Knowing that my time was limited, I decided to secure some nuggets of truth by a personal interview; so I concluded to appear to the wisest person on the planet, who was a woman of wonderful mental acquirements. In addition to her superior intellect she was also bewitchingly beautiful. I waited for the best opportunity and came near to her as she was about to spread her wings for a morning flight from the beautiful summit near her summer home. Not wishing to cause her undue alarm, I at first spoke softly, remaining invisible and watching her rare eyes send their glances toward the palmy trees around me, as her wings were relaxing quietly at her side. She was positive of having heard a voice, and as she still further scanned the immediate surroundings I saw that perplexity was furrowing marks upon her face. [Illustration: Beautiful Plume on the World of Swift.] "Hast thou time to spend with a friend from another world?" I calmly inquired as I was still unseen by her. She was nervously agitated, but being of strong fibre she quickly rallied with her answer, "Where art thou and who art thou?" "I am on a peace mission from a far distant world," I quietly said as I slowly became visible to my audience of one. Naturally she was alarmed at my appearance, and consequently I drew gradually farther and farther away until she gained more self-possession and turned interestingly toward me. "Ah! how can you be a spirit without wings?" were her first unexpected words. "But I am no spirit," I said assuringly. "You cannot be otherwise," she insisted. "Believe what you wish, we have no time for parley. I am delighted to visit your world and I desire, if possible, to have some mysteries solved. Can you help me?" Plume, for that is the name I called her, was much unsettled. She scanned my form with wild curiosity and I feared that she would at once use her wings at their swiftest. "Pray do not fly hence," I quickly urged. "I will never harm you, even though we could converse together forever. Believe me true, and rest your wings and heart in peace." My words had some effect toward calming her mind and with more placid features she still looked at me half shrinkingly. "Are you not happy that you have wings with which fly?" I continued, hoping to create a more natural familiarity. "Happy? No more than for my feet, my ears, or my life," she answered in a more composed manner. "You say that you are from another world. Where can that be?" was her welcome query. Then I pointed my finger in the direction of our world and remarked: "If you could travel in that direction on swift wings day and night for a few millions of years, you would still be far, far away from the world where I live." "And is that world inhabited by sensible creatures?" "It is." "But how could you have traversed so great a distance?" "Never can I explain that mystery to you. Be content that I am here." "Are you in the image of the other human creatures in that far away world?"