下载辰思小说免费APP
Iwentafewyardsdowntheslopeofgrassmingledwithmoss,andstretchedmyselfuponitweary。Alittlefartherdownstoodatinytreefullofrosiestapplesnobiggerthansmallcherries,itstopclosetomyhand;Ipulledandateoneofthem。Findingitdelicious,Iwasintheactoftakinganother,whenasuddenshoutingofchildren,mingledwithlaughterclearandsweetasthemusicofabrook,startledmewithdelight。
"Helikesourapples！Helikesourapples！He\'sagoodgiant！
He\'sagoodgiant！"criedmanylittlevoices。
"He\'sagiant！"objectedone。
"HeISratherbig,"assentedanother,"butlittlenessisn\'teverything！Itwon\'tkeepyoufromgrowingbigandstupidexceptyoutakecare！"
Iroseonmyelbowandstared。Aboveandaboutandbelowmestoodamultitudeofchildren,apparentlyofallages,somejustabletorunalone,andsomeabouttwelveorthirteen。Threeorfourseemedolder。Theystoodinasmallknot,alittleapart,andwerelessexcitedthantherest。Themanywerechatteringingroups,declaimingandcontradicting,likeacrowdofgrownpeopleinacity,onlywithgreatermerriment,bettermanners,andmoresense。
Igatheredthat,bytheapproachofmyhandtoasecondapple,theyknewthatIlikedthefirst;buthowfromthattheyarguedmegood,Ididnotsee,norwonderedthatoneofthematleastshouldsuggestcaution。Ididnotopenmymouth,forIwasafraidoffrighteningthem,andsureIshouldlearnmorebylisteningthanbyaskingquestions。ForIunderstoodnearlyalltheysaid——atwhichIwasnotsurprised:tounderstandisnotmorewonderfulthantolove。
Therecameamovementandslightdispersionamongthem,andpresentlyasweet,innocent—looking,lovinglyroguishlittlefellowhandedmeahugegreenapple。Silencefellonthenoisythrong;allwaitedexpectant。
"Eat,goodgiant,"hesaid。
Isatup,tooktheapple,smiledthanks,andwouldhaveeaten;butthemomentIbitintoit,Iflungitfaraway。
Againroseashoutofdelight;theyflungthemselvesuponme,soasnearlytosmotherme;theykissedmyfaceandhands;theylaidholdofmylegs;theyclamberedaboutmyarmsandshoulders,embracingmyheadandneck。Icametothegroundatlast,overwhelmedwiththelovelylittlegoblins。
"Good,goodgiant！"theycried。"Weknewyouwouldcome！Ohyoudear,good,stronggiant！"
Thebabbleoftheirtalksprangupafresh,andeverthejubilantshoutwouldriseanewfromhundredsofclearlittlethroats。
Againcameasuddensilence。Thosearoundmedrewback;thoseatopofmegotoffandbegantryingtosetmeonmyfeet。Upontheirsweetfaces,concernhadtakentheplaceofmerriment。
"Getup,goodgiant！"saidalittlegirl。"Makehaste！muchhaste！
Hesawyouthrowhisappleaway！"
Beforesheended,Iwasonmyfeet。Shestoodpointinguptheslope。Onthebrowofitwasaclownish,bad—lookingfellow,afewinchestallerthanmyself。Helookedhostile,butIsawnoreasontofearhim,forhehadnoweapon,andmylittlefriendshadvanishedeveryone。
Hebegantodescend,andI,inthehopeofbetterfootingandposition,togoup。Hegrowledlikeabeastasheturnedtowardme。
Reachingamorelevelspot,Istoodandwaitedforhim。Ashecamenear,heheldouthishand。Iwouldhavetakenitinfriendlyfashion,buthedrewitback,threatenedablow,andhelditoutagain。ThenIunderstoodhimtoclaimtheappleIhadflungaway,whereuponImadeagrimaceofdislikeandagestureofrejection。
