第3章

"Yousawmedoit！——ButIamstilllibrarianinyourhouse,forI

neverwasdismissed,andnevergaveuptheoffice。NowIamlibrarianhereaswell。"

"Butyouhavejusttoldmeyouweresextonhere！"

"SoIam。Itismuchthesameprofession。Exceptyouareatruesexton,booksarebutdeadbodiestoyou,andalibrarynothingbutacatacomb！"

"Youbewilderme！"

"That\'sallright！"

Afewmomentshestoodsilent。Thewoman,movelessasastatue,stoodsilentalsobythecoffin—door。

"Uponoccasion,"saidthesextonatlength,"itismoreconvenienttoputone\'sbird—selfinfront。Everyone,asyououghttoknow,hasabeast—self——andabird—self,andastupidfish—self,ay,andacreepingserpent—selftoo——whichittakesadealofcrushingtokill！Intruthhehasalsoatree—selfandacrystal—self,andI

don\'tknowhowmanyselvesmore——alltogetintoharmony。Youcantellwhatsortamanisbyhiscreaturethatcomesoftenesttothefront。"

Heturnedtohiswife,andIconsideredhimmoreclosely。Hewasabovetheordinaryheight,andstoodmoreerectthanwhenlastIsawhim。Hisfacewas,likehiswife\'s,verypale;itsnosehandsomelyencasedthebeakthathadretiredwithinit;itslipswereverythin,andeventheyhadnocolour,buttheircurveswerebeautiful,andaboutthemquiveredashadowysmilethathadhumourinitaswellasloveandpity。

"Weareinwantofsomethingtoeatanddrink,wife,"hesaid;"wehavecomealongway！"

"Youknow,husband,"sheanswered,"wecangiveonlytohimthatasks。"

Sheturnedherunchangingfaceandradianteyesuponmine。

"Pleasegivemesomethingtoeat,Mrs。Raven,"Isaid,"andsomething——whatyouwill——toquenchmythirst。"

"Yourthirstmustbegreaterbeforeyoucanhavewhatwillquenchit,"shereplied;"butwhatIcangiveyou,Iwillgladly。"

Shewenttoacupboardinthewall,broughtfromitbreadandwine,andsetthemonthetable。

Wesatdowntotheperfectmeal;andasIate,thebreadandwineseemedtogodeeperthanthehungerandthirst。Anxietyanddiscomfortvanished;expectationtooktheirplace。

Igrewverysleepy,andnowfirstfeltweary。

"Ihaveearnedneitherfoodnorsleep,Mrs。Raven,"Isaid,"butyouhavegivenmetheonefreely,andnowIhopeyouwillgivemetheother,forIsorelyneedit。"

"Sleepistoofineathingevertobeearned,"saidthesexton;

"itmustbegivenandaccepted,foritisanecessity。Butitwouldbeperiloustousethishouseasahalf—wayhostelry——forthereposeofanight,thatis,merely。"

Awild—lookinglittleblackcatjumpedonhiskneeashespoke。

Hepatteditasonepatsachildtomakeitgotosleep:heseemedtomepattingdownthesoduponagrave——pattingitlovingly,withaninwardlullaby。

"HereisoneofMara\'skittens！"hesaidtohiswife:"willyougiveitsomethingandputitout？shemaywantit！"

Thewomantookitfromhimgently,gaveitalittlepieceofbread,andwentoutwithit,closingthedoorbehindher。

"HowthenamItomakeuseofyourhospitality？"Iasked。

"Byacceptingittothefull,"heanswered。

"Idonotunderstand。"

"Inthishousenoonewakesofhimself。"

"Why？"

"Becausenooneanywhereeverwakesofhimself。Youcanwakeyourselfnomorethanyoucanmakeyourself。"

"ThenperhapsyouorMrs。Ravenwouldkindlycallme！"Isaid,stillnowiseunderstanding,butfeelingafreshthatvagueforeboding。

"Wecannot。"

"HowdareIthengotosleep？"Icried。

"Ifyouwouldhavetherestofthishouse,youmustnottroubleyourselfaboutwaking。Youmustgotosleepheartily,altogetherandoutright。"

Mysoulsankwithinme。

Thesextonsatlookingmeintheface。Hiseyesseemedtosay,"Willyounottrustme？"Ireturnedhisgaze,andanswered,"Iwill。"

