Heretheimitation，asfarasitwent，wasofcourseaccidental。
Inthefollowingcasetheimitationwasself-conscious。Intheyear1879，justafterIhadleftOxford，ImetatareceptionatthehouseofoneoftheForeignMinistersawomanofverycuriousexoticbeauty。Webecamegreatfriends，andwereconstantlytogether。Andyetwhatinterestedmemostinherwasnotherbeauty，buthercharacter，herentirevaguenessofcharacter。Sheseemedtohavenopersonalityatall，butsimplythepossibilityofmanytypes。Sometimesshewouldgiveherselfupentirelytoart，turnherdrawing-roomintoastudio，andspendtwoorthreedaysaweekatpicturegalleriesormuseums。Thenshewouldtaketoattendingrace-meetings，wearthemosthorseyclothes，andtalkaboutnothingbutbetting。Sheabandonedreligionformesmerism，mesmerismforpolitics，andpoliticsforthemelodramaticexcitementsofphilanthropy。Infact，shewasakindofProteus，andasmuchafailureinallhertransformationsaswasthatwondroussea-godwhenOdysseuslaidholdofhim。OnedayaserialbeganinoneoftheFrenchmagazines。AtthattimeIusedtoreadserialstories，andIwellremembertheshockofsurpriseIfeltwhenIcametothedescriptionoftheheroine。ShewassolikemyfriendthatIbroughtherthemagazine，andsherecognisedherselfinitimmediately，andseemedfascinatedbytheresemblance。I
shouldtellyou，bytheway，thatthestorywastranslatedfromsomedeadRussianwriter，sothattheauthorhadnottakenhistypefrommyfriend。Well，toputthematterbriefly，somemonthsafterwardsIwasinVenice，andfindingthemagazineinthereading-roomofthehotel，Itookitupcasuallytoseewhathadbecomeoftheheroine。Itwasamostpiteoustale，asthegirlhadendedbyrunningawaywithamanabsolutelyinferiortoher，notmerelyinsocialstation，butincharacterandintellectalso。I
wrotetomyfriendthateveningaboutmyviewsonJohnBellini，andtheadmirableicesatFlorian’s，andtheartisticvalueofgondolas，butaddedapostscripttotheeffectthatherdoubleinthestoryhadbehavedinaverysillymanner。Idon’tknowwhyI
addedthat，butIrememberIhadasortofdreadovermethatshemightdothesamething。Beforemyletterhadreachedher，shehadrunawaywithamanwhodesertedherinsixmonths。Isawherin1884inParis，whereshewaslivingwithhermother，andIaskedherwhetherthestoryhadhadanythingtodowithheraction。Shetoldmethatshehadfeltanabsolutelyirresistibleimpulsetofollowtheheroinestepbystepinherstrangeandfatalprogress，andthatitwaswithafeelingofrealterrorthatshehadlookedforwardtothelastfewchaptersofthestory。Whentheyappeared，itseemedtoherthatshewascompelledtoreproducetheminlife，andshedidso。ItwasamostclearexampleofthisimitativeinstinctofwhichIwasspeaking，andanextremelytragicone。