Heansweredwithahowlofragethatseemedtosay,"Doyoudaretellmemyapplewasnotfittoeat？"
"Onebadapplemaygrowonthebesttree,"Isaid。
WhetherheperceivedmymeaningIcannottell,buthemadeastridenearer,andIstoodonmyguard。Hedelayedhisassault,however,untilasecondgiant,muchlikehim,whohadbeenstealingupbehindme,wascloseenough,whenherusheduponme。Imethimwithagoodblowintheface,buttheotherstruckmeonthebackofthehead,andbetweenthemIwassoonoverpowered。
Theydraggedmeintothewoodabovethevalley,wheretheirtribelived——inwretchedhuts,builtoffallenbranchesandafewstones。
Intooneofthesetheypushedme,therethrewmeontheground,andkickedme。Awomanwaspresent,wholookedonwithindifference。
ImayherementionthatduringmycaptivityIhardlylearnedtodistinguishthewomenfromthemen,theydifferedsolittle。OftenIwonderedwhetherIhadnotcomeuponasortoffungoidpeople,withjustenoughmindtogivethemmotionandtheexpressionsofangerandgreed。Theirfood,whichconsistedoftubers,bulbs,andfruits,wastomeinexpressiblydisagreeable,butnothingoffendedthemsomuchastoshowdisliketoit。IwascuffedbythewomenandkickedbythemenbecauseIwouldnotswallowit。
Ilayonthefloorthatnighthardlyabletomove,butIsleptagooddeal,andwokealittlerefreshed。Inthemorningtheydraggedmetothevalley,andtyingmyfeet,withalongrope,toatree,putaflatstonewithasaw—likeedgeinmylefthand。Ishiftedittotheright;theykickedme,andputitagainintheleft;gavemetounderstandthatIwastoscrapethebarkoffeverybranchthathadnofruitonit;kickedmeoncemore,andleftme。
IsetaboutthedrearyworkinthehopethatbysatisfyingthemI
shouldbeleftverymuchtomyself——tomakemyobservationsandchoosemytimeforescape。Happilyoneofthedwarf—treesgrewclosebyme,andeveryotherminuteIpluckedandateasmallfruit,whichwonderfullyrefreshedandstrengthenedme。
CHAPTERXIII
THELITTLEONES
Ihadbeenatworkbutafewmoments,whenIheardsmallvoicesnearme,andpresentlytheLittleOnes,asIsoonfoundtheycalledthemselves,camecreepingoutfromamongthetinytreesthatlikebrushwoodfilledthespacesbetweenthebigones。Inaminutetherewerescoresandscoresaboutme。Imadesignsthatthegiantshadbutjustleftme,andwerenotfaroff;buttheylaughed,andtoldmethewindwasquiteclean。
"Theyaretooblindtoseeus,"theysaid,andlaughedlikeamultitudeofsheep—bells。
"Doyoulikethatropeaboutyourankles？"askedone。
"IwantthemtothinkIcannottakeitoff,"Ireplied。
"Theycanscarcelyseetheirownfeet！"herejoined。"Walkwithshortstepsandtheywillthinktheropeisallright。"
Ashespoke,hedancedwithmerriment。
Oneofthebiggergirlsgotdownonherkneestountietheclumsyknot。Ismiled,thinkingthoseprettyfingerscoulddonothingwithit,butinamomentitwasloose。
Theythenmademesitdown,andfedmewithdeliciouslittlefruits;
afterwhichthesmallerofthembegantoplaywithmeinthewildestfashion,sothatitwasimpossibleformetoresumemywork。Whenthefirstgrewtired,otherstooktheirplaces,andthiswentonuntilthesunwassetting,andheavystepswereheardapproaching。
Thelittlepeoplestartedfromme,andImadehastetoputtheroperoundmyankles。
"Wemusthaveacare,"saidthegirlwhohadfreedme;"acrushofoneoftheirhorridstumpyfeetmightkillaverylittleone！"
"Cantheynotperceiveyouatallthen？"
"Theymightseesomethingmove;andifthechildrenwereinaheaponthetopofyou,astheywereamomentago,itwouldbeterrible;
fortheyhateeverylivethingbutthemselves。——Notthattheyaremuchaliveeither！"
Shewhistledlikeabird。Thenextinstantnotoneofthemwastobeseenorheard,andthegirlherselfhaddisappeared。
Itwasmymaster,asdoubtlesshecountedhimself,cometotakemehome。Hefreedmyankles,anddraggedmetothedoorofhishut;
therehethrewmeontheground,againtiedmyfeet,gavemeakick,andleftme。
NowImightatoncehavemademyescape;butatlengthIhadfriends,andcouldnotthinkofleavingthem。Theyweresocharming,sofullofwinsomeways,thatImustseemoreofthem！Imustknowthembetter！"To—morrow,"Isaidtomyselfwithdelight,"Ishallseethemagain！"ButfromthemomenttherewassilenceinthehutsuntilIfellasleep,Iheardthemwhisperingallaboutme,andknewthatIwaslovinglywatchedbyamultitude。Afterthat,Ithinktheyhardlyeverleftmequitealone。
Ididnotcometoknowthegiantsatall,andIbelievetherewasscarcelyanythinginthemtoknow。Theyneverbecameintheleastfriendly,buttheyweremuchtoostupidtoinventcruelties。OftenIavoidedabadkickbycatchingthefootandgivingitsownerafall,uponwhichhenever,onthatoccasion,renewedhisattempt。
Butthelittlepeoplewereconstantlydoingandsayingthingsthatpleased,oftenthingsthatsurprisedme。EverydayIgrewmoreloathtoleavethem。WhileIwasatwork,theywouldkeepcomingandgoing,amusinganddelightingme,andtakingallthemisery,andmuchofthewearinessoutofmymonotonoustoil。VerysoonIlovedthemmorethanIcantell。Theydidnotknowmuch,buttheywereverywise,andseemedcapableoflearninganything。Ihadnobedsavethebareground,butalmostasoftenasIwoke,itwasinanestofchildren——
oneorotheroftheminmyarms,thoughwhichIseldomcouldtelluntilthelightcame,fortheyorderedthesuccessionamongthemselves。Whenonecreptintomybosom,unconsciouslyIclaspedhimthere,andtherestlayclosearoundme,thesmallernearer。ItishardlynecessarytosaythatIdidnotsuffermuchfromthenightlycold！Thefirstthingtheydidinthemorning,andthelastbeforesunset,wastobringthegoodgiantplentytoeat。
OnemorningIwassurprisedonwakingtofindmyselfalone。AsI
cametomysenses,however,Iheardsubduedsoundsofapproach,andpresentlythegirlalreadymentioned,thetallestandgravestofthecommunity,andregardedbyallastheirmother,appearedfromthewood,followedbythemultitudeinjubilationmanifest——butsilentlesttheyshouldrousethesleepinggiantatwhosedoorI
lay。Shecarriedaboy—babyinherarms:hithertoagirl—baby,apparentlyaboutayearold,hadbeentheyoungest。Threeofthebiggergirlswerehernurses,buttheysharedtheirtreasurewithalltherest。AmongtheLittleOnes,dollswereunknown;thebiggerhadthesmaller,andthesmallerthestillless,totendandplaywith。
Lonacametomeandlaidtheinfantinmyarms。Thebabyopenedhiseyesandlookedatme,closedthemagain,andfellasleep。
"Helovesyoualready！"saidthegirl。
"Wheredidyoufindhim？"Iasked。
"Inthewood,ofcourse,"sheanswered,hereyesbeamingwithdelight,"——wherewealwaysfindthem。Isn\'theabeauty？We\'vebeenoutallnightlookingforhim。Sometimesitisnoteasytofind！"
"Howdoyouknowwhenthereisonetofind？"Iasked。
"Icannottell,"shereplied。"Everyonemakeshastetotelltheother,butweneverfindoutwhotoldfirst。SometimesIthinkonemusthavesaiditasleep,andanotherheardithalf—awake。Whenthereisababyinthewood,noonecanstoptoaskquestions;andwhenwehavefoundit,thenitistoolate。"
"Domoreboyorgirlbabiescometothewood？"
"Theydon\'tcometothewood;wegotothewoodandfindthem。"
"Aretheremoreboysorgirlsofyounow？"
Ihadfoundthattoaskpreciselythesamequestiontwice,madethemknittheirbrows。
"Idonotknow,"sheanswered。
"Youcancountthem,surely！"
"Weneverdothat。Weshouldn\'tliketobecounted。"
"Why？"
"Itwouldn\'tbesmooth。Wewouldrathernotknow。"
"Wheredothebabiescomefromfirst？"
"Fromthewood——always。Thereisnootherplacetheycancomefrom。"
Sheknewwheretheycamefromlast,andthoughtnothingelsewastobeknownabouttheiradvent。
"Howoftendoyoufindone？"
"Suchahappythingtakesallthegladwe\'vegot,andweforgetthelasttime。Youtooaregladtohavehim——areyounot,goodgiant？"
"Yes,indeed,Iam！"Ianswered。"Buthowdoyoufeedhim？"
"Iwillshowyou,"sherejoined,andwentaway——toreturndirectlywithtwoorthreeripelittleplums。Sheputonetothebaby\'slips。
"Hewouldopenhismouthifhewereawake,"shesaid,andtookhiminherarms。
Shesqueezedadroptothesurface,andagainheldthefruittothebaby\'slips。Withoutwakinghebeganatoncetosuckit,andshewentonslowlysqueezinguntilnothingbutskinandstonewereleft。
"There！"shecried,inatoneofgentletriumph。"Abig—appleworlditwouldbewithnothingforthebabies！Wewouldn\'tstopinit——
wouldwe,darling？Wewouldleaveittothebadgiants！"
"Butwhatifyouletthestoneintothebaby\'smouthwhenyouwerefeedinghim？"Isaid。
"Nomotherwoulddothat,"shereplied。"Ishouldn\'tbefittohaveababy！"
Ithoughtwhatalovelywomanshewouldgrow。Butwhatbecameofthemwhentheygrewup？Wheredidtheygo？Thatbroughtmeagaintothequestion——wheredidtheycomefromfirst？
"Willyoutellmewhereyoulivedbefore？"Isaid。
"Here,"shereplied。
"HaveyouNEVERlivedanywhereelse？"Iventured。
"Never。Weallcamefromthewood。Somethinkwedroppedoutofthetrees。"
"Howisittherearesomanyofyouquitelittle？"
"Idon\'tunderstand。Somearelessandsomearebigger。Iamverybig。"
"Babywillgrowbigger,won\'the？"
"Ofcoursehewill！"
"Andwillyougrowbigger？"
"Idon\'tthinkso。Ihopenot。Iamthebiggest。Itfrightensmesometimes。"
"Whyshoulditfrightenyou？"
Shegavemenoanswer。
"Howoldareyou？"Iresumed。
"Idonotknowwhatyoumean。Wearealljustthat。"
"Howbigwillthebabygrow？"
"Icannottell。——Some,"sheadded,withatroubleinhervoice,"begintogrowafterwethinktheyhavestopped。——Thatisafrightfulthing。Wedon\'ttalkaboutit！"
"Whatmakesitfrightful？"
Shewassilentforamoment,thenanswered,"Wefeartheymaybebeginningtogrowgiants。"
"Whyshouldyoufearthat？"
"Becauseitissoterrible。——Idon\'twanttotalkaboutit！"
ShepressedthebabytoherbosomwithsuchananxiouslookthatI
darednotfurtherquestionher。
BeforelongIbegantoperceiveintwoorthreeofthesmallerchildrensometracesofgreedandselfishness,andnotedthatthebiggergirlscastontheseanotinfrequentglanceofanxiety。
Noneofthemputahandtomywork:theywoulddonothingforthegiants！Buttheyneverrelaxedtheirlovingministrationstome。
Theywouldsingtome,oneafteranother,forhours;climbthetreetoreachmymouthandpopfruitintoitwiththeirdaintylittlefingers;andtheykeptconstantwatchagainsttheapproachofagiant。
Sometimestheywouldsitandtellmestories——mostlyverychildish,andoftenseemingtomeanhardlyanything。Nowandthentheywouldcallageneralassemblytoamuseme。Ononesuchoccasionamoodylittlefellowsangmeastrangecrooningsong,witharefrainsopatheticthat,althoughunintelligibletome,itcausedthetearstorundownmyface。Thisphenomenonmadethosewhosawitregardmewithmuchperplexity。ThenfirstIbethoughtmyselfthatIhadnotonce,inthatworld,lookedonwater,fallingorlyingorrunning。Plentytherehadbeeninsomelongvanishedage——thatwasplainenough——buttheLittleOneshadneverseenanybeforetheysawmytears！Theyhad,nevertheless,itseemed,somedim,instinctiveperceptionoftheirorigin;foraverysmallchildwentuptothesinger,shookhisclenchedpudinhisface,andsaidsomethinglikethis:"\'Ouskeezezejuiceoutofzegoodgiant\'sseeberries！Badgiant！"
"Howisit,"IsaidonedaytoLona,asshesatwiththebabyinherarmsatthefootofmytree,"thatIneverseeanychildrenamongthegiants？"
Shestaredalittle,asiflookinginvainforsomesenseinthequestion,thenreplied,"Theyaregiants;therearenolittleones。"
"Havetheyneveranychildren？"Iasked。
"No;thereareneveranyinthewoodforthem。Theydonotlovethem。Iftheysawours,theywouldstampthem。"
"Istherealwaysthesamenumberofthegiantsthen？Ithought,beforeIhadtimetoknowbetter,thattheywereyourfathersandmothers。"
Sheburstintothemerriestlaughter,andsaid,"No,goodgiant;WEareTHEIRfirsters。"
Butasshesaidit,themerrimentdiedoutofher,andshelookedscared。
Istoppedworking,andgazedather,bewildered。
"HowCANthatbe？"Iexclaimed。
"Idonotsay;Idonotunderstand,"sheanswered。"Butwewerehereandtheynot。Theygofromus。Iamsorry,butwecannothelpit。THEYcouldhavehelpedit。"
"Howlonghaveyoubeenhere？"Iasked,moreandmorepuzzled——inthehopeofsomeside—lightonthematter。
"Always,Ithink,"shereplied。"Ithinksomebodymadeusalways。"
Iturnedtomyscraping。
ShesawIdidnotunderstand。
"Thegiantswerenotmadealways,"sheresumed。"IfaLittleOnedoesn\'tcare,hegrowsgreedy,andthenlazy,andthenbig,andthenstupid,andthenbad。Thedullcreaturesdon\'tknowthattheycomefromus。Veryfewofthembelieveweareanywhere。TheysayNONSENSE！——LookatlittleBlunty:heiseatingoneoftheirapples！
Hewillbethenext！Oh！oh！hewillsoonbebigandbadandugly,andnotknowit！"
Thechildstoodbyhimselfalittlewayoff,eatinganapplenearlyasbigashishead。Ihadoftenthoughthedidnotlooksogoodastherest;nowhelookeddisgusting。
"Iwilltakethehorridthingfromhim！"Icried。
"Itisnouse,"sheansweredsadly。"Wehavedoneallwecan,anditistoolate！Wewereafraidhewasgrowing,forhewouldnotbelieveanythingtoldhim;butwhenherefusedtosharehisberries,andsaidhehadgatheredthemforhimself,thenweknewit！Heisaglutton,andthereisnohopeofhim。——Itmakesmesicktoseehimeat！"
"Couldnotsomeoftheboyswatchhim,andnotlethimtouchthepoisonousthings？"
"Hemayhavethemifhewill:itisallone——toeattheapples,andtobeaboythatwouldeatthemifhecould。No;hemustgotothegiants！Hebelongstothem。Youcanseehowmuchbiggerheisthanwhenfirstyoucame！Heisbiggersinceyesterday。"
"Heisaslikethathideousgreenlumpinhishandasboycouldlook！"
"Itsuitswhatheismakinghimself。"
"Hisheadanditmightchangeplaces！"
"Perhapstheydo！"
"Doeshewanttobeagiant？"
"Hehatesthegiants,butheismakinghimselfoneallthesame:helikestheirapples！Ohbaby,baby,hewasjustsuchadarlingasyouwhenwefoundhim！"
"Hewillbeverymiserablewhenhefindshimselfagiant！"
"Oh,no;hewilllikeitwellenough！Thatistheworstofit。"
"WillhehatetheLittleOnes？"
"Hewillbeliketherest;hewillnotrememberus——mostlikelywillnotbelievethereareLittleOnes。Hewillnotcare;hewilleathisapples。"
"Dotellmehowitwillcomeabout。Iunderstandyourworldsolittle！Icomefromaworldwhereeverythingisdifferent。"
"IdonotknowaboutWORLD。Whatisit？Whatmorebutawordinyourbeautifulbigmouth？——Thatmakesitsomething！"
"Nevermindabouttheword;tellmewhatnextwillhappentoBlunty。"
"Hewillwakeonemorningandfindhimselfagiant——notlikeyou,goodgiant,butlikeanyotherbadgiant。Youwillhardlyknowhim,butIwilltellyouwhich。Hewillthinkhehasbeenagiantalways,andwillnotknowyou,oranyofus。Thegiantshavelostthemselves,Peonysays,andthatiswhytheyneversmile。Iwonderwhethertheyarenotgladbecausetheyarebad,orbadbecausetheyarenotglad。
Buttheycan\'tbegladwhentheyhavenobabies！IwonderwhatBAD
means,goodgiant！"
"IwishIknewnomoreaboutitthanyou！"Ireturned。"ButItrytobegood,andmeantokeepontrying。"
"SodoI——andthatishowIknowyouaregood。"
Alongpausefollowed。
"Thenyoudonotknowwherethebabiescomefromintothewood？"I
said,makingoneattemptmore。
"Thereisnothingtoknowthere,"sheanswered。"Theyareinthewood;theygrowthere。"
"Thenhowisityouneverfindonebeforeitisquitegrown？"I
asked。
Sheknittedherbrowsandwassilentamoment:
"They\'renottheretillthey\'refinished,"shesaid。
"Itisapitythelittlesilliescan\'tspeaktillthey\'veforgotteneverythingtheyhadtotell！"Iremarked。
"LittleTolma,thelastbeforethisbaby,lookedasifshehadsomethingtotell,whenIfoundherunderabeech—tree,suckingherthumb,butshehadn\'t。Sheonlylookedupatme——oh,sosweetly！
SHEwillnevergobadandgrowbig！Whentheybegintogrowbigtheycarefornothingbutbigness;andwhentheycannotgrowanybigger,theytrytogrowfatter。Thebadgiantsareveryproudofbeingfat。"
"Sotheyareinmyworld,"Isaid;"onlytheydonotsayFATthere,theysayRICH。"
"Inoneoftheirhouses,"continuedLona,"sitsthebiggestandfattestofthem——soproudthatnobodycanseehim;andthegiantsgotohishouseatcertaintimes,andcallouttohim,andtellhimhowfatheis,andbeghimtomakethemstrongtoeatmoreandgrowfatlikehim。"
TherumouratlengthreachedmyearsthatBluntyhadvanished。I
sawafewgravefacesamongthebiggerones,buthedidnotseemtobemuchmissed。
ThenextmorningLonacametomeandwhispered,"Look！lookthere——bythatquince—tree:thatisthegiantthatwasBlunty！——Wouldyouhaveknownhim？"
"Never,"Ianswered。"——Butnowyoutellme,IcouldfancyitmightbeBluntystaringthroughafog！HeDOESlookstupid！"
"Heisforevereatingthoseapplesnow！"shesaid。"ThatiswhatcomesofLittleOnesthatWON\'Tbelittle！"
"Theycallitgrowing—upinmyworld！"Isaidtomyself。"Ifonlyshewouldteachmetogrowtheotherway,andbecomeaLittleOne！——ShallIeverbeabletolaughlikethem？"
Ihadhadthechance,andhadflungitfromme！BluntyandIwerealike！Hedidnotknowhisloss,andIhadtobetaughtmine！
CHAPTERXIV
ACRISIS
ForatimeIhadnodesiresavetospendmylifewiththeLittleOnes。Butsoonotherthoughtsandfeelingsbegantoinfluenceme。
FirstawokethevaguesensethatIoughttobedoingsomething;thatIwasnotmeantforthefatteningofboors！ThenitcametomethatIwasinamarvellousworld,ofwhichitwasassuredlymybusinesstodiscoverthewaysandlaws;andthat,ifIwoulddoanythinginreturnforthechildren\'sgoodness,Imustlearnmoreaboutthemthantheycouldtellme,andtothatendmustbefree。Surely,I
thought,nosuppressionoftheirgrowthcanbeessentialtotheirlovelinessandtruthandpurity！Notinanyworldcouldthepossibilityexistofsuchadiscordbetweenconstitutionanditsnaturaloutcome！Lifeandlawcannotbesoatvariancethatperfectionmustbegainedbythwartingdevelopment！ButthegrowthoftheLittleOnesWASarrested！somethinginterferedwithit:
whatwasit？Lonaseemedtheeldestofthem,yetnotmorethanfifteen,andhadbeenlonginchargeofamultitude,insemblanceandmostlyinbehaviourmerestchildren,whoregardedherastheirmother！Weretheygrowingatall？Idoubtedit。Oftimetheyhadscarcelytheidea;oftheirownagetheyknewnothing！Lonaherselfthoughtshehadlivedalways！Fullofwisdomandemptyofknowledge,shewasatoncetheirLoveandtheirLaw！Butwhatseemedtomeherignorancemightintruthbemyownlackofinsight！Heroneanxietyplainlywas,thatherLittleOnesshouldnotgrow,andchangeintobadgiants！Their"goodgiant"wasboundtodohisbestforthem:withoutmoreknowledgeoftheirnature,andsomeknowledgeoftheirhistory,hecoulddonothing,andmustthereforeleavethem！Theywouldonlybeastheywerebefore;theyhadinnowaybecomedependentonme;theywerestillmyprotectors,Iwasnottheirs;mypresencebutbroughtthemmoreindangeroftheiridioticneighbours！Ilongedtoteachthemmanythings:ImustfirstunderstandmoreofthoseIwouldteach！Knowledgenodoubtmadebadpeopleworse,butitmustmakegoodpeoplebetter！Iwasconvincedtheywouldlearnmathematics;andmighttheynotbetaughttowritedownthedaintymelodiestheymurmuredandforgot？
Theconclusionwas,thatImustriseandcontinuemytravels,inthehopeofcominguponsomeelucidationofthefortunesanddestinyofthebewitchinglittlecreatures。
Mydesign,however,wouldnotsosoonhavepassedintoaction,butforwhatnowoccurred。
