第16章

"Those,alas,arenotthetearsofrepentance！"shesaid。"Thetruetearsgatherintheeyes。Thosearefarmorebitter,andnotsogood。Self—loathingisnotsorrow。Yetitisgood,foritmarksastepinthewayhome,andinthefather\'sarmstheprodigalforgetstheselfheabominates。Oncewithhisfather,heistohimselfofnomoreaccount。Itwillbesowithher。"

Shewentnearerandsaid,"Willyourestorethatwhichyouhavewrongfullytaken？"

"Ihavetakennothing,"answeredtheprincess,forcingoutthewordsinspiteofpain,"thatIhadnottherighttotake。Mypowertotakemanifestedmyright。"

Maralefther。

Graduallymysoulgrewawareofaninvisibledarkness,asomethingmoreterriblethanaughtthathadyetmadeitselffelt。AhorribleNothingness,aNegationpositiveinfoldedher;theborderofitsbeingthatwasyetnobeing,touchedme,andforoneghastlyinstantIseemedalonewithDeathAbsolute！ItwasnottheabsenceofeverythingIfelt,butthepresenceofNothing。Theprincessdashedherselffromthesettletothefloorwithanexceedinggreatandbittercry。ItwastherecoilofBeingfromAnnihilation。

"Forpity\'ssake,"sheshrieked,"tearmyheartout,butletmelive！"

Withthattherefelluponher,anduponusalsowhowatchedwithher,theperfectcalmasofasummernight。Sufferinghadallbutreachedthebrimofherlife\'scup,andahandhademptiedit！Sheraisedherhead,halfrose,andlookedaroundher。Amomentmore,andshestooderect,withtheairofaconqueror:shehadwonthebattle！Darefulshehadmetherspiritualfoes;theyhadwithdrawndefeated！Sheraisedherwitheredarmaboveherhead,ap鎍nofunholytriumphinherthroat——whensuddenlyhereyesfixedinaghastlystare。——Whatwassheseeing？

Ilooked,andsaw:beforeher,castfromunseenheavenlymirror,stoodthereflectionofherself,andbesideitaformofsplendentbeauty,Shetrembled,andsankagainonthefloorhelpless。SheknewtheonewhatGodhadintendedhertobe,theotherwhatshehadmadeherself。

Therestofthenightshelaymotionlessaltogether。

Withthegraydawngrowingintheroom,sherose,turnedtoMara,andsaid,inpridefulhumility,"Youhaveconquered。Letmegointothewildernessandbewailmyself。"

Marasawthathersubmissionwasnotfeigned,neitherwasitreal。

Shelookedatheramoment,andreturned:

"Begin,then,andsetrightintheplaceofwrong。"

"Iknownothow,"shereplied——withthelookofonewhoforesawandfearedtheanswer。

"Openthyhand,andletthatwhichisinitgo。"

Afiercerefusalseemedtostruggleforpassage,butshekeptitprisoned。

"Icannot,"shesaid。"Ihavenolongerthepower。Openitforme。"

Sheheldouttheoffendinghand。Itwasmoreapawthanahand。Itseemedtomeplainthatshecouldnotopenit。

Maradidnotevenlookatit。

"Youmustopenityourself,"shesaidquietly。

"IhavetoldyouIcannot！"

"Youcanifyouwill——notindeedatonce,butbypersistenteffort。

Whatyouhavedone,youdonotyetwishundone——donotyetintendtoundo！"

"Youthinkso,Idaresay,"rejoinedtheprincesswithaflashofinsolence,"butIKNOWthatIcannotopenmyhand！"

"Iknowyoubetterthanyouknowyourself,andIknowyoucan。Youhaveoftenopeneditalittleway。Withouttroubleandpainyoucannotopenitquite,butyouCANopenit。Atworstyoucouldbeatitopen！Iprayyou,gatheryourstrength,andopenitwide。"

"IwillnottrywhatIknowimpossible。Itwouldbethepartofafool！"

"Whichyouhavebeenplayingallyourlife！Oh,youarehardtoteach！"

Defiancereappearedonthefaceoftheprincess。SheturnedherbackonMara,saying,"Iknowwhatyouhavebeentormentingmefor！Youhavenotsucceeded,norshallyousucceed！Youshallyetfindmestrongerthanyouthink！Iwillyetbemistressofmyself！IamstillwhatIhavealwaysknownmyself——queenofHell,andmistressoftheworlds！"

Thencamethemostfearfulthingofall。Ididnotknowwhatitwas;Iknewmyselfunabletoimagineit;IknewonlythatifitcamenearmeIshoulddieofterror！InowknowthatitwasLIFE

