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AN OLD-FASHIONED JOURNEY 241 point what I presumed were his hopes of earning some trifle by his civility, I followed him across his court and up a species of step ladder, and was shown by him into a room, bare but scrupulously clean, fur-nished with a table and a few rush-bottomed chairs, and adorned on its whitewashed walls with a lithograph of the Prince of Wales. Here Scotty laid out the cold luncheon I had brought with me, and the old man, before I had half finished it, embarrassed me by adding some further refreshments of his own. Some meat and some oranges I civilly but firmly declined, but I took, in order to please him, a tumbler of his Cyprian wine. To my surprise it was excellent. I say ' to my surprise,' because, though most of the wines of the island might be excellent if made properly, they are generally spoilt for the European palate by the skins they are kept in and a villanous taste of resin. But here of this taste there was no trace whatever, and I wished for a competent friend who might have shared and discussed the draught with me. Luncheon over, I strolled out into the village. I looked at the brown farm-buildings and at two old Greek churches. The air flowed through the streets like currents of tepid water. Presently I saw that the door of one of the churches had been opened. I entered and looked about me. The gilded and painted screen was, as usual, the only noticeable feature. Whilst I was looking at it I heard a voice at my ear. I turned and saw that an old man was R

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