adopted son Leo Vincey and myself have recently passed through a real
African adventure, of a nature so much more marvellous than the one
which you describe, that to tell the truth I am almost ashamed to submit
it to you lest you should disbelieve my tale. You will see it stated in
this manuscript that I, or rather we, had made up our minds not to make
this history public during our joint lives. Nor should we alter our
determination were it not for a circumstance which has recently arisen.
We are for reasons that, after perusing this manuscript, you may be able
to guess, going away again this time to Central Asia where, if anywhere
upon this earth, wisdom is to be found, and we anticipate that our
sojourn there will be a long one. Possibly we shall not return. Under
these altered conditions it has become a question whether we are
justified in withholding from the world an account of a phenomenon
which we believe to be of unparalleled interest, merely because our
private life is involved, or because we are afraid of ridicule and doubt
being cast upon our statements. I hold one view about this matter, and

Leo holds another, and finally, after much discussion, we have come to
a compromise, namely, to send the history to you, giving you full leave
to publish it if you think fit, the only stipulation being that you shall
disguise our real names, and as much concerning our personal identity
as is consistent with the maintenance of the /bona fides/ of the
narrative.
"And now what am I to say further? I really do not know beyond once
more repeating that everything is described in the accompanying
manuscript exactly as it happened. As regards /She/ herself I have
nothing to add. Day by day we gave greater occasion to regret that we
did not better avail ourselves of our opportunities to obtain more
information from that marvellous woman. Who was she? How did she
first come to the Caves of Kôr, and what was her real religion? We
never ascertained, and now, alas! we never shall, at least not yet. These
and many other questions arise in my mind, but what is the good of
asking them now?
"Will you undertake the task? We give you complete freedom, and as a
reward you will, we believe, have the credit of presenting to the world
the most wonderful history, as distinguished from romance, that its
records can show. Read the manuscript (which I have copied out fairly
for your benefit), and let me know.
"Believe me, very truly yours, "L. Horace Holly.[*]
"P.S.--Of course, if any profit results from the sale of the writing
should you care to undertake its publication, you can do what you like
with it, but if there is a loss I will leave instructions with my lawyers,
Messrs. Geoffrey and Jordan, to meet it. We entrust the sherd, the
scarab, and the parchments to your keeping, till such time as we
demand them back again. --L. H. H."
[*] This name is varied throughout in accordance with the writer's
request.--Editor.
This letter, as may be imagined, astonished me considerably, but when
I came to look at the MS., which the pressure of other work prevented

me from doing for a fortnight, I was still more astonished, as I think the
reader will be also, and at once made up my mind to press on with the
matter. I wrote to this effect to Mr. Holly, but a week afterwards
received a letter from that gentleman's lawyers, returning my own, with
the information that their client and Mr. Leo Vincey had already left
this country for Thibet, and they did not at present know their address.
Well, that is all I have to say. Of the history itself the reader must judge.
I give it him, with the exception of a very few alterations, made with
the object of concealing the identity of the actors from the general
public, exactly as it came to