INDEATH——lifedead,yetexistent;andIknewthatLilithhadhadglimpses,butonlyglimpsesofitbefore:ithadneverbeenwithheruntilnow。

Shestoodasshehadturned。Marawentandsatdownbythefire。

Fearingtostandalonewiththeprincess,Iwentalsoandsatagainbythehearth。Somethingbegantodepartfromme。Asenseofcold,yetnotwhatwecallcold,crept,notinto,butoutofmybeing,andpervadedit。Thelampoflifeandtheeternalfireseemeddyingtogether,andIabouttobeleftwithnaughtbuttheconsciousnessthatIhadbeenalive。Mercifully,bereavementdidnotgosofar,andmythoughtwentbacktoLilith。

Somethingwastakingplaceinherwhichwedidnotknow。Weknewwedidnotfeelwhatshefelt,butweknewwefeltsomethingofthemiseryitcausedher。Thethingitselfwasinher,notinus;itsreflex,hermisery,reachedus,andwasagainreflectedinus:shewasintheouterdarkness,wepresentwithherwhowasinit！Wewerenotintheouterdarkness;hadwebeen,wecouldnothavebeenWITHher;weshouldhavebeentimelessly,spacelessly,absolutelyapart。Thedarknessknowsneitherthelightnoritself;onlythelightknowsitselfandthedarknessalso。NonebutGodhatesevilandunderstandsit。

Somethingwasgonefromher,whichthenfirst,byitsabsence,sheknewtohavebeenwithhereverymomentofherwickedyears。Thesourceoflifehadwithdrawnitself;allthatwasleftherofconsciousbeingwasthedregsofherdeadandcorruptedlife。

Shestoodrigid。Maraburiedherheadinherhands。Igazedonthefaceofonewhoknewexistencebutnotlove——knewnorlife,norjoy,norgood;withmyeyesIsawthefaceofalivedeath！

Sheknewlifeonlytoknowthatitwasdead,andthat,inher,deathlived。Itwasnotmerelythatlifehadceasedinher,butthatshewasconsciouslyadeadthing。Shehadkilledherlife,andwasdead——andknewit。ShemustDEATHITforeverandever！

Shehadtriedherhardesttounmakeherself,andcouldnot！shewasadeadlife！shecouldnotcease！shemustBE！InherfaceIsawandreadbeyonditsmisery——sawinitsdismaythatthedismaybehinditwasmorethanitcouldmanifest。Itsentoutalividgloom;

thelightthatwasinherwasdarkness,andafteritskinditshone。

ShewaswhatGodcouldnothavecreated。Shehadusurpedbeyondhershareinself—creation,andherparthadundoneHis！Shesawnowwhatshehadmade,andbehold,itwasnotgood！Shewasasaconsciouscorpse,whosecoffinwouldnevercometopieces,neversetherfree！Herbodilyeyesstoodwideopen,asifgazingintotheheartofhorroressential——herownindestructibleevil。Herrighthandalsowasnowclenched——uponexistentNothing——herinheritance！

ButwithGodallthingsarepossible:Hecansaveeventherich！

Withoutchangeoflook,withoutsignofpurpose,LilithwalkedtowardMara。Shefelthercoming,androsetomeether。

"Iyield,"saidtheprincess。"Icannotholdout。Iamdefeated。

——Nottheless,Icannotopenmyhand。"

"Haveyoutried？"

"Iamtryingnowwithallmymight。"

"Iwilltakeyoutomyfather。Youhavewrongedhimworstofthecreated,thereforehebestofthecreatedcanhelpyou。"

"HowcanHEhelpme？"

"Hewillforgiveyou。"

"Ah,ifhewouldbuthelpmetocease！NoteventhatamIcapableof！Ihavenopowerovermyself;Iamaslave！Iacknowledgeit。

Letmedie。"

"Aslavethouartthatshallonedaybeachild！"answeredMara。——"Verily,thoushaltdie,butnotasthouthinkest。Thoushaltdieoutofdeathintolife。NowistheLifefor,thatneverwasagainstthee！"

Likehermother,inwhomlaythemotherhoodofalltheworld,MaraputherarmsaroundLilith,andkissedherontheforehead。Thefiery—coldmiserywentoutofhereyes,andtheirfountainsfilled。

Shelifted,andborehertoherownbedinacorneroftheroom,laidhersoftlyuponit,andclosedhereyeswithcaressinghands。

