^^
21.
The first thing I notice upon entering this garden is that the ankle-high grass is greener than that on the other side of the fence. Dozens of wildflowers of countless varieties cover the ground to both ides of the path. Creeping plants cover the polished silver gate and the sound of bubbling water comes from somewhere. The perfume of wildflowers fills the air as the grass dances upon a gentle breeze. A large basket of herbs rests against the fence to the west. Every time I walk in this garden, I think, “Now I know what it is like to live in paradise.”
22.
In general, one’s memories of any period necessarily weaken as one moves away from it. One is constantly learning new facts, and old ones have to drop out to make way for them. At twenty, I could have written the history of my school days with an accuracy which would be quite impossible now. But it can also happen that one’s memories grow much sharper even after a long passage of time. This is because one is looking at the past with fresh eyes and can isolate and, as it were, notice facts which previously existed undifferentiated among a mass of others. There are things which in a sense I remembered, but which did not strike me as strange or interesting until quite recently.
23.
Over the years various systems of grading coins have been developed by antique coin specialists. In America a numerical system based on a scale of 1 to 70 has been introduced, in which 1 is the lowest grade possible and 70 is perfect. The European grades, verbal descriptions, correspond roughly to every ten of the American grades. Coins reflect both a country’s history and its aspirations, and it is natural that collections based on place of origin should develop. Thus, the European grade ‘good’ corresponds to 20 of the American system, ‘fine’ to 30, ‘very fine’ to 40, ‘extremely fine’ to 50, and ‘almost perfect’ to 60. Until recently, numerical grading has been applied only to American coins, but the intention is that eventually these numbers will be used for all types of coins from all over the world.