"Thencome,"hesaid;"Iwillshowyouyourcouch。"

Aswerose,thewomancamein。Shetookupthecandle,turnedtotheinnerdoor,andledtheway。Iwentclosebehindher,andthesextonfollowed。

CHAPTERVII

THECEMETERY

Theairasofanice—housemetmecrossingthethreshold。Thedoorfell—tobehindus。Thesextonsaidsomethingtohiswifethatmadeherturntowardus。——Whatachangehadpasseduponher！

Itwasasifthesplendourofhereyeshadgrowntoomuchforthemtohold,and,sinkingintohercountenance,madeitflashwithalovelinesslikethatofBeatriceinthewhiteroseoftheredeemed。

Lifeitself,lifeeternal,immortal,streamedfromit,anunbrokenlightning。Evenherhandsshonewithawhiteradiance,every"pearl—shellhelmet"gleaminglikeamoonstone。Herbeautywasoverpowering;Iwasgladwhensheturneditfromme。

Butthelightofthecandlereachedsuchalittleway,thatatfirstIcouldseenothingoftheplace。Presently,however,itfellonsomethingthatglimmered,alittleraisedfromthefloor。Wasitabed？Couldlivethingsleepinsuchamortalcold？Thensurelyitwasnowonderitshouldnotwakeofitself！Beyondthatappearedafaintershine;andthenIthoughtIdescrieduncertaingleamsoneveryside。

Afewpacesbroughtustothefirst;itwasahumanformunderasheet,straightandstill——whetherofmanorwomanIcouldnottell,forthelightseemedtoavoidthefaceaswepassed。

Isoonperceivedthatwewerewalkingalonganaisleofcouches,onalmosteveryoneofwhich,withitsheadtothepassage,laysomethingasleepordead,coveredwithasheetwhiteassnow。Mysoulgrewsilentwithdread。Throughaisleafteraislewewent,amongcouchesinnumerable。Icouldseeonlyafewofthematonce,buttheywereonallsides,vanishing,asitseemed,intheinfinite。——Wasitherelaymychoiceofabed？MustIgotosleepamongtheunwaking,withnoonetorouseme？Wasthisthesexton\'slibrary？werethesehisbooks？Trulyitwasnohalf—wayhouse,thischamberofthedead！

"OneofthecellarsIamplacedtowatch！"remarkedMr。Raven——inalowvoice,asiffearingtodisturbhissilentguests。"Muchwineissetheretoripen！——Butitisdarkforastranger！"headded。

"Themoonisrising;shewillsoonbehere,"saidhiswife,andherclearvoice,lowandsweet,soundedofancientsorrowlongbiddenadieu。

Evenasshespokethemoonlookedinatanopeninginthewall,andathousandgleamsofwhiterespondedtohershine。ButnotyetcouldIdescrybeginningorendofthecouches。Theystretchedawayandaway,asifforallthedispartedworldtosleepupon。Foralongthefarrecedingnarrowways,everycouchstoodbyitself,andoneachsleptalonelysleeper。Ithoughtatfirsttheirsleepwasdeath,butIsoonsawitwassomethingdeeperstill——asomethingI

didnotknow。

Themoonrosehigher,andshonethroughotheropenings,butI

couldneverseeenoughoftheplaceatoncetoknowitsshapeorcharacter;nowitwouldresemblealongcathedralnave,nowahugebarnmadeintoadwellingoftombs。Shelookedcolderthananymooninthefrostiestnightoftheworld,andwheresheshonedirectuponthem,castabluish,icygleamonthewhitesheetsandthepallidcountenances——butitmightbethefacesthatmadethemoonsocold！

OfsuchasIcouldsee,allwerealikeinthebrotherhoodofdeath,allunlikeinthecharacterandhistoryrecordeduponthem。Herelayamanwhohaddied——foralthoughthiswasnotdeath,Ihavenoothernametogiveit——intheprimeofmanlystrength;hisdarkbeardseemedtoflowlikealiberatedstreamfromtheglacierofhisfrozencountenance;hisforeheadwassmoothaspolishedmarble;

ashadowofpainlingeredabouthislips,butonlyashadow。Onthenextcouchlaytheformofagirl,passinglovelytobehold。