Lilithlayandwept。TheLadyofSorrowwenttothedoorandopenedit。

Morn,withtheSpringinherarms,waitedoutside。Softlytheystoleinattheopeneddoor,withagentlewindintheskirtsoftheirgarments。ItflowedandflowedaboutLilith,ripplingtheunknown,upwakingseaofherlifeeternal;ripplingandtorippleit,untilatlengthshewhohadbeenbutasaweedcastonthedrysandyshoretowither,shouldknowherselfaninletoftheeverlastingocean,henceforthtoflowintoherforever,andebbnomore。Sheansweredthemorningwindwithrevivingbreath,andbegantolisten。Forintheskirtsofthewindhadcometherain——thesoftrainthathealsthemown,themany—woundedgrass——soothingitwiththesweetnessofallmusic,thehushthatlivesbetweenmusicandsilence。Itbedewedthedesertplacesaroundthecottage,andthesandsofLilith\'sheartheardit,anddrankitin。WhenMarareturnedtositbyherbed,hertearswereflowingsofterthantherain,andsoonshewasfastasleep。

CHAPTERXL

THEHOUSEOFDEATH

TheMotherofSorrowsrose,muffledherface,andwenttocalltheLittleOnes。Theysleptasifallthenighttheyhadnotmoved,butthemomentshespoketheysprangtotheirfeet,freshasifnew—made。

Merrilydownthestairtheyfollowedher,andshebroughtthemwheretheprincesslay,hertearsyetflowingassheslept。Theirgladfacesgrewgrave。Theylookedfromtheprincessoutontherain,thenbackattheprincess。

"Theskyisfalling！"saidone。

"Thewhitejuiceisrunningoutoftheprincess！"criedanother,withanawedlook。

"Isitrivers？"askedOdu,gazingatthelittlestreamsthatflowedadownherhollowcheeks。

"Yes,"answeredMara,"——themostwonderfulofallrivers。"

"Ithoughtriverswasbigger,andrushed,likealotofLittleOnes,makingloudnoises！"hereturned,lookingatme,fromwhomalonehehadheardofrivers。

"Lookattheriversofthesky！"saidMara。"Seehowtheycomedowntowakeupthewatersundertheearth！Soonwilltheriversbeflowingeverywhere,merryandloud,likethousandsandthousandsofhappychildren。Oh,howgladtheywillmakeyou,LittleOnes！

Youhaveneverseenany,anddonotknowhowlovelyisthewater！"

"Thatwillbethegladofthegroundthattheprincessisgrowngood,"saidOdu。"Seethegladofthesky！"

"Aretheriversthegladoftheprincess？"askedLuva。"Theyarenotherjuice,fortheyarenotred！"

"Theyarethejuiceinsidethejuice,"answeredMara。

Oduputonefingertohiseye,lookedatit,andshookhishead。

"Princesswillnotbitenow！"saidLuva。

"No;shewillneverdothatagain,"repliedMara。"——Butnowwemusttakehernearerhome。"

"Isthatanest？"askedSozo。

"Yes;averybignest。Butwemusttakehertoanotherplacefirst。"

"Whatisthat？"

"Itisthebiggestroominallthisworld。——ButIthinkitisgoingtobepulleddown:itwillsoonbetoofulloflittlenests。——Goandgetyourclumsies。"

"Pleasearethereanycatsinit？"

"Notone。Thenestsaretoofulloflovelydreamsforonecattogetin。"

"Weshallbereadyinaminute,"saidOdu,andranout,followedbyallexceptLuva。

Lilithwasnowawake,andlisteningwithasadsmile。

"Butherriversarerunningsofast！"saidLuva,whostoodbyhersideandseemedunabletotakehereyesfromherface。"Herrobeisall——Idon\'tknowwhat。Clumsieswon\'tlikeit！"

"Theywon\'tmindit,"answeredMara。"Thoseriversaresocleanthattheymakethewholeworldclean。"

Ihadfallenasleepbythefire,butforsometimehadbeenawakeandlistening,andnowrose。

"Itistimetomount,Mr。Vane,"saidourhostess。

"Tellme,please,"Isaid,"istherenotawaybywhichtoavoidthechannelsandthedenofmonsters？"

"Thereisaneasywayacrosstheriver—bed,whichIwillshowyou,"

sheanswered;"butyoumustpassoncemorethroughthemonsters。"

"Ifearforthechildren,"Isaid。

"Fearwillnotoncecomenighthem,"sherejoined。

Weleftthecottage。Thebeastsstoodwaitingaboutthedoor。Oduwasalreadyontheneckofoneofthetwothatweretocarrytheprincess。ImountedLona\'shorse;Marabroughtherbody,andgaveitmeinmyarms。Whenshecameoutagainwiththeprincess,acryofdelightarosefromthechildren:shewasnolongermuffled！

