第16章

"Thereisnoonetohelpher；shemusthelpherself。Shelooks。Thesethingsshehas——asweetvoice，richinsubtileintonations；afair，veryfairface，withapowerofconcentratinginitself，andgivingexpressionto，feelingsthatotherwisemusthavebeendissipatedinwords；ararepowerofenteringintootherlivesunlikeherown，andintuitivelyreadingthemaright。Thesequalitiesshehas。Howshallsheusethem？Apoet，awriter，needsonlythemental；whatusehasheforabeautifulbodythatregistersclearlymentalemotions？Andthepainterwantsaneyeforformandcolour，andthemusiciananearfortimeandtune，andthemeredrudgehasnoneedformentalgifts。

"Butthereisoneartinwhichallshehaswouldbeused，forwhichtheyareallnecessary——thedelicateexpressivebody，therichvoice，thepowerofmentaltransposition。Theactor，whoabsorbsandthenreflectsfromhimselfotherhumanlives，needsthemall，butneedsnotmuchmore。Thisisherend；buthowtoreachit？Beforeherareendlessdifficulties：

seasmustbecrossed，povertymustbeendured，loneliness，want。Shemustbecontenttowaitlongbeforeshecanevengetherfeetuponthepath。Ifshehasmadeblundersinthepast，ifshehasweightedherselfwithaburdenwhichshemustbeartotheend，shemustbutbeartheburdenbravely，andlabouron。Thereisnouseinwailingandrepentancehere：

thenextworldistheplaceforthat；thislifeistooshort。Byourerrorsweseedeeperintolife。Theyhelpus。"Shewaitedforawhile。

"Ifshedoesallthis——ifshewaitspatiently，ifsheisnevercastdown，neverdespairs，neverforgetsherend，movesstraighttowardit，bendingmenandthingsmostunlikelytoherpurpose——shemustsucceedatlast。Menandthingsareplastic；theyparttotherightandleftwhenonecomesamongthemmovinginastraightlinetooneend。Iknowitbymyownlittleexperience，"shesaid。"LongyearsagoIresolvedtobesenttoschool。Itseemedathingutterlyoutofmypower；butIwaited，I

watched，Icollectedclothes，Iwrote，tookmyplaceattheschool；whenallwasreadyIborewithmyfullforceontheBoer—woman，andshesentmeatlast。Itwasasmallthing；butlifeismadeupofsmallthings，asabodyisbuiltupofcells。Whathasbeendoneinsmallthingscanbedoneinlarge。Shallbe，"shesaidsoftly。

Waldolistened。Tohimthewordswerenoconfession，noglimpseintothestrong，proud，restlessheartofthewoman。Theyweregeneralwordswithageneralapplication。Helookedupintothesparklingskywithdulleyes。

"Yes，"hesaid；"butwhenwelieandthink，andthink，weseethatthereisnothingworthdoing。Theuniverseissolarge，andmanissosmall——"

Sheshookherheadquickly。

"Butwemustnotthinksofar；itismadness，itisadisease。Weknowthatnoman’sworkisgreat，andstandsforever。Mosesisdead，andtheprophetsandthebooksthatourgrandmothersfedonthemouldiseating。

Yourpoetandpainterandactor，——beforetheshoutsthatapplaudthemhavediedtheirnamesgrowstrange，theyaremilestonesthattheworldhaspassed。Menhavesettheirmarkonmankindforever，astheythought；buttimehaswasheditoutasithaswashedoutmountainsandcontinents。"Sheraisedherselfonherelbow。"Andwhatifwecouldhelpmankind，andleavethetracesofourworkuponittotheend？Mankindisonlyanephemeralblossomonthetreeoftime；therewereothersbeforeitopened；therewillbeothersafterithasfallen。Wherewasmaninthetimeofthedicynodont，andwhenhoarymonsterswallowedinthemud？Willhebefoundintheaeonsthataretocome？Wearesparks，weareshadows，wearepollen，whichthenextwindwillcarryaway。Wearedyingalready；itisalladream。

"Iknowthatthought。Whenthefeveroflivingisonus，whenthedesiretobecome，toknow，todo，isdrivingusmad，wecanuseitasananodyne，tostillthefeverandcoolourbeatingpulses。Butitisapoison，notafood。Ifweliveonititwillturnourbloodtoice；wemightaswellbedead。Wemustnot，Waldo；Iwantyourlifetobebeautiful，toendinsomething。YouarenoblerandstrongerthanI，"shesaid；"andasmuchbetterasoneofGod’sgreatangelsisbetterthanasinningman。Yourlifemustgoforsomething。"

"Yes，wewillwork，"hesaid。

Shemovedclosertohimandlaystill，hisblackcurlstouchinghersmoothlittlehead。

Doss，whohadlainathismaster’sside，climbedoverthebench，andcurledhimselfupinherlap。Shedrewherskirtupoverhim，andthethreesatmotionlessforalongtime。

"Waldo，"shesaid，suddenly，"theyarelaughingatus。"

"Who？"heasked，startingup。

"They——thestars！"shesaid，softly。"Doyounotsee？Thereisalittlewhite，mockingfingerpointingdownatusfromeachoneofthem！Wearetalkingoftomorrowandtomorrow，andourheartsaresostrong；wearenotthinkingofsomethingthatcantouchussoftlyinthedarkandmakeusstillforever。TheyarelaughingatusWaldo。"

Bothsatlookingupward。

"Doyoueverpray？"heaskedherinalowvoice。

"No。"

"Ineverdo；butImightwhenIlookupthere。Iwilltellyou，"headded，inastilllowervoice，"whereIcouldpray。Iftherewereawallofrockontheedgeofaworld，andonerockstretchedoutfar，farintospace，andIstoodaloneuponit，alone，withstarsaboveme，andstarsbelowme，——I

wouldnotsayanything；butthefeelingwouldbeprayer。"

Therewasanendtotheirconversationafterthat，andDossfellasleeponherknee。Atlastthenight—windgrewverychilly。

"Ah，"shesaid，shivering，anddrawingtheskirtabouthershoulders，"Iamcold。Span—inthehorses，andcallmewhenyouareready。"

Sheslippeddownandwalkedtowardthehouse，Dossstifflyfollowingher，notpleasedatbeingroused。AtthedoorshemetGregory。

"Ihavebeenlookingforyoueverywhere；mayInotdriveyouhome？"hesaid。

"Waldodrivesme，"shereplied，passingon；anditappearedtoGregorythatshelookedathimintheoldway，withoutseeinghim。Butbeforeshehadreachedthedooranideahadoccurredtoher，forsheturned。

"Ifyouwishtodrivemeyoumay。"

GregorywenttolookforEm，whomhefoundpouringoutcoffeeinthebackroom。Heputhishandquicklyonhershoulder。

"YoumustridewithWaldo；Iamgoingtodriveyourcousinhome。"

"ButIcan’tcomejustnow，Greg；IpromisedTantAnnieMullertolookafterthethingswhileshewenttorestalittle。"

"Well，youcancomepresently，can’tyou？Ididn’tsayyouweretocomenow。I’msickofthisthing，"saidGregory，turningsharplyonhisheel。

"WhymustIsitupthewholenightbecauseyourstepmotherchoosestogetmarried？"

"Oh，it’sallright，Greg，Ionlymeant——"

Buthedidnothearher，andamanhadcomeuptohavehiscupfilled。

AnhourafterWaldocameintolookforher，andfoundherstillbusyatthetable。

"Thehorsesareready，"hesaid；"butifyouwouldliketohaveonedancemoreIwillwait。"

Sheshookherheadwearily。

"No；Iamquiteready。Iwanttogo。"

Andsoontheywereonthesandyroadthebuggyhadtravelledanhourbefore。Theirhorses，withheadsclosetogether，noddingsleepilyastheywalkedinthestarlight，youmighthavecountedtheriseandfalloftheirfeetinthesand；andWaldoinhissaddlenoddeddrowsilyalso。OnlyEmwasawake，andwatchedthestarlitroadwithwide—openeyes。Atlastshespoke。

"Iwonderifallpeoplefeelsoold，soveryold，whentheygettobeseventeen？"

"Notolderthanbefore，"saidWaldosleepily，pullingathisbridle。

Presentlyshesaidagain：

"IwishIcouldhavebeenalittlechildalways。Youaregoodthen。Youareneverselfish；youlikeeveryonetohaveeverything；butwhenyouaregrownuptherearesomethingsyouliketohavealltoyourself，youdon’tlikeanyoneelsetohaveanyofthem。"

"Yes，"saidWaldosleepily，andshedidnotspeakagain。

Whentheyreachedthefarmhouseallwasdark，forLyndallhadretiredassoonastheygothome。

WaldoliftedEmfromhersaddle，andforamomentsheleanedherheadonhisshoulderandclungtohim。

"Youareverytired，"hesaid，ashewalkedwithhertothedoor；"letmegoinandlightacandleforyou。"

"No，thankyou；itisallright，"shesaid。"Goodnight，Waldo，dear。"

Butwhenshewentinshesatlongaloneinthedark。

Chapter2。VII。WaldoGoesOuttoTasteLife，andEmStaysAtHomeandTastesIt。

Atnineo’clockintheevening，packinghisbundlesforthenextmorning’sstart，Waldolookedup，andwassurprisedtoseeEm’syellowheadpeepinginathisdoor。Itwasmanyamonthsinceshehadbeenthere。Shesaidshehadmadehimsandwichesforhisjourney，andshestayedawhiletohelphimputhisgoodsintothesaddlebags。

"Youcanleavetheoldthingslyingabout，"shesaid；"Iwilllocktheroom，andkeepitwaitingforyoutocomebacksomeday。"

Tocomebacksomeday！Wouldthebirdeverreturntoitscage？Buthethankedher。Whenshewentawayhestoodonthedoorstepholdingthecandletillshehadalmostreachedthehouse。ButEmwasthateveninginnohurrytoenter，and，insteadofgoinginatthebackdoor，walkedwithlaggingfootstepsroundthelowbrickwallthatranbeforethehouse。

Oppositetheopenwindowoftheparlourshestopped。Thelittleroom，keptcarefullyclosedinTantSannie’stime，waswelllightedbyaparaffinlamp；booksandworklaystrewnaboutit，anditworeabright，habitableaspect。BesidethelampatthetableinthecornersatLyndall，theopenlettersandpapersoftheday’spostlyingscatteredbeforeher，whilesheperusedthecolumnsofanewspaper。Atthecentretable，withhisarmsfoldedonanopenpaper，whichtherewasnotlightenoughtoread，satGregory。Hewaslookingather。ThelightfromtheopenwindowfellonEm’slittlefaceunderitswhitekapjeasshelookedin，butnooneglancedthatway。

"Goandfetchmeaglassofwater！"Lyndallsaid，atlast。

Gregorywentouttofindit；whenheputitdownathersideshemerelymovedherheadinrecognition，andhewentbacktohisseatandhisoldoccupation。ThenEmmovedslowlyawayfromthewindow，andthroughitcameinspotted，hard—wingedinsects，toplayroundthelamp，till，onebyone，theystucktoitsglass，andfelltothefootdead。

Teno’clockstruck。ThenLyndallrose，gatheredupherpapersandletters，andwishedGregorygoodnight。SometimeafterEmentered；shehadbeensittingallthewhileontheloftladder，andhaddrawnherkapjedownverymuchoverherface。

Gregorywaspiecingtogetherthebitsofanenvelopewhenshecamein。

"Ithoughtyouwerenevercoming，"hesaid，turningroundquickly，andthrowingthefragmentsontothefloor。"YouknowIhavebeenshearingallday，anditisteno’clockalready。"

"I’msorry。Ididnotthinkyouwouldbegoingsosoon，"shesaidinalowvoice。

"Ican’thearwhatyousay。Whatmakesyoumumbleso？Well，goodnight，Em。"

Hestoopeddownhastilytokissher。

"Iwanttotalktoyou，Gregory。"

"Well，makehaste，"hesaidpettishly。"I’mawfullytired。I’vebeensittingherealltheevening。Whycouldn’tyoucomeandtalkbefore？"

"Iwillnotkeepyoulong，"sheansweredverysteadilynow。"Ithink，Gregory，itwouldbebetterifyouandIwerenevertobemarried。"

"GoodHeaven！Em，whatdoyoumean？Ithoughtyouweresofondofme？

Youalwaysprofessedtobe。Whatonearthhaveyoutakenintoyourheadnow？"

"Ithinkitwouldbebetter，"shesaid，foldingherhandsovereachother，verymuchasthoughshewerepraying。

"Better，Em！Whatdoyoumean？Evenawomancan’ttakeafreakallaboutnothing！Youmusthavesomereasonforit，andI’msureI’vedonenothingtooffendyou。Iwroteonlytodaytomysistertotellhertocomeupnextmonthtoourwedding，andI’vebeenasaffectionateandhappyaspossible。

Come——what’sthematter？"

Heputhisarmhalfroundhershoulder，veryloosely。

"Ithinkitwouldbebetter，"sheanswered，slowly。

"Oh，well，"hesaid，drawinghimselfup，"ifyouwon’tenterintoexplanationsyouwon’t；andI’mnotthemantobegandpray——nottoanywoman，andyouknowthat！Ifyoudon’twanttomarrymeIcan’tobligeyouto，ofcourse。"

Shestoodquitestillbeforehim。

"Youwomenneverdoknowyourownmindsfortwodaystogether；andofcourseyouknowthestateofyourownfeelingsbest；butit’sverystrange。

Haveyoureallymadeupyourmind，Em？"

"Yes。"

"Well，I’mverysorry。I’msureI’venotbeeninanythingtoblame。Amancan’talwaysbebillingandcooing；but，asyousay，ifyourfeelingformehaschanged，it’smuchbetteryoushouldn’tmarryme。There’snothingsofoolishastomarrysomeoneyoudon’tlove；andIonlywishforyourhappiness，I’msure。Idaresayyou’llfindsomeonecanmakeyoumuchhappierthanIcould；thefirstpersonweloveisseldomtherightone。

Youareveryyoung；it’squitenaturalyoushouldchange。"

Shesaidnothing。

"Thingsoftenseemhardatthetime，butProvidencemakesthemturnoutforthebestintheend，"saidGregory。"You’llletmekissyou，Em，justforoldfriendship’ssake。"Hestoopeddown。"Youmustlookuponmeasadearbrother，asacousinatleast；aslongasIamonthefarmIshallalwaysbegladtohelpyou，Em。"

Soonafterthebrownponywascanteringalongthefootpathtothedaub—and—

wattlehouse，andhismasterasherodewhistledJohnSperiwigandtheThornKloofSchottische。

Thesunhadnotyettouchedtheoutstretchedarmsofthepricklypearuponthekopje，andtheearlycocksandhensstillstruttedaboutstifflyafterthenight’sroost，whenWaldostoodbeforethewagon—housesaddlingthegreymare。Everynowandthenheglancedupattheoldfamiliarobjects：

theyhadanewaspectthatmorning。Eventhecocks，seeninthelightofparting，hadapeculiarinterest，andhelistenedwithconsciousattentionwhileonecrowedclearandloudasitstoodonthepigstywall。HewishedgoodmorningsoftlytotheKafferwomanwhowascomingupfromthehutstolightthefire。Hewasleavingthemalltothatoldlife，andfromhisheighthelookeddownonthempityingly。Sotheywouldkeeponcrowing，andcomingtolightfires，whenforhimthatoldcolourlessexistencewasbutadream。

Hewentintothehousetosaygood—byetoEm，andthenhewalkedtothedoorofLyndall’sroomtowakeher；butshewasup，andstandinginthedoorway。

"Soyouareready，"shesaid。

Waldolookedatherwithsuddenheaviness；theexhilarationdiedoutofhisheart。Hergreydressing—gownhungcloseabouther，andbelowitsedgethelittlebarefeetwererestingonthethreshold。

"Iwonderwhenweshallmeetagain，Waldo？Whatyouwillbe，andwhatI？"

"Willyouwritetome？"heaskedofher。

"Yes；andifIshouldnot，youcanstillremember，whereveryouare，thatyouarenotalone。"

"IhaveleftDossforyou，"hesaid。

"Willyounotmisshim？"

"No；Iwantyoutohavehim。Helovesyoubetterthanhelovesme。"

"Thankyou。"Theystoodquiet。

"Good—bye！"shesaid，puttingherlittlehandinhis，andheturnedaway；

butwhenhereachedthedoorshecalledtohim："Comeback，Iwanttokissyou。"Shedrewhisfacedowntohers，andhelditwithbothhands，andkisseditontheforeheadandmouth。"Good—bye，dear！"

Whenhelookedbackthelittlefigurewithitsbeautifuleyeswasstandinginthedoorwaystill。

Chapter2。VIII。TheKopje。

"Goodmorning！"

Em，whowasinthestoreroommeasuringtheKaffer’srations，lookedupandsawherformerloverstandingbetwixtherandthesunshine。Forsomedaysafterthateveningonwhichhehadriddenhomewhistlinghehadshunnedher。Shemightwishtoenterintoexplanations，andhe，GregoryRose，wasnotthemanforthatkindofthing。Ifawomanhadoncethrownhimoverboardshemusttaketheconsequences，andstandbythem。When，however，sheshowednoinclinationtoreverttothepast，andshunnedhimmorethanheshunnedher，Gregorysoftened。

"YoumustletmecallyouEmstill，andbelikeabrothertoyoutillI

go，"hesaid；andEmthankedhimsohumblythathewishedshehadn’t。Itwasn’tsoeasyafterthattothinkhimselfaninjuredman。

Onthatmorninghestoodsometimeinthedoorwayswitchinghiswhip，andmovingratherrestlesslyfromonelegtotheother。

"IthinkI’lljusttakeawalkuptothecampsandseehowyourbirdsaregettingon。NowWaldo’sgoneyou’venoonetoseeafterthings。Nicemorning，isn’tit？"Thenheaddedsuddenly，"I’lljustgoroundtothehouseandgetadrinkofwaterfirst；"andsomewhatawkwardlywalkedoff。

Hemighthavefoundwaterinthekitchen，butheneverglancedtowardthebuckets。Inthefrontroomamonkeyandtwotumblersstoodonthecentre—

table；buthemerelylookedround，peepedintotheparlour，lookedroundagain，andthenwalkedoutatthefrontdoor，andfoundhimselfagainatthestoreroomwithouthavingsatisfiedhisthirst。"Awfullynicemorningthis，"hesaid，tryingtoposehimselfinagracefulandindifferentattitudeagainstthedoor。"Itisn’thotanditisn’tcold。It’sawfullynice。"

"Yes，"saidEm。

"Yourcousin，now，"saidGregoryinanaimlesssortofway——"Isupposeshe’sshutupinherroomwritingletters。"

"No，"saidEm。

"Goneforadrive，Iexpect？Nicemorningforadrive。"

"No。"

"Gonetoseetheostriches，Isuppose？"

"No。"AfteralittlesilenceEmadded，"Isawhergobythekraalstothekopje。"

Gregorycrossedanduncrossedhislegs。

"Well，IthinkI’lljustgoandhavealookabout，"hesaid，"andseehowthingsaregettingonbeforeIgotothecamps。Good—bye；solong。"

Emleftforawhilethebagsshewasfoldingandwenttothewindow，thesamethroughwhich，yearsbefore，Bonapartehadwatchedtheslouchingfigurecrosstheyard。Gregorywalkedtothepigstyfirst，andcontemplatedthepigsforafewseconds；thenturnedround，andstoodlookingfixedlyatthewallofthefuel—houseasthoughhethoughtitwantedrepairing；thenhestartedoffsuddenlywiththeevidentintentionofgoingtotheostrich—camps；thenpaused，hesitated，andfinallywalkedoffinthedirectionofthekopje。

ThenEmwentbacktothecornerandfoldedmoresacks。

OntheothersideofthekopjeGregorycaughtsightofawhitetailwavingamongthestones，andasuccessionofshort，franticbarkstoldwhereDosswasengagedinhowlingimploringlytoalizardwhohadcreptbetweentwostones，andwhohadnottheslightestintentionofre—sunninghimselfatthatparticularmoment。

Thedog’smistresssathigherup，undertheshelvingrock，herfacebentoveravolumeofplaysuponherknee。AsGregorymountedthestonesshestartedviolentlyandlookedup；thenresumedherbook。

"IhopeIamnottroublingyou，"saidGregoryashereachedherside。"IfIamIwillgoaway。Ijust——"

"No；youmaystay。"

"IfearIstartledyou。"

"Yes；yourstepwasfirmerthanitgenerallyis。Ithoughtitwasthatofsomeoneelse。"

"Whocoulditbebutme？"askedGregory，seatinghimselfonastoneatherfeet。

"Doyousupposeyouaretheonlymanwhowouldfindanythingtoattracthimtothiskopje？"

"Oh，no，"saidGregory。

Hewasnotgoingtoarguethatpointwithher，noranyother；butnooldBoerwaslikelytotakethetroubleofclimbingthekopje，andwhoelsewasthere？

Shecontinuedthestudyofherbook。

"MissLyndall，"hesaidatlast，"Idon’tknowwhyitisyounevertalktome。"

"Wehadalongconversationyesterday，"shesaidwithoutlookingup。

"Yes；butyouaskmequestionsaboutsheepandoxen。Idon’tcallthattalking。YouusedtotalktoWaldo，now，"hesaid，inanaggrievedtoneofvoice。"I’veheardyouwhenIcamein，andthenyou’vejustleftoff。Youtreatedmelikethatfromthefirstday；andyoucouldn’ttellfromjustlookingatmethatIcouldn’ttalkaboutthethingsyoulike。I’msureI

knowasmuchaboutsuchthingsasWaldodoes，"saidGregory，inexceedingbitternessofspirit。

"Idonotknowwhichthingsyoureferto。IfyouwillenlightenmeIamquitepreparedtospeakofthem，"shesaid，readingasshespoke。

"Oh，youneverusedtoaskWaldolikethat，"saidGregory，inamoresorelyaggrievedtonethanever。"Youusedjusttobegin。"

"Well，letmesee，"shesaid，closingherbookandfoldingherhandsonit。

"ThereatthefootofthekopjegoesaKaffer；hehasnothingonbutablanket；heisasplendidfellow——sixfeethigh，withamagnificentpairoflegs。Inhisleatherbagheisgoingtofetchhisrations，andIsupposetokickhiswifewithhisbeautifullegswhenhegetshome。Hehasarightto；heboughtherfortwooxen。Thereisaleandoggoingafterhim，towhomIsupposehenevergivesmorethanabonefromwhichhehassuckedthemarrow；buthisdogloveshim，ashiswifedoes。Thereissomethingofthemasterabouthiminspiteofhisblacknessandwool。Seehowhebrandisheshisstickandholdsuphishead！"

"Oh，butaren’tyoumakingfun？"saidGregory，lookingdoubtfullyfromhertotheKafferherd，whoroundedthekopje。

"No；Iamveryserious。HeisthemostinterestingandintelligentthingI

canseejustnow，except，perhaps，Doss。Heisprofoundlysuggestive。

Willhisracemeltawayintheheatofacollisionwithahigher？Arethemenofthefuturetoseehisbonesonlyinmuseums——avestigeofonelinkthatspannedbetweenthedogandthewhiteman？Hewakesthoughtsthatrunfaroutintothefutureandbackintothepast。"

Gregorywasnotquitesurehowtotaketheseremarks。BeingaboutaKaffer，theyappearedtobeofthenatureofajoke；but，beingseriouslyspoken，theyappearedearnest；sohehalflaughedandhalfnot，tobeonthesafeside。

"I’veoftenthoughtsomyself。It’sfunnyweshouldboththinkthesame；I

knewweshouldifoncewetalked。Butthereareotherthings——love，now，"

headded。"Iwonderifwewouldthinkalikeaboutthat。Iwroteanessayonloveonce；themastersaiditwasthebestIeverwrote，andIcanrememberthefirstsentencestill——’Loveissomethingthatyoufeelinyourheart。’"

"Thatwasatrenchantremark。Can’tyourememberanymore？"

"No，"saidGregory，regretfully；"I’veforgottentherest。Buttellmewhatdoyouthinkaboutlove？"

Alook，halfofabstraction，halfamusement，playedonherlips。

"Idon’tknowmuchaboutlove，"shesaid，"andIdonotliketotalkofthingsIdonotunderstand；butIhaveheardtwoopinions。Somesaythedevilcarriedtheseedfromhellandplanteditontheearthtoplaguemenandmakethemsin；andsomesay，thatwhenalltheplantsinthegardenofEdenwerepulledupbytheroots，onebushthattheangelsplantedwasleftgrowing，anditspreaditsseedoverthewholeearth，anditsnameislove。

Idonotknowwhichisright——perhapsboth。Therearedifferentspeciesthatgounderthesamename。Thereisalovethatbeginsinthehead，andgoesdowntotheheart，andgrowsslowly；butitlaststilldeath，andaskslessthanitgives。Thereisanotherlove，thatblotsoutwisdom，thatissweetwiththesweetnessoflifeandbitterwiththebitternessofdeath，lastingforanhour；butitisworthhavinglivedawholelifeforthathour。Icannottell，perhapstheoldmonkswererightwhentheytriedtorootloveout；perhapsthepoetsarerightwhentheytrytowaterit。Itisablood—redflower，withthecolourofsin；butthereisalwaysthescentofagodaboutit。"

Gregorywouldhavemadearemark；butshesaid，withoutnoticing：

"Thereareasmanykindsoflovesasthereareflowers；everlastingsthatneverwither；speedwellsthatwaitforthewindtofanthemoutoflife；

blood—redmountain—liliesthatpourtheirvoluptuoussweