[Illustration] [Illustration: "She almost wished some fisherman might come into view."] THE GREEN MOUSE By ROBERT W. CHAMBERS ILLUSTRATED IN COLOR BY EDMUND FREDERICK 1910 TO MY FRIEND JOHN CORBIN Folly and Wisdom, Heavenly twins, Sons of the god Imagination, Heirs of the Virtues--which were Sins Till Transcendental Contemplation Transmogrified their outer skins-- Friend, do you follow me? For I Have lost myself, I don't know why. Resuming, then, this erudite And decorative Dedication,-- Accept it, John, with all your might In Cinquecentic resignation. You may not understand it, quite, But if you've followed me all through, You've done far more than I could do. [Illustration] [Illustration] PREFACE To the literary, literal, and scientific mind purposeless fiction is abhorrent. Fortunately we all are literally and scientifically inclined; the doom of purposeless fiction is sounded; and it is a great comfort to believe that, in the near future, only literary and scientific works suitable for man, woman, child, and suffragette, are to adorn the lingerie-laden counters in our great department shops. It is, then, with animation and confidence that the author politely offers to a regenerated nation this modern, moral, literary, and highly scientific work, thinly but ineffectually disguised as fiction, in deference to the prejudices of a few old-fashioned story-readers who still survive among us. R. W. C. [Illustration] [Illustration] CONTENTS CHAPTER I. An Idyl of the Idle II. The Idler III. The Green Mouse IV. An Ideal Idol V. Sacharissa VI. In Wrong VII. The Invisible Wire VIII. "In Heaven and Earth" IX. A Cross-town Car X. The Lid Off XI. Betty XII. Sybilla XIII. The Crown Prince XIV. Gentlemen of the Press XV. Drusilla XVI. Flavilla [Illustration] [Illustration] LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS "She almost wished some fisherman might come into view" "'Those squirrels are very tame,' she observed calmly" "'Are you not terribly impatient?' she inquired" "The lid of the basket tilted a little.... Then a plaintive voice said 'Meow-w!'" "'I'm afraid,' he ventured, 'that I may require that table for cutting'" "'Perhaps,' he said, 'I had better hold your pencil again'" [Illustration] I AN IDYL OF THE IDYL _In Which a Young Man Arrives at His Last Ditch and a Young Girl Jumps Over It_