Gazingather,andentrancedwithherloveliness,theboysforgottoreceivetheprincessfromher;buttheelephantstookLilithtenderlywiththeirtrunks,oneroundherbodyandoneroundherknees,and,Marahelping,laidheralongbetweenthem。

"Whydoestheprincesswanttogo？"askedasmallboy。"Shewouldkeepgoodifshestaidhere！"

"Shewantstogo,andshedoesnotwanttogo:wearehelpingher,"

answeredMara。"Shewillnotkeepgoodhere。"

"Whatareyouhelpinghertodo？"hewenton。

"Togowhereshewillgetmorehelp——helptoopenherhand,whichhasbeenclosedforathousandyears。"

"Solong？Thenshehaslearnedtodowithoutit:whyshouldsheopenitnow？"

"Becauseitisshutuponsomethingthatisnothers。"

"Please,ladyMara,maywehavesomeofyourverydrybreadbeforewego？"saidLuva。

Marasmiled,andbroughtthemfourloavesandagreatjugofwater。

"Wewilleataswego,"theysaid。Buttheydrankthewaterwithdelight。

"Ithink,"remarkedoneofthem,"itmustbeelephant—juice！Itmakesmesostrong！"

Wesetout,theLadyofSorrowwalkingwithus,morebeautifulthanthesun,andthewhiteleopardessfollowingher。Ithoughtshemeantbuttoputusinthepathacrossthechannels,butIsoonfoundshewasgoingwithusalltheway。ThenIwouldhavedismountedthatshemightride,butshewouldnotletme。

"Ihavenoburdentocarry,"shesaid。"ThechildrenandIwillwalktogether。"

Itwastheloveliestofmornings;thesunshonehisbrightest,andthewindblewhissweetest,buttheydidnotcomfortthedesert,forithadnowater。

Wecrossedthechannelswithoutdifficulty,thechildrengambolingaboutMaraalltheway,butdidnotreachthetopoftheridgeoverthebadburrowuntilthesunwasalreadyintheactofdisappearing。

ThenImadetheLittleOnesmounttheirelephants,forthemoonmightbelate,andIcouldnothelpsomeanxietyaboutthem。

TheLadyofSorrownowledthewaybymyside;theelephantsfollowed——thetwothatboretheprincessinthecentre;theleopardessbroughtuptherear;andjustaswereachedthefrightfulmargin,themoonlookedupandshowedtheshallowbasinlyingbeforeusuntroubled。Marasteppedintoit;notamovementansweredhertreadorthefeetofmyhorse。Butthemomentthattheelephantscarryingtheprincesstouchedit,theseeminglysolidearthbegantoheaveandboil,andthewholedreadbroodofthehellishnestwascommoved。Monstersuproseonallsides,everyneckatfulllength,everybeakandclawoutstretched,everymouthagape。Long—billedheads,horriblyjawedfaces,knottytentaclesinnumerable,wentoutafterLilith。Shelayinanagonyoffear,nordaredstirafinger。

Whetherthehideousthingsevensawthechildren,Idoubt;certainlynotoneofthemtouchedachild;notoneloathlymemberpassedtheliverampartofherbody—guard,tolayholdofher。

"LittleOnes,"Icried,"keepyourelephantscloseabouttheprincess。Bebrave;theywillnottouchyou。"

"Whatwillnottouchus？Wedon\'tknowwhattobebraveat！"theyanswered;andIperceivedtheywereunawareofoneofthedeformitiesaroundthem。

"Nevermindthen,"Ireturned;"onlykeepclose。"

Theywerepanopliedintheirblindness！Incapacitytoseewastheirsafety。Whattheycouldnowisebeawareof,couldnothurtthem。

ButthehideousformsIsawthatnight！Marawasafewpacesinfrontofmewhenasolitary,bodilessheadbouncedonthepathbetweenus。Theleopardesscamerushingundertheelephantsfrombehind,andwouldhaveseizedit,but,withfrightfulcontortionsofvisageandaloathsomehowl,itgaveitselfarapidrotatorytwist,sprangfromher,andburieditselfintheground。Thedeathinmyarmsassoilingmefromfear,Iregardedthemallunmoved,althoughnever,sure,waselsewherebeheldsuchacrewaccursed！

Marastillwentinfrontofme,andtheleopardessnowwalkedclosebehindher,shiveringoften,foritwasverycold,whensuddenlythegroundbeforemetomyleftbegantoheave,andalowwaveofearthcameslinkingtowardus。Itrosehigherasitdrewhear;outofitslouchedadreadfulheadwithfleshytubesforhair,andopeningagreatovalmouth,snappedatme。Theleopardesssprang,butfellbaffledbeyondit。

Almostunderourfeet,shotuptheheadofanenormoussnake,withalampingwallowingglareinitseyes。Againtheleopardessrushedtotheattack,butfoundnothing。Atathirdmonstershedartedwithlikefury,andlikefailure——thensullenlyceasedtoheedthephantom—horde。ButIunderstoodtheperilandhastenedthecrossing——theratherthatthemoonwascarryingherselfstrangely。

Evenassherosesheseemedreadytodropandgiveuptheattemptashopeless;andsince,Isawhersinkbackoncefullyherownbreadth。Thearcshemadewasverylow,andnowshehadbeguntodescendrapidly。

Wewerealmostover,when,betweenusandtheborderofthebasin,arosealongneck,onthetopofwhich,liketheblossomofsomeStygianlily,satwhatseemedtheheadofacorpse,itsmouthhalfopen,andfullofcanineteeth。Iwenton;itretreated,thendrewaside。Theladysteppedonthefirmland,buttheleopardessbetweenus,rousedoncemore,turned,andflewatthethroatoftheterror。IremainedwhereIwastoseetheelephants,withtheprincessandthechildren,safeonthebank。ThenIturnedtolookaftertheleopardess。Thatmomentthemoonwentdown,ForaninstantIsawtheleopardessandthesnake—monsterconvolvedinacloudofdust;thendarknesshidthem。Tremblingwithfright,myhorsewheeled,andinthreeboundsovertooktheelephants。

Aswecameupwiththem,ashapelessjellydroppedontheprincess。

Awhitedovedroppedimmediatelyonthejelly,stabbingitwithitsbeak。Itmadeasquelching,suckingsound,andfelloff。ThenI

heardthevoiceofawomantalkingwithMara,andIknewthevoice。

"Ifearsheisdead！"saidMara。

"Iwillsendandfindher,"answeredthemother。"Butwhy,Mara,shouldstthouatallfearforherorforanyone？Deathcannothurtherwhodiesdoingtheworkgivenhertodo。"

"Ishallmisshersorely;sheisgoodandwise。YetIwouldnothaveherlivebeyondherhour！"

"Shehasgonedownwiththewicked;shewillrisewiththerighteous。

Weshallseeheragainereverylong。"

"Mother,"Isaid,althoughIdidnotseeher,"wecometoyoumany,butmostofusareLittleOnes。Willyoubeabletoreceiveusall？"

"Youarewelcomeeveryone,"sheanswered。"Soonerorlaterallwillbelittleones,forallmustsleepinmyhouse！Itiswellwiththosethatgotosleepyoungandwilling！——MyhusbandisevennowpreparinghercouchforLilith。Sheisneitheryoungnorquitewilling,butitiswellindeedthatsheiscome。"

Iheardnomore。Motheranddaughterhadgoneawaytogetherthroughthedark。Butwesawalightinthedistance,andtowarditwewentstumblingoverthemoor。

Adamstoodinthedoor,holdingthecandletoguideus,andtalkingwithhiswife,who,behindhim,laidbreadandwineonthetablewithin。

"Happychildren,"Iheardhersay,"tohavelookedalreadyonthefaceofmydaughter！Surelyitistheloveliestinthegreatworld！"

Whenwereachedthedoor,Adamwelcomedusalmostmerrily。Hesetthecandleonthethreshold,andgoingtotheelephants,wouldhavetakentheprincesstocarryherin;butsherepulsedhim,andpushingherelephantsasunder,stooderectbetweenthem。Theywalkedfrombesideher,andleftherwithhimwhohadbeenherhusband——ashamedindeedofhergauntuncomeliness,butunsubmissive。

Hestoodwithawelcomeinhiseyesthatshonethroughtheirseverity。

"Wehavelongwaitedforthee,Lilith！"hesaid。

Shereturnedhimnoanswer。

Eveandherdaughtercametothedoor。

"Themortalfoeofmychildren！"murmuredEve,standingradiantinherbeauty。

"Yourchildrenarenolongerinherdanger,"saidMara;"shehasturnedfromevil。"

"Trusthernothastily,Mara,"answeredhermother;"shehasdeceivedamultitude！"

"ButyouwillopentoherthemirroroftheLawofLiberty,mother,thatshemaygointoit,andabideinit！Sheconsentstoopenherhandandrestore:willnotthegreatFatherrestorehertoinheritancewithHisotherchildren？"

"IdonotknowHim！"murmuredLilith,inavoiceoffearanddoubt。

"Thereforeitisthatthouartmiserable,"saidAdam。

"IwillgobackwhenceIcame！"shecried,andturned,wringingherhands,todepart。

"ThatisindeedwhatIwouldhavetheedo,whereIwouldhavetheego——toHimfromwhomthoucamest！InthyagonydidstthounotcryoutforHim？"

"IcriedoutforDeath——toescapeHimandthee！"

"DeathisevennowonhiswaytoleadtheetoHim。ThouknowestneitherDeathnortheLifethatdwellsinDeath！Bothbefriendthee。

Iamdead,andwouldseetheedead,forIliveandlovethee。Thouartwearyandheavy—laden:artthounotashamed？Isnotthebeingthouhastcorruptedbecometotheeatlengthanevilthing？Wouldstthouyetliveonindisgraceeternal？Ceasethoucanstnot:wiltthounotberestoredandBE？"

Shestoodsilentwithbowedhead。

"Father,"saidMara,"takeherinthinearms,andcarryhertohercouch。Thereshewillopenherhand,anddieintolife。"

"Iwillwalk,"saidtheprincess。

Adamturnedandledtheway。Theprincesswalkedfeeblyafterhimintothecottage。

ThenEvecameouttomewhereIsatwithLonainmybosom。Shereachedupherarms,tookherfromme,andcarriedherin。I

dismounted,andthechildrenalso。Thehorseandtheelephantsstoodshivering;Marapattedandstrokedthemeveryone;theylaydownandfellasleep。Sheledusintothecottage,andgavetheLittleOnesofthebreadandwineonthetable。AdamandLilithwerestandingtheretogether,butsilentboth。

Evecamefromthechamberofdeath,whereshehadlaidLonadown,andofferedofthebreadandwinetotheprincess。

"Thybeautyslaysme！ItisdeathIwouldhave,notfood！"saidLilith,andturnedfromher。

"Thisfoodwillhelptheetodie,"answeredEve。

ButLilithwouldnottasteofit。

"Ifthouwiltnoreatnordrink,Lilith,"saidAdam,"comeandseetheplacewherethoushaltlieinpeace。"

Heledthewaythroughthedoorofdeath,andshefollowedsubmissive。Butwhenherfootcrossedthethresholdshedrewitback,andpressedherhandtoherbosom,struckthroughwiththecoldimmortal。

Awildblastfellroaringontheroof,anddiedawayinamoan。

Shestoodghastlywithterror。

"Itishe！"saidhervoicelesslips:Ireadtheirmotion。

"Who,princess！"Iwhispered。

"ThegreatShadow,"shemurmured。

"Herehecannotenter,"saidAdam。"Herehecanhurtnoone。Overhimalsoispowergivenme。"

"Arethechildreninthehouse？"askedLilith,andatthewordtheheartofEvebegantoloveher。

"Heneverdaredtouchachild,"shesaid。"Norhaveyoueithereverhurtachild。Yourowndaughteryouhavebutsentintotheloveliestsleep,forshewasalreadyalongtimedeadwhenyouslewher。AndnowDeathshallbetheatonemaker;youshallsleeptogether。"

"Wife,"saidAdam,"letusfirstputthechildrentobed,thatshemayseethemsafe！"

Hecamebacktofetchthem。Assoonashewasgone,theprincessknelttoEve,claspedherknees,andsaid,"BeautifulEve,persuadeyourhusbandtokillme:toyouhewilllisten！IndeedIwouldbutcannotopenmyhand。"

"Youcannotdiewithoutopeningit。Tokillyouwouldnotserveyou,"answeredEve。"Butindeedhecannot！noonecankillyoubuttheShadow;andwhomhekillsneverknowssheisdead,butlivestodohiswill,andthinkssheisdoingherown。"

"Showmethentomygrave;IamsowearyIcanlivenolonger。I

mustgototheShadow——yetIwouldnot！"

Shedidnot,couldnotunderstand！

Shestruggledtorise,butfellatthefeetofEve。TheMotherlifted,andcarriedherinward。

IfollowedAdamandMaraandthechildrenintothechamberofdeath。

WepassedEvewithLilithinherarms,andwentfartherin。

"YoushallnotgototheShadow,"IheardEvesay,aswepassedthem。"Evennowishisheadundermyheel！"

ThedimlightinAdam\'shandglimmeredonthesleepingfaces,andashewenton,thedarknessclosedoverthem。Theveryairseemeddead:wasitbecausenoneofthesleepersbreathedit？Profoundestsleepfilledthewideplace。ItwasasifnotonehadwakedsincelastIwasthere,fortheformsIhadthennotedlaytherestill。

MyfatherwasjustasIhadlefthim,savethatheseemedyetnearertoaperfectpeace。Thewomanbesidehimlookedyounger。

Thedarkness,thecold,thesilence,thestillair,thefacesofthelovelydead,madetheheartsofthechildrenbeatsoftly,buttheirlittletongueswouldtalk——withlow,hushedvoices。

"Whatacuriousplacetosleepin！"saidone,"Iwouldratherbeinmynest！"

"ItisSOcold！"saidanother。

"Yes,itiscold,"answeredourhost;"butyouwillnotbecoldinyoursleep。"

"Whereareournests？"askedmorethanone,lookingroundandseeingnocouchunoccupied。

"Findplaces,andsleepwhereyouchoose,"repliedAdam。

Instantlytheyscattered,advancingfearlesslybeyondthelight,butwestillheardtheirgentlevoices,anditwasplaintheysawwhereIcouldnot。

"Oh,"criedone,"hereissuchabeautifullady！——mayIsleepbesideher？Iwillcreepinquietly,andnotwakeher。"

"Yes,youmay,"answeredthevoiceofEvebehindus;andwecametothecouchwhilethelittlefellowwasyetcreepingslowlyandsoftlyunderthesheet。Helaidhisheadbesidethelady\'s,lookedupatus,andwasstill。Hiseyelidsfell;hewasasleep。

Wewentalittlefarther,andtherewasanotherwhohadclimbeduponthecouchofawoman。

"Mother！mother！"hecried,kneelingoverher,hisfaceclosetohers。"——She\'ssocoldshecan\'tspeak,"hesaid,lookinguptous;

"butIwillsoonmakeherwarm！"

Helaydown,andpressingclosetoher,puthislittlearmoverher。

Inaninstanthetoowasasleep,smilinganabsolutecontent。

WecametoathirdLittleOne;itwasLuva。Shestoodontiptoe,leaningovertheedgeofacouch。

"Myownmotherwouldn\'thaveme,"shesaidsoftly:"willyou？"

Receivingnoreply,shelookedupatEve。Thegreatmotherliftedhertothecouch,andshegotatonceunderthesnowycovering。

EachoftheLittleOneshadbythistime,exceptthreeoftheboys,foundatleastanunobjectingbedfellow,andlaystillandwhitebesideastill,whitewoman。Thelittleorphanshadadoptedmothers！Onetinygirlhadchosenafathertosleepwith,andthatwasmine。Aboylaybythesideofthebeautifulmatronwiththeslow—healinghand。Onthemiddleoneofthethreecoucheshithertounoccupied,layLona。

EvesetLilithdownbesideit。AdampointedtothevacantcouchonLona\'srighthand,andsaid,"There,Lilith,isthebedIhavepreparedforyou！"

Sheglancedatherdaughterlyingbeforeherlikeastatuecarvedinsemi—transparentalabaster,andshudderedfromheadtofoot。"Howcolditis！"shemurmured。

"Youwillsoonbegintofindcomfortinthecold,"answeredAdam。

"Promisestothedyingareeasy！"shesaid。

"ButIknowit:Itoohaveslept。Iamdead！"

"Ibelievedyoudeadlongago;butIseeyoualive！"

"Morealivethanyouknow,orareabletounderstand。Iwasscarcealivewhenfirstyouknewme。NowIhaveslept,andamawake;Iamdead,andliveindeed！"

"Ifearthatchild,"shesaid,pointingtoLona:"shewillriseandterrifyme！"

"Sheisdreaminglovetoyou。"

"ButtheShadow！"shemoaned;"IfeartheShadow！hewillbewrothwithme！"

"Heatsightofwhomthehorsesofheavenstartandrear,daresnotdisturbonedreaminthisquietchamber！"

"Ishalldreamthen？"

"Youwilldream。"

"Whatdreams？"

"ThatIcannottell,butnoneHEcanenterinto。WhentheShadowcomeshere,itwillbetoliedownandsleepalso。——Hishourwillcome,andheknowsitwill。"

"HowlongshallIsleep？"

"Youandhewillbethelasttowakeinthemorningoftheuniverse。"

Theprincesslaydown,drewthesheetoverher,stretchedherselfoutstraight,andlaystillwithopeneyes。

Adamturnedtohisdaughter。Shedrewnear。

"Lilith,"saidMara,"youwillnotsleep,ifyouliethereathousandyears,untilyouhaveopenedyourhand,andyieldedthatwhichisnotyourstogiveortowithhold。"

"Icannot,"sheanswered。"IwouldifIcould,andgladly,forI

amweary,andtheshadowsofdeatharegatheringaboutme。"

"Theywillgatherandgather,buttheycannotinfoldyouwhileyetyourhandremainsunopened。Youmaythinkyouaredead,butitwillbeonlyadream;youmaythinkyouhavecomeawake,butitwillstillbeonlyadream。Openyourhand,andyouwillsleepindeed——thenwakeindeed。"

"Iamtryinghard,butthefingershavegrowntogetherandintothepalm。"

"Iprayyouputforththestrengthofyourwill。Fortheloveoflife,drawtogetheryourforcesandbreakitsbonds！"

"Ihavestruggledinvain;Icandonomore。Iamveryweary,andsleepliesheavyuponmylids。"

"Themomentyouopenyourhand,youwillsleep。Openit,andmakeanend。"

Atingeofcolouraroseintheparchment—likeface;thecontortedhandtrembledwithagonisedeffort。Maratookit,andsoughttoaidher。

"Hold,Mara！"criedherfather。"Thereisdanger！"

TheprincessturnedhereyesuponEve,beseechingly。

"TherewasaswordIoncesawinyourhusband\'shands,"shemurmured。

"IfledwhenIsawit。Iheardhimwhoboreitsayitwoulddividewhateverwasnotoneandindivisible！"

"Ihavethesword,"saidAdam。"Theangelgaveitmewhenheleftthegate。"

"Bringit,Adam,"pleadedLilith,"andcutmeoffthishandthatI

maysleep。"

"Iwill,"heanswered。

HegavethecandletoEve,andwent。Theprincessclosedhereyes。

InafewminutesAdamreturnedwithanancientweaponinhishand。

Thescabbardlookedlikevellumgrowndarkwithyears,butthehiltshonelikegoldthatnothingcouldtarnish。Hedrewouttheblade。

Itflashedlikeapalebluenorthernstreamer,andthelightofitmadetheprincessopenhereyes。Shesawthesword,shuddered,andheldoutherhand。Adamtookit。Theswordgleamedonce,therewasonelittlegushofblood,andhelaidtheseveredhandinMara\'slap。Lilithhadgivenonemoan,andwasalreadyfastasleep。Maracoveredthearmwiththesheet,andthethreeturnedaway。

"Willyounotdressthewound？"Isaid。

"Awoundfromthatsword,"answeredAdam,"needsnodressing。Itishealingandnothurt。"

"Poorlady！"Isaid,"shewillwakewithbutonehand！"

"Wherethedeaddeformityclung,"repliedMara,"thetrue,lovelyhandisalreadygrowing。"

Weheardachildishvoicebehindus,andturnedagain。ThecandleinEve\'shandshoneonthesleepingfaceofLilith,andthewakingfacesofthethreeLittleOnes,groupedontheothersideofhercouch。

"Howbeautifulsheisgrown！"saidoneofthem。

"Poorprincess！"saidanother;"Iwillsleepwithher。Shewillnotbiteanymore！"

Ashespokeheclimbedintoherbed,andwasimmediatelyfastasleep。

Evecoveredhimwiththesheet。

"Iwillgoonherotherside,"saidthethird。"Sheshallhavetwotokissherwhenshewakes！"

"AndIamleftalone！"saidthefirstmournfully。

"Iwillputyoutobed,"saidEve。

Shegavethecandletoherhusband,andledthechildaway。

Weturnedoncemoretogobacktothecottage。Iwasverysad,fornoonehadofferedmeaplaceinthehouseofthedead。Evejoinedusaswewent,andwalkedonbeforewithherhusband。MarabymysidecarriedthehandofLilithinthelapofherrobe。

"Ah,youhavefoundher！"weheardEvesayaswesteppedintothecottage。

Thedoorstoodopen;twoelephant—trunkscamethroughitoutofthenightbeyond。

"Isentthemwiththelantern,"shewentontoherhusband,"tolookforMara\'sleopardess:theyhavebroughther。"

IfollowedAdamtothedoor,andbetweenuswetookthewhitecreaturefromtheelephants,andcarriedhertothechamberwehadjustleft,thewomenprecedingus,Evewiththelight,andMarastillcarryingthehand。Therewelaidthebeautyacrossthefeetoftheprincess,herfore—pawsoutstretched,andherheadcouchingbetweenthem。