第2章

butIcouldnot,ofcourse,getatthebeginningandendofasingleline,andwasunable,inwhatIcouldread,tomakeanyguessatthesense。Themerewords,however,wokeinmefeelingswhichtodescribewas,fromtheirstrangeness,impossible。Somedreams,somepoems,somemusicalphrases,somepictures,wakefeelingssuchasoneneverhadbefore,newincolourandform——spiritualsensations,asitwere,hithertounproved:here,someofthephrases,someofthesenselesshalf—lines,someevenoftheindividualwordsaffectedmeinsimilarfashion——aswiththearomaofanidea,rousinginmeagreatlongingtoknowwhatthepoemorpoemsmight,evenyetintheirmutilation,holdorsuggest。

Icopiedoutafewofthelargershredsattainable,andtriedhardtocompletesomeofthelines,butwithouttheleastsuccess。TheonlythingIgainedintheeffortwassomuchwearinessthat,whenIwenttobed,Ifellasleepatonceandsleptsoundly。

Inthemorningallthathorroroftheemptygarretspaceshadleftme。

CHAPTERIV

SOMEWHEREORNOWHERE？

Thesunwasverybright,butIdoubtedifthedaywouldlongbefine,andlookedintothemilkysapphireIwore,toseewhetherthestarinitwasclear。ItwasevenlessdefinedthanIhadexpected。

Irosefromthebreakfast—table,andwenttothewindowtoglanceatthestoneagain。Therehadbeenheavyraininthenight,andonthelawnwasathrushbreakinghiswayintotheshellofasnail。

AsIwasturningmyringabouttocatchtheresponseofthestartothesun,Ispiedakeenblackeyegazingatmeoutofthemilkymistyblue。ThesightstartledmesothatIdroppedthering,andwhenIpickedituptheeyewasgonefromit。Thesamemomentthesunwasobscured;adarkvapourcoveredhim,andinaminuteortwothewholeskywasclouded。Theairhadgrownsultry,andagustofwindcamesuddenly。Amomentmoreandtherewasaflashoflightning,withasinglesharpthunder—clap。Thentherainfellintorrents。

Ihadopenedthewindow,andstoodtherelookingoutattheprecipitousrain,whenIdescriedaravenwalkingtowardmeoverthegrass,withsolemngait,andutterdisregardofthefallingdeluge。Suspectingwhohewas,IcongratulatedmyselfthatIwassafeontheground—floor。AtthesametimeIhadaconvictionthat,ifIwerenotcareful,somethingwouldhappen。

Hecamenearerandnearer,madeaprofoundbow,andwithasuddenwingedleapstoodonthewindow—sill。Thenhesteppedovertheledge,jumpeddownintotheroom,andwalkedtothedoor。Ithoughthewasonhiswaytothelibrary,andfollowedhim,determined,ifhewentupthestair,nottotakeonestepafterhim。Heturned,however,neithertowardthelibrarynorthestair,buttoalittledoorthatgaveuponagrass—patchinanookbetweentwoportionsoftheramblingoldhouse。Imadehastetoopenitforhim。Hesteppedoutintoitscreeper—coveredporch,andstoodlookingattherain,whichfelllikeahugethincataract;Istoodinthedoorbehindhim。Thesecondflashcame,andwasfollowedbyalengthenedrollofmoredistantthunder。Heturnedhisheadoverhisshoulderandlookedatme,asmuchastosay,"Youhearthat？"thenswivelleditroundagain,andanewcontemplatedtheweather,apparentlywithapprobation。Sohumanwerehisposeandcarriageandthewayhekeptturninghishead,thatIremarkedalmostinvoluntarily,"Fineweatherfortheworms,Mr。Raven！"

"Yes,"heanswered,intherathercroakyvoiceIhadlearnedtoknow,"thegroundwillbeniceforthemtogetoutandin！——ItmustbeagrandtimeonthesteppesofUranus！"headded,withaglanceupward;"Ibelieveitisrainingtheretoo;itwas,allthelastweek！"

"Whyshouldthatmakeitagrandtime？"Iasked。

"Becausetheanimalsthereareallburrowers,"heanswered,"——likethefield—miceandthemoleshere。——Theywillbe,foragestocome。"

"Howdoyouknowthat,ifImaybesobold？"Irejoined。

"Asanyonewouldwhohadbeentheretosee,"hereplied。"Itisagreatsight,untilyougetusedtoit,whentheearthgivesaheave,andoutcomesabeast。Youmightthinkitahairyelephantoradeinotherium——butnoneoftheanimalsarethesameaswehaveeverhadhere。IwasalmostfrightenedmyselfthefirsttimeIsawthedry—bog—serpentcomewallowingout——suchaheadandmane！andSUCH

eyes！——buttheshowerisnearlyover。Itwillstopdirectlyafterthenextthunder—clap。Thereitis！"

Aflashcamewiththewords,andinabouthalfaminutethethunder。

Thentherainceased。

"Nowweshouldbegoing！"saidtheraven,andsteppedtothefrontoftheporch。

"Goingwhere？"Iasked。

"Goingwherewehavetogo,"heanswered。"Youdidnotsurelythinkyouhadgothome？Itoldyoutherewasnogoingoutandinatpleasureuntilyouwereathome！"

"Idonotwanttogo,"Isaid。

"Thatdoesnotmakeanydifference——atleastnotmuch,"heanswered。

"Thisistheway！"

"IamquitecontentwhereIam。"

"Youthinkso,butyouarenot。Comealong。"

Hehoppedfromtheporchontothegrass,andturned,waiting。

"Iwillnotleavethehouseto—day,"Isaidwithobstinacy。

"Youwillcomeintothegarden！"rejoinedtheraven。

"Igiveinsofar,"Ireplied,andsteppedfromtheporch。

Thesunbrokethroughtheclouds,andtheraindropsflashedandsparkledonthegrass。Theravenwaswalkingoverit。

"Youwillwetyourfeet！"Icried。

"Andmiremybeak,"heanswered,immediatelyplungingitdeepinthesod,anddrawingoutagreatwrigglingredworm。Hethrewbackhishead,andtosseditintheair。Itspreadgreatwings,gorgeousinredandblack,andsoaredaloft。

"Tut！tut！"Iexclaimed;"youmistake,Mr。Raven:wormsarenotthelarv？ofbutterflies！"

"Nevermind,"hecroaked;"itwilldoforonce！I\'mnotareadingmanatpresent,butsextonatthe——atacertaingraveyard——cemetery,moreproperly——in——at——nomatterwhere！"

"Isee！youcan\'tkeepyourspadestill:andwhenyouhavenothingtobury,youmustdigsomethingup！Onlyyoushouldmindwhatitisbeforeyoumakeitfly！Nocreatureshouldbeallowedtoforgetwhatandwhereitcamefrom！"

"Why？"saidtheraven。

"Becauseitwillgrowproud,andceasetorecogniseitssuperiors。"

Nomanknowsitwhenheismakinganidiotofhimself。

"WhereDOthewormscomefrom？"saidtheraven,asifsuddenlygrowncurioustoknow。

"Why,fromtheearth,asyouhavejustseen！"Ianswered。

"Yes,last！"hereplied。"Buttheycan\'thavecomefromitfirst——

forthatwillnevergobacktoit！"headded,lookingup。

Ilookedupalso,butcouldseenothingsavealittledarkcloud,theedgesofwhichwerered,asifwiththelightofthesunset。

"Surelythesunisnotgoingdown！"Iexclaimed,struckwithamazement。

"Oh,no！"returnedtheraven。"Thatredbelongstotheworm。"

"Youseewhatcomesofmakingcreaturesforgettheirorigin！"I

criedwithsomewarmth。

"Itiswell,surely,ifitbetorisehigherandgrowlarger！"hereturned。"ButindeedIonlyteachthemtofindit！"

"Wouldyouhavetheairfullofworms？"

"Thatisthebusinessofasexton。Ifonlytherestoftheclergyunderstooditaswell！"

Inwenthisbeakagainthroughthesoftturf,andoutcamethewrigglingworm。Hetosseditintheair,andawayitflew。

Ilookedbehindme,andgaveacryofdismay:IhadbutthatmomentdeclaredIwouldnotleavethehouse,andalreadyIwasastrangerinthestrangeland！

"Whatrighthaveyoutotreatmeso,Mr。Raven？"Isaidwithdeepoffence。"AmI,oramInot,afreeagent？"

"Amanisasfreeashechoosestomakehimself,neveranatomfreer,"answeredtheraven。

"Youhavenorighttomakemedothingsagainstmywill！"

"Whenyouhaveawill,youwillfindthatnoonecan。"

"Youwrongmeintheveryessenceofmyindividuality！"Ipersisted。

"IfyouwereanindividualIcouldnot,thereforenowIdonot。Youarebutbeginningtobecomeanindividual。"

Allaboutmewasapine—forest,inwhichmyeyeswerealreadysearchingdeep,inthehopeofdiscoveringanunaccountableglimmer,andsofindingmywayhome。But,alas！howcouldIanylongercallthathouseHOME,whereeverydoor,everywindowopenedintoOUT,andeventhegardenIcouldnotkeepinside！

IsupposeIlookeddiscomfited。

"Perhapsitmaycomfortyou,"saidtheraven,"tobetoldthatyouhavenotyetleftyourhouse,neitherhasyourhouseleftyou。Atthesametimeitcannotcontainyou,oryouinhabitit！"

"Idonotunderstandyou,"Ireplied。"WhereamI？"

"Intheregionofthesevendimensions,"heanswered,withacuriousnoiseinhisthroat,andaflutterofhistail。"Youhadbetterfollowmecarefullynowforamoment,lestyoushouldhurtsomeone！"

"Thereisnobodytohurtbutyourself,Mr。Raven！IconfessIshouldratherliketohurtyou！"

"Thatyouseenobodyiswherethedangerlies。Butyouseethatlargetreetoyourleft,aboutthirtyyardsaway？"

"OfcourseIdo:whyshouldInot？"Iansweredtestily。

"Tenminutesagoyoudidnotseeit,andnowyoudonotknowwhereitstands！"

"Ido。"

"Wheredoyouthinkitstands？"

"WhyTHERE,whereyouknowitis！"

"WhereisTHERE？"

"Youbothermewithyoursillyquestions！"Icried。"Iamgrowingtiredofyou！"

"Thattreestandsonthehearthofyourkitchen,andgrowsnearlystraightupitschimney,"hesaid。

"NowIKNOWyouaremakinggameofme！"Ianswered,withalaughofscorn。

"WasImakinggameofyouwhenyoudiscoveredmelookingoutofyourstar—sapphireyesterday？"

"Thatwasthismorning——notanhourago！"

"Ihavebeenwideningyourhorizonlongerthanthat,Mr。Vane;butnevermind！"

"Youmeanyouhavebeenmakingafoolofme！"Isaid,turningfromhim。

"Excuseme:noonecandothatbutyourself！"

"AndIdeclinetodoit。"

"Youmistake。"

"How？"

"Indecliningtoacknowledgeyourselfonealready。Youmakeyourselfsuchbyrefusingwhatistrue,andforthatyouwillsorelypunishyourself。"

"How,again？"

"Bybelievingwhatisnottrue。"

"Then,ifIwalktotheothersideofthattree,Ishallwalkthroughthekitchenfire？"

"Certainly。Youwouldfirst,however,walkthroughtheladyatthepianointhebreakfast—room。Thatrosebushisclosebyher。Youwouldgiveheraterriblestart！"

"Thereisnoladyinthehouse！"

"Indeed！Isnotyourhousekeeperalady？Sheiscountedsuchinacertaincountrywhereallareservants,andtheliveriesoneandmultitudinous！"

"Shecannotusethepiano,anyhow！"

"Herniececan:sheisthere——awell—educatedgirlandacapitalmusician。"

"Excuseme;Icannothelpit:youseemtometobetalkingsheernonsense！"

"Ifyoucouldbuthearthemusic！Thosegreatlongheadsofwildhyacinthareinsidethepiano,amongthestringsofit,andgivethatpeculiarsweetnesstoherplaying！——Pardonme:Iforgotyourdeafness！"

"Twoobjects,"Isaid,"cannotexistinthesameplaceatthesametime！"

"Cantheynot？Ididnotknow！——Iremembernowtheydoteachthatwithyou。Itisagreatmistake——oneofthegreatesteverwiseacremade！Nomanoftheuniverse,onlyamanoftheworldcouldhavesaidso！"

"Youalibrarian,andtalksuchrubbish！"Icried。"Plainly,youdidnotreadmanyofthebooksinyourcharge！"

"Oh,yes！Iwentthroughallinyourlibrary——atthetime,andcameoutattheothersidenotmuchthewiser。Iwasabookwormthen,butwhenIcametoknowit,Iwokeamongthebutterflies。TobesureIhavegivenupreadingforagoodmanyyears——eversinceI

wasmadesexton。——There！IsmellGrieg\'sWeddingMarchinthequiverofthoserose—petals！"

Iwenttotherose—bushandlistenedhard,butcouldnothearthethinnestghostofasound;IonlysmeltsomethingIhadneverbeforesmeltinanyrose。Itwasstillrose—odour,butwithadifference,caused,Isuppose,bytheWeddingMarch。

WhenIlookedup,therewasthebirdbymyside。

"Mr。Raven,"Isaid,"forgivemeforbeingsorude:Iwasirritated。

Willyoukindlyshowmemywayhome？Imustgo,forIhaveanappointmentwithmybailiff。Onemustnotbreakfaithwithhisservants！"

"Youcannotbreakwhatwasbrokendaysago！"heanswered。

"Doshowmetheway,"Ipleaded。

"Icannot,"hereturned。"Togoback,youmustgothroughyourself,andthatwaynomancanshowanother。"

Entreatywasvain。Imustacceptmyfate！ButhowwaslifetobelivedinaworldofwhichIhadallthelawstolearn？Therewould,however,beadventure！thatheldconsolation;andwhetherIfoundmywayhomeornot,Ishouldatleasthavetherareadvantageofknowingtwoworlds！

Ihadneveryetdoneanythingtojustifymyexistence;myformerworldwasnothingthebetterformysojourninit:here,however,Imustearn,orinsomewayfind,mybread！ButIreasonedthat,asIwasnottoblameinbeinghere,Imightexpecttobetakencareofhereaswellasthere！IhadhadnothingtodowithgettingintotheworldIhadjustleft,andinitIhadfoundmyselfheirtoalargeproperty！Ifthatworld,asInowsaw,hadaclaimuponmebecauseIhadeaten,andcouldeatagain,uponthisworldIhadaclaimbecauseImusteat——whenitwouldinreturnhaveaclaimonme！

"Thereisnohurry,"saidtheraven,whostoodregardingme;"wedonotgomuchbytheclockhere。Still,thesooneronebeginstodowhathastobedone,thebetter！Iwilltakeyoutomywife。"

"Thankyou。Letusgo！"Ianswered,andimmediatelyheledtheway。

CHAPTERV

THEOLDCHURCH

Ifollowedhimdeepintothepine—forest。Neitherofussaidmuchwhileyetthesacredgloomofitclosedusround。Wecametolargerandyetlargertrees——older,andmoreindividual,someofthemgrotesquewithage。Thentheforestgrewthinner。

"Youseethathawthorn？"saidmyguideatlength,pointingwithhisbeak。

Ilookedwherethewoodmeltedawayontheedgeofanopenheath。

"Iseeagnarledoldman,withagreatwhitehead,"Ianswered。

"Lookagain,"herejoined:"itisahawthorn。"

"Itseemsindeedanancienthawthorn;butthisisnottheseasonforthehawthorntoblossom！"Iobjected。

"Theseasonforthehawthorntoblossom,"hereplied,"iswhenthehawthornblossoms。Thattreeisintheruinsofthechurchonyourhome—farm。Youweregoingtogivesomedirectionstothebailiffaboutitschurchyard,wereyounot,themorningofthethunder？"

"IwasgoingtotellhimIwanteditturnedintoawildernessofrose—trees,andthattheploughmustnevercomewithinthreeyardsofit。"

"Listen！"saidtheraven,seemingtoholdhisbreath。

Ilistened,andheard——wasitthesighingofafar—offmusicalwind——ortheghostofamusicthathadoncebeenglad？OrdidI

indeedhearanything？

"Theygotherestill,"saidtheraven。

"Whogoesthere？andwheredotheygo？"Iasked。

"Someofthepeoplewhousedtopraythere,gototheruinsstill,"

hereplied。"Buttheywillnotgomuchlonger,Ithink。"

"Whatmakesthemgonow？"

"Theyneedhelpfromeachothertogettheirthinkingdone,andtheirfeelingshatched,sotheytalkandsingtogether;andthen,theysay,thebigthoughtfloatsoutoftheirheartslikeagreatshipoutoftheriverathighwater。"

"Dotheyprayaswellassing？"

"No;theyhavefoundthateachcanbestprayinhisownsilentheart。——Somepeoplearealwaysattheirprayers。——Look！look！Theregoesone！"

Hepointedrightupintotheair。Asnow—whitepigeonwasmounting,withquickandyetquickerwing—flap,theunseenspiralofanetherealstair。Thesunshineflashedquiveringfromitswings。

"Iseeapigeon！"Isaid。

"Ofcourseyouseeapigeon,"rejoinedtheraven,"forthereisthepigeon！Iseeaprayeronitsway。——Iwondernowwhatheartisthatdove\'smother！Someonemayhavecomeawakeinmycemetery！"

"Howcanapigeonbeaprayer？"Isaid。"Iunderstand,ofcourse,howitshouldbeafitsymbolorlikenessforone;butalivepigeontocomeoutofaheart！"

"ItMUSTpuzzleyou！Itcannotfailtodoso！"

"Aprayerisathought,athingspiritual！"Ipursued。

"Verytrue！Butifyouunderstoodanyworldbesidesyourown,youwouldunderstandyourownmuchbetter。——Whenaheartisreallyalive,thenitisabletothinklivethings。Thereisoneheartallwhosethoughtsarestrong,happycreatures,andwhoseverydreamsarelives。Whensomepray,theyliftheavythoughtsfromtheground,onlytodropthemonitagain;otherssenduptheirprayersinlivingshapes,thisorthat,thenearestlikenesstoeach。Alllivethingswerethoughtstobeginwith,andarefitthereforetobeusedbythosethatthink。WhenonesaystothegreatThinker:——

"Hereisoneofthythoughts:Iamthinkingitnow！"thatisaprayer——awordtothebigheartfromoneofitsownlittlehearts。——

Look,thereisanother！"

Thistimetheravenpointedhisbeakdownward——tosomethingatthefootofablockofgranite。Ilooked,andsawalittleflower。I

hadneverseenonelikeitbefore,andcannotutterthefeelingitwokeinmebyitsgracious,trustingform,itscolour,anditsodourasofanewworldthatwasyettheold。Icanonlysaythatitsuggestedananemone,wasofapalerose—hue,andhadagoldenheart。

"Thatisaprayer—flower,"saidtheraven。

"Ineversawsuchaflowerbefore！"Irejoined。

"Thereisnoothersuch。Notoneprayer—floweriseverquitelikeanother,"hereturned。

"Howdoyouknowitaprayer—flower？"Iasked。

"Bytheexpressionofit,"heanswered。"MorethanthatIcannottellyou。Ifyouknowit,youknowit;ifyoudonot,youdonot。"

"Couldyounotteachmetoknowaprayer—flowerwhenIseeit？"I

said。

"Icouldnot。ButifIcould,whatbetterwouldyoube？youwouldnotknowitofYOURSELFandITself！Whyknowthenameofathingwhenthethingitselfyoudonotknow？Whoseworkisitbutyourowntoopenyoureyes？Butindeedthebusinessoftheuniverseistomakesuchafoolofyouthatyouwillknowyourselfforone,andsobegintobewise！"

ButIdidseethattheflowerwasdifferentfromanyflowerIhadeverseenbefore;thereforeIknewthatImustbeseeingashadowoftheprayerinit;andagreatawecameovermetothinkoftheheartlisteningtotheflower。

CHAPTERVI

THESEXTON\'SCOTTAGE

Wehadbeenforsometimewalkingoverarockymoorlandcoveredwithdryplantsandmosses,whenIdescriedalittlecottageinthefarthestdistance。Thesunwasnotyetdown,buthewaswraptinagraycloud。Theheathlookedasifithadneverbeenwarm,andthewindblewstrangelycold,asiffromsomeregionwhereitwasalwaysnight。

"Hereweareatlast！"saidtheraven。"Whatalongwayitis！InhalfthetimeIcouldhavegonetoParadiseandseenmycousin——him,youremember,whonevercamebacktoNoah！Dear！dear！itisalmostwinter！"

"Winter！"Icried;"itseemsbuthalfadaysincewelefthome！"

"Thatisbecausewehavetravelledsofast,"answeredtheraven。"Inyourworldyoucannotpulluptheplumb—lineyoucallgravitation,andlettheworldspinroundunderyourfeet！Buthereismywife\'shouse！Sheisverygoodtoletmelivewithher,andcallitthesexton\'scottage！"

"Butwhereisyourchurchyard——yourcemetery——whereyoumakeyourgraves,Imean？"saidI,seeingnothingbuttheflatheath。

Theravenstretchedhisneck,heldouthisbeakhorizontally,turneditslowlyroundtoallthepointsofthecompass,andsaidnothing。

Ifollowedthebeakwithmyeyes,andlo,withoutchurchorgraves,allwasachurchyard！Whereverthedrearywindswept,therewastheraven\'scemetery！Hewassextonofallhesurveyed！lordofallthatwaslaidaside！Istoodintheburial—groundoftheuniverse;

itscompasstheunenclosedheath,itswallthegrayhorizon,lowandstarless！Ihadleftspringandsummer,autumnandsunshinebehindme,andcometothewinterthatwaitedforme！Ihadsetoutintheprimeofmyyouth,andhereIwasalready！——ButImistook。

Thedaymightwellbelonginthatregion,foritcontainedtheseasons。Wintersleptthere,thenightthrough,inhiswinding—sheetofice;withchildlikesmile,Springcameawakeinthedawn;atnoon,Summerblazedabroadinhergorgeousbeauty;withtheslow—changingafternoon,oldAutumncreptin,anddiedatthefirstbreathofthevaporous,ghostynight。

Aswedrewnearthecottage,thecloudedsunwasrushingdownthesteepestslopeofthewest,andhesankwhilewewereyetafewyardsfromthedoor。ThesameinstantIwasassailedbyacoldthatseemedalmostamaterialpresence,andIstruggledacrossthethresholdasiffromtheclutchesofanicydeath。Awindswelleduponthemoor,andrushedatthedooraswithdifficultyIcloseditbehindme。Thenallwasstill,andIlookedaboutme。

Acandleburnedonadealtableinthemiddleoftheroom,andthefirstthingIsawwasthelidofacoffin,asIthought,setupagainstthewall;butitopened,foritwasadoor,andawomanentered。Shewasallinwhite——aswhiteasnew—fallensnow;andherfacewasaswhiteasherdress,butnotlikesnow,foratonceitsuggestedwarmth。Ithoughtherfeatureswereperfect,buthereyesmademeforgetthem。Thelifeofherfaceandherwholepersonwasgatheredandconcentratedinhereyes,whereitbecamelight。

Itmighthavebeencomingdeaththatmadeherfaceluminous,buttheeyeshadlifeinthemforanation——large,anddarkwithadarknesseverdeepeningasIgazed。Awholenight—heavenlaycondensedineachpupil;allthestarswereinitsblackness,andflashed;whilerounditforahorizonlaycoiledanirisoftheeternaltwilight。

WhatanyeyeIS,Godonlyknows:hereyesmusthavebeencomingdirectoutofhisown！thestillfacemightbeaprimevalperfection;

theliveeyeswereacontinuouscreation。

"HereisMr。Vane,wife！"saidtheraven。

"Heiswelcome,"sheanswered,inalow,rich,gentlevoice。

Treasuresofimmortalsoundseemedtoheburiedinit。

Igazed,andcouldnotspeak。

"Iknewyouwouldbegladtoseehim！"addedtheraven。

Shestoodinfrontofthedoorbywhichshehadentered,anddidnotcomenearer。

"Willhesleep？"sheasked。

"Ifearnot,"hereplied;"heisneitherwearynorheavyladen。"

"Whythenhaveyoubroughthim？"

"Ihavemyfearsitmayproveprecipitate。"

"Idonotquiteunderstandyou,"Isaid,withanuneasyforebodingastowhatshemeant,butavaguehopeofsomeescape。"Surelyamanmustdoaday\'sworkfirst！"

Igazedintothewhitefaceofthewoman,andmyheartfluttered。

Shereturnedmygazeinsilence。

"Letmefirstgohome,"Iresumed,"andcomeagainafterIhavefoundormade,invented,oratleastdiscoveredsomething！"

"Hehasnotyetlearnedthatthedaybeginswithsleep！"saidthewoman,turningtoherhusband。"Tellhimhemustrestbeforehecandoanything！"

"Men,"heanswered,"thinksomuchofhavingdone,thattheyfallasleepuponit。Theycannotemptyaneggbuttheyturnintotheshell,andliedown！"

Thewordsdrewmyeyesfromthewomantotheraven。

Isawnoraven,butthelibrarian——thesameslenderelderlyman,inarustyblackcoat,largeinthebodyandlonginthetails。I

hadseenonlyhisbackbefore;nowforthefirsttimeIsawhisface。Itwassothinthatitshowedtheshapeofthebonesunderit,suggestingtheskullshislast—claimedprofessionmusthavemadehimfamiliarwith。ButintruthIhadneverbeforeseenafacesoalive,oralooksokeenorsofriendlyasthatinhispaleblueeyes,whichyethadahazeaboutthemasiftheyhaddonemuchweeping。

"YouknewIwasnotaraven！"hesaidwithasmile。

"IknewyouwereMr。Raven,"Ireplied;"butsomehowIthoughtyouabirdtoo！"

"Whatmadeyouthinkmeabird？"

"Youlookedaraven,andIsawyoudigwormsoutoftheearthwithyourbeak。"

"Andthen？"

"Tossthemintheair。"

"Andthen？"

"Theygrewbutterflies,andflewaway。"

"Didyoueverseearavendothat？ItoldyouIwasasexton！"

"Doesasextontosswormsintheair,andturnthemintobutterflies？"

"Yes。"

"Ineversawonedoit！"