Thesadnessleftonherfacebypartingwasnotyetabsorbedinperfectpeace,butabsolutesubmissionpossessedtheplacidfeatures,whichborenosignofwastingdisease,of"killingcareorgriefofheart":ifpainhadbeenthere,itwaslongcharmedasleep,neveragaintowake。Manywerethebeautifulthattherelayverystill——

someofthemmerechildren;butIdidnotseeoneinfant。Themostbeautifulofallwasaladywhosewhitehair,andthatalone,suggestedheroldwhenfirstshefellasleep。Onherstatelycountenancerested——notsubmission,butarightnobleacquiescence,anassurance,firmasthefoundationsoftheuniverse,thatallwasasitshouldbe。Onsomefaceslingeredthealmostobliteratedscarsofstrife,themarringsofhopelessloss,thefadingshadowsofsorrowsthathadseemedinconsolable:theauroraofthegreatmorninghadnotyetquitemeltedthemaway;butthosefaceswerefew,andeveryonethatboresuchbrandofpainseemedtoplead,"Pardonme:Idiedonlyyesterday！"or,"Pardonme:Idiedbutacenturyago！"ThatsomehadbeendeadforagesIknew,notmerelybytheirunutterablerepose,butbysomethingforwhichIhaveneitherwordnorsymbol。

Wecameatlasttothreeemptycouches,immediatelybeyondwhichlaytheformofabeautifulwoman,alittlepasttheprimeoflife。

Oneofherarmswasoutsidethesheet,andherhandlaywiththepalmupward,initscentreadarkspot。Nexttoherwasthestalwartfigureofamanofmiddleage。Hisarmtoowasoutsidethesheet,thestronghandalmostclosed,asifclenchedonthegripofasword。Ithoughthemustbeakingwhohaddiedfightingforthetruth。

"Willyouholdthecandlenearer,wife？"whisperedthesexton,bendingdowntoexaminethewoman\'shand。

"Ithealswell,"hemurmuredtohimself:"thenailfoundinhernothingtohurt！"

AtlastIventuredtospeak。

"Aretheynotdead？"Iaskedsoftly。

"Icannotansweryou,"herepliedinasubduedvoice。"IalmostforgetwhattheymeanbyDEADintheoldworld。IfIsaidapersonwasdead,mywifewouldunderstandonething,andyouwouldimagineanother。——Thisisbutoneofmytreasurevaults,"hewenton,"andallmyguestsarenotlaidinvaults:outthereonthemoortheyliethickastheleavesofaforestafterthefirstblastofyourwinter——thick,letmesayrather,asifthegreatwhiteroseofheavenhadsheditspetalsoverit。Allnightthemoonreadstheirfaces,andsmiles。"

"Butwhyleavetheminthecorruptingmoonlight？"Iasked。

"Ourmoon,"heanswered,"isnotlikeyours——theoldcinderofaburnt—outworld;herbeamsembalmthedead,notcorruptthem。Youobservethatherethesextonlayshisdeadontheearth;beburiesveryfewunderit！Inyourworldhelayshugestonesonthem,asiftokeepthemdown;Iwatchforthehourtoringtheresurrection—bell,andwakethosethatarestillasleep。Yoursextonlooksattheclocktoknowwhentoringthedead—alivetochurch;Ihearkenforthecockonthespiretocrow;`AWAKE,THOU

THATSLEEPEST,ANDARISEFROMTHEDEAD！\'"

Ibegantoconcludethattheself—styledsextonwasintruthaninsaneparson:thewholethingwastoomad！ButhowwasItogetawayfromit？Iwashelpless！Inthisworldofthedead,theravenandhiswifeweretheonlylivingIhadyetseen:whithershouldIturnforhelp？Iwaslostinaspacelargerthanimagination;forifheretwothings,oranypartsofthem,couldoccupythesamespace,whynottwentyortenthousand？——ButIdarednotthinkfurtherinthatdirection。

"Youseeminyourdeadtoseedifferencesbeyondmyperception！"I

venturedtoremark。

"Noneofthoseyousee,"heanswered,"areintruthquitedeadyet,andsomehavebutjustbeguntocomealiveanddie。Othershadbeguntodie,thatistocomealive,longbeforetheycametous;

andwhensuchareindeeddead,thatinstanttheywillwakeandleaveus。Almosteverynightsomeriseandgo。ButIwillnotsaymore,forIfindmywordsonlymisleadyou！——Thisisthecouchthathasbeenwaitingforyou,"heended,pointingtooneofthethree。

"Whyjustthis？"Isaid,beginningtotremble,andanxiousbyparleytodelay。

"Forreasonswhichonedayyouwillbegladtoknow,"heanswered。

"Whynotknowthemnow？"

"Thatalsoyouwillknowwhenyouwake。"

"Butthesearealldead,andIamalive！"Iobjected,shuddering。

"Notmuch,"rejoinedthesextonwithasmile,"——notnearlyenough！

Blessedbethetruelifethatthepausesbetweenitsthrobsarenotdeath！"

"Theplaceistoocoldtoletonesleep！"Isaid。

"Dothesefinditso？"hereturned。"Theysleepwell——orwillsoon。

Ofcoldtheyfeelnotabreath:ithealstheirwounds。——Donotbeacoward,Mr。Vane。Turnyourbackonfear,andyourfacetowhatevermaycome。Giveyourselfuptothenight,andyouwillrestindeed。

Harmwillnotcometoyou,butagoodyoucannotforeknow。"

ThesextonandIstoodbythesideofthecouch,hiswife,withthecandleinherhand,atthefootofit。Hereyeswerefulloflight,butherfacewasagainofastillwhiteness;itwasnolongerradiant。

"Wouldtheyhavememakeofacharnel—housemybed—chamber？"I

criedaloud。"Iwillnot。Iwilllieabroadontheheath;itcannotbecolderthere！"

"Ihavejusttoldyouthatthedeadaretherealso,`ThickasautumnalleavesthatstrowthebrooksInVallombrosa,\'"

saidthelibrarian。

"IwillNOT,"Icriedagain;andinthecompassingdark,thetwogleamedoutlikespectresthatwaitedonthedead;neitheransweredme;eachstoodstillandsad,andlookedattheother。

"Beofgoodcomfort;wewatchtheflockofthegreatshepherd,"

saidthesextontohiswife。

Thenheturnedtome。

"Didstthounotfindtheairoftheplacepureandsweetwhenthouenteredstit？"heasked。

"Yes;butoh,socold！"Ianswered。

"Thenknow,"hereturned,andhisvoicewasstern,"thatthouwhocallestthyselfalive,hastbroughtintothischambertheodoursofdeath,anditsairwillnotbewholesomeforthesleepersuntilthouartgonefromit！"

Theywentfartherintothegreatchamber,andIwasleftaloneinthemoonlightwiththedead。

Iturnedtoescape。

WhatalongwayIfounditbackthroughthedead！AtfirstIwastooangrytobeafraid,butasIgrewcalm,thestillshapesgrewterrible。Atlast,withloudoffencetothegracioussilence,I

ran,Ifledwildly,and,burstingout,flung—tothedoorbehindme。

Itclosedwithanawfulsilence。

Istoodinpitch—darkness。Feelingaboutme,Ifoundadoor,openedit,andwasawareofthedimlightofalamp。Istoodinmylibrary,withthehandleofthemaskeddoorinmyhand。

HadIcometomyselfoutofavision？——orlostmyselfbygoingbacktoone？Whichwasthereal——whatInowsaw,orwhatIhadjustceasedtosee？Couldbothbereal,interpenetratingyetunmingling？

Ithrewmyselfonacouch,andfellasleep。

Inthelibrarywasonesmallwindowtotheeast,throughwhich,atthistimeoftheyear,thefirstraysofthesunshoneuponamirrorwhencetheywerereflectedonthemaskeddoor:whenIwoke,theretheyshone,andthithertheydrewmyeyes。WiththefeelingthatbehinditmustlietheboundlesschamberIhadleftbythatdoor,Isprangtomyfeet,andopenedit。Thelight,likeaneagerhound,shotbeforemeintothecloset,andpounceduponthegildededgesofalargebook。

"Whatidiot,"Icried,"hasputthatbookintheshelfthewrongway？"

Butthegildededges,reflectingthelightasecondtime,flungitonanestofdrawersinadarkcorner,andIsawthatoneofthemwashalfopen。

"Moremeddling！"Icried,andwenttoclosethedrawer。

Itcontainedoldpapers,andseemedmorethanfull,foritwouldnotclose。Takingthetopmostoneout,Iperceivedthatitwasinmyfather\'swritingandofsomelength。Thewordsonwhichfirstmyeyesfell,atoncemademeeagertolearnwhatitcontained。I

carriedittothelibrary,satdowninoneofthewesternwindows,andreadwhatfollows。

CHAPTERVIII

MYFATHER\'SMANUSCRIPT

IamfilledwithaweofwhatIhavetowrite。Thesunisshininggoldenaboveme;thesealiesbluebeneathhisgaze;thesameworldsendsitsgrowingthingsuptothesun,anditsflyingthingsintotheairwhichIhavebreathedfrommyinfancy;butIknowtheoutspreadsplendourapassingshow,andthatatanymomentitmay,likethedrop—sceneofastage,beliftedtorevealmorewonderfulthings。

Shortlyaftermyfather\'sdeath,Iwasseatedonemorninginthelibrary。Ihadbeen,somewhatlistlessly,regardingtheportraitthathangsamongthebooks,whichIknewonlyasthatofadistantancestor,andwishingIcouldlearnsomethingofitsoriginal。ThenIhadtakenabookfromtheshelvesandbeguntoread。

Glancingupfromit,Isawcomingtowardme——notbetweenmeandthedoor,butbetweenmeandtheportrait——athinpalemaninrustyblack。Helookedsharpandeager,andhadanotablenose,atonceremindingmeofacertainjugmysistersusedtocallMr。Crow。

"Findingmyselfinyourvicinity,Mr。Vane,Ihavegivenmyselfthepleasureofcalling,"hesaid,inapeculiarbutnotdisagreeablevoice。"Yourhonouredgrandfathertreatedme——Imaysayitwithoutpresumption——asafriend,havingknownmefromchildhoodashisfather\'slibrarian。"

Itdidnotstrikemeatthetimehowoldthemanmustbe。

"MayIaskwhereyoulivenow,Mr。Crow？"Isaid。

Hesmiledanamusedsmile。

"Younearlyhitmyname,"herejoined,"whichshowsthefamilyinsight。Youhaveseenmebefore,butonlyonce,andcouldnotthenhaveheardit！"

"Wherewasthat？"

"Inthisveryroom。Youwerequiteachild,however！"

IcouldnotbesurethatIrememberedhim,butforamomentI

fanciedIdid,andIbeggedhimtosetmerightastohisname。

"Thereissuchathingasrememberingwithoutrecognisingthememoryinit,"heremarked。"Formyname——whichyouhavenearenough——itusedtobeRaven。"

Ihadheardthename,formarvelloustaleshadbroughtitme。

"Itisverykindofyoutocomeandseeme,"Isaid。"Willyounotsitdown？"

Heseatedhimselfatonce。

"Youknewmyfather,then,Ipresume？"

"Iknewhim,"heansweredwithacurioussmile,"buthedidnotcareaboutmyacquaintance,andwenevermet。——Thatgentleman,however,"headded,pointingtotheportrait,——"oldSirUp\'ard,hispeoplecalledhim,——wasinhisdayafriendofmineyetmoreintimatethaneveryourgrandfatherbecame。"

ThenatlengthIbegantothinktheinterviewastrangeone。ButintruthitwashardlystrangerthatmyvisitorshouldrememberSirUpward,thanthatheshouldhavebeenmygreat—grandfather\'slibrarian！

"Iowehimmuch,"hecontinued;"for,althoughIhadreadmanymorebooksthanhe,yet,throughthespecialdirectionofhisstudies,hewasabletoinformmeofacertainrelationofmodeswhichIshouldneverhavediscoveredofmyself,andcouldhardlyhavelearnedfromanyoneelse。"

"Wouldyoumindtellingmeallaboutthat？"Isaid。

"Bynomeans——asmuchatleastasIamable:therearenotsuchthingsaswilfulsecrets,"heanswered——andwenton。

"Thatclosetheldhislibrary——ahundredmanuscriptsorso,forprintingwasnottheninvented。OnemorningIsatthere,workingatacatalogueofthem,whenhelookedinatthedoor,andsaid,`Come。\'Ilaiddownmypenandfollowedhim——acrossthegreathall,downasteeproughdescent,andalonganundergroundpassagetoatowerhehadlatelybuilt,consistingofastairandaroomatthetopofit。Thedoorofthisroomhadatremendouslock,whichheundidwiththesmallestkeyIeversaw。Ihadscarcelycrossedthethresholdafterhim,when,tomyeyes,hebegantodwindle,andgrewlessandless。Allatoncemyvisionseemedtocomeright,andIsawthathewasmovingswiftlyawayfromme。Inaminutemorehewasthemerestspeckinthedistance,withthetopsofbluemountainsbeyondhim,clearagainstaskyofpalerblue。Irecognisedthecountry,forIhadgonethereandcomeagainmanyatime,althoughIhadneverknownthiswaytoit。

"Manyyearsafter,whenthetowerhadlongdisappeared,ItaughtoneofhisdescendantswhatSirUpwardhadtaughtme;andnowandthentothisdayIuseyourhousewhenIwanttogothenearestwayhome。Imustindeed——withoutyourleave,forwhichIaskyourpardon——havebythistimewellestablishedarightofwaythroughit——notfromfronttoback,butfrombottomtotop！"

"Youwouldhavemethenunderstand,Mr。Raven,"Isaid,"thatyougothroughmyhouseintoanotherworld,heedlessofdispartingspace？"

"ThatIgothroughitisanincontrovertibleacknowledgementofspace,"returnedtheoldlibrarian。

"Pleasedonotquibble,Mr。Raven,"Irejoined。"PleasetotakemyquestionasyouknowImeanit。"

"Thereisinyourhouseadoor,onestepthroughwhichcarriesmeintoaworldverymuchanotherthanthis。"

"Abetter？"

"Notthroughout;butsomuchanotherthatmostofitsphysical,andmanyofitsmentallawsaredifferentfromthoseofthisworld。Asformorallaws,theymusteverywherebefundamentallythesame。"

"Youtrymypowerofbelief！"Isaid。

"Youtakemeforamadman,probably？"

"Youdonotlooklikeone。"

"Aliarthen？"

"Yougivemenogroundtothinkyousuch。"

"Onlyyoudonotbelieveme？"

"Iwillgooutofthatdoorwithyouifyoulike:Ibelieveinyouenoughtorisktheattempt。"

"Theblunderallmychildrenmake！"hemurmured。"Theonlydooroutisthedoorin！"

Ibegantothinkhemustbecrazy。Hesatsilentforamoment,hisheadrestingonhishand,hiselbowonthetable,andhiseyesonthebooksbeforehim。

"Abook,"hesaidlouder,"isadoorin,andthereforeadoorout。——I

seeoldSirUp\'ard,"hewenton,closinghiseyes,"andmyheartswellswithlovetohim:——whatworldishein？"

"Theworldofyourheart！"Ireplied;"——thatis,theideaofhimisthere。"

"Thereisoneworldthenatleastonwhichyourhall—doordoesnotopen？"

"Igrantyousomuch;butthethingsinthatworldarenotthingstohaveandtohold。"

"Thinkalittlefarther,"herejoined:"didanythingeverbecomeyours,exceptbygettingintothatworld？——Thethoughtisbeyondyou,however,atpresent！——Itellyoutherearemoreworlds,andmoredoorstothem,thanyouwillthinkofinmanyyears！"

Herose,leftthelibrary,crossedthehall,andwentstraightuptothegarret,familiarevidentlywitheveryturn。Ifollowed,studyinghisback。Hishairhungdownlonganddark,straightandglossy。Hiscoatwaswideandreachedtohisheels。Hisshoesseemedtoolargeforhim。

Inthegarretalightcamethroughattheedgesofthegreatroofingslabs,andshoweduspartswherewasnoflooring,andwemuststepfromjoisttojoist:inthemiddleofoneofthesespacesroseapartition,withadoor:throughitIfollowedMr。Ravenintoasmall,obscurechamber,whosetopcontractedasitrose,andwentslantingthroughtheroof。

"ThatisthedoorIspokeof,"hesaid,pointingtoanoblongmirrorthatstoodonthefloorandleanedagainstthewall。Iwentinfrontofit,andsawourfiguresdimlyreflectedinitsdustyface。

Therewassomethingaboutitthatmademeuneasy。Itlookedold—fashionedandneglected,but,notwithstandingitsordinaryseeming,theeagle,perchedwithoutstretchedwingsonthetop,appearedthreatful。

"Asamirror,"saidthelibrarian,"ithasgrowndingywithage;

butthatisnomatter:itsdoornessdependsonthelight。"

"Light！"Irejoined;"thereisnolighthere！"

Hedidnotanswerme,butbegantopullatalittlechainontheoppositewall。Iheardacreaking:thetopofthechamberwasturningslowlyround。Heceasedpulling,lookedathiswatch,andbegantopullagain。

"Wearrivealmosttothemoment！"hesaid;"itisontheverystrokeofnoon！"

Thetopwentcreakingandrevolvingforaminuteorso。Thenhepulledtwootherchains,nowthis,nowthat,andreturnedtothefirst。Amomentmoreandthechambergrewmuchclearer:apatchofsunlighthadfallenuponamirroronthewalloppositethatagainstwhichtheotherleaned,andonthedustIsawthepathofthereflectedraystothemirrorontheground。Butfromthelatternonewerereturned;theyseemedtogocleanthrough;therewasnowhereinthechamberasecondpatchoflight！

"Wherearethesunraysgone？"Icried。

"ThatIcannottell,"returnedMr。Raven;"——back,perhaps,towheretheycamefromfirst。Theynowbelong,Ifancy,toasensenotyetdevelopedinus。"

Hethentalkedoftherelationsofmindtomatter,andofsensestoqualities,inawayIcouldonlyalittleunderstand,whencehewentontoyetstrangerthingswhichIcouldnotatallcomprehend。

Hespokemuchaboutdimensions,tellingmethatthereweremanymorethanthree,someofthemconcernedwithpowerswhichwereindeedinus,butofwhichasyetweknewabsolutelynothing。Hiswords,however,Iconfess,tooklittlemoreholdofmethanthelightdidofthemirror,forIthoughthehardlyknewwhathewassaying。

SuddenlyIwasawarethatourformshadgonefromthemirror,whichseemedfullofawhitemist。AsIgazedIsaw,growinggraduallyvisiblebeyondthemist,thetopsofarangeofmountains,whichbecameclearerandclearer。Soonthemistvanishedentirely,uncoveringthefaceofawideheath,onwhich,atsomedistance,wasthefigureofamanmovingswiftlyaway。Iturnedtoaddressmycompanion;hewasnolongerbymyside。Ilookedagainattheforminthemirror,andrecognisedthewidecoatflying,theblackhairliftinginawindthatdidnottouchme。Irushedinterrorfromtheplace。

CHAPTERIX

IREPENT

Ilaidthemanuscriptdown,consoledtofindthatmyfatherhadhadapeepintothatmysteriousworld,andthatheknewMr。Raven。

ThenIrememberedthatIhadneverheardthecauseoranycircumstanceofmyfather\'sdeath,andbegantobelievethathemustatlasthavefollowedMr。Raven,andnotcomeback;whereuponIspeedilygrewashamedofmyflight。WhatwondrousfactsmightInotbythistimehavegatheredconcerninglifeanddeath,andwideregionsbeyondordinaryperception！AssuredlytheRavensweregoodpeople,andanightintheirhousewouldnowisehavehurtme！

Theyweredoubtlessstrange,butitwasfacultyinwhichtheonewaspeculiar,andbeautyinwhichtheotherwasmarvellous！AndI

hadnotbelievedinthem！hadtreatedthemasunworthyofmyconfidence,asharbouringadesignagainstme！ThemoreIthoughtofmybehaviourtothem,themoredisgustedIbecamewithmyself。

WhyshouldIhavefearedsuchdead？TosharetheirholyrestwasanhonourofwhichIhadprovedmyselfunworthy！Whatharmcouldthatsleepingking,thatladywiththewoundinherpalm,havedoneme？Ifellalongingafterthesweetandstatelystillnessoftheirtwocountenances,andwept。WeepingIthrewmyselfonacouch,andsuddenlyfellasleep。

AssuddenlyIwoke,feelingasifsomeonehadcalledme。Thehousewasstillasanemptychurch。Ablackbirdwassingingonthelawn。Isaidtomyself,"IwillgoandtellthemIamashamed,andwilldowhatevertheywouldhavemedo！"Irose,andwentstraightupthestairstothegarret。

ThewoodenchamberwasjustaswhenfirstIsawit,themirrordimlyreflectingeverythingbeforeit。Itwasnearlynoon,andthesunwouldbealittlehigherthanwhenfirstIcame:Imustraisethehoodalittle,andadjustthemirrorsaccordingly！IfI

hadbutbeenintimetoseeMr。Ravendoit！

Ipulledthechains,andletthelightfallonthefirstmirror。