A WEEK-END ON MILFORD BEACH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13497, 25 May 1907, Page 1 (Supplement)

A WEEK-END ON MILFORD BEACH.

* . "'■'|;-''. ;— —- '—— r—>o-■ — ■■■ ~ ': BY If.' L. IKGTON. ' s "People are fools," she said. x 'For'"a moment I ; said nothing, and then, l as if; I, were" presenting some weighty - problem that required solving, I began: - " Do you consider that what the majority I of people think is more. likely to be cors rect than tihe opinion held ,by one or i two?"/ ■''.. •:■ ~ • ; s "I "think," she said,. " the opinion of a i number -of people of common sense is r better, than that of one or two cranks."

. '• Well; do you know," I said, " rather confidentially, "that I think the majority of people would/ think us bigger fools for spending a week-end in the manner we are doing ,- than those ; who stay at home quietly, . and-—-I am . / getting / rather involved,*'' I broke , off; "but you'll understand." ',- , ' -'' "All/ I r 'understand," t . she; made answer rather /savagely, : ;•;"is• that / I would prefer you to be quiet ;, and /not, talk so much. You can talk, the ; greatest ; amount '•■. of drive), "' in the shortest space of time than anyone it has ever been my misfortune to meet. ' Can't you 'be / quiet for even one .laiautteS'-'-'-.~.~....V' ---.' -■«■■■.-:-■,- Two," I said, quite cheerfully, for. I was used to being squashed. '-■:(', • .//i was in that state of mind. when I was so absolutely ■ happy that :I wanted to do nothing but;talk, and talk, whereas /her present idea of - bliss was to walk slowly along the :' water's ; edge in perfect quiet, thinking out, I expect, the: riddles of the universe. ' j? ■ " > '' 7,'.'. ■I turned, md' looked out to &ea. A wee, warm wave came licking round my ankles,, and then ran 1 ' back, : dragging ;. the sand from under my feet as it went; arid then the '■ night -threw its subtle spell oyer me, and even; I fell to thinking. Everything was .so /still; /.the /air so "calm and: hushed,/ the surface of the /water/ just rip; pling in a lazy, effortless motion; Rangitoto, in the distance, wrapped in a shroud of darkness, /brooding - over ; 'all./ And yet for all the apparent quiet there seems to line to be everywhere an air of expectationthe quiet, serene expectation :of a strong! being, who knows what: it knows, and is ■ content to sit and wait—the expression that : one /sees on the " face 'of Buddha. Arid then what they waited for came. v Far out-to sea,.' from' behind - a low-lying island beyond Rangitoto, ; crept up';-,. the flame-red moon. Little black clouds, as: though resenting its intrusion'; 1 floated across-v its surface, trying to /blot it out. but steadily, irresistibly, it rose | above;them i all. : - - :-/.-;,:■ "':'*:" --/,',.--/i

"I wonder," I said softly, " how it is that when the moon first appears it seems so* red and big, and climbs up into the heavens so ■. quickly." : Right to our feet, ; across; the sea;, was thrown a golden carpet of light. "If one only had sufficient faith," I said, "it would be possible to walk right along that golden path." ■ ,; Silently we -both stood, with our skirts gathered. round our knees, drinking in ■ the quiet beauty of the night. At length "she broke the silence.' "This sort of thing is just splendid for one," she said. //"Think how one's .nerves-, must be benefited by it, all after the' racketing of the week, the rush and roar of the trams, and the everlasting hurry to catch up with the minutes one has lost. -.It just does'me all the goo.-] in the world." And then, the spell being broken, slowly Ave retraced our steps back to the house, making our* plans for the morrow as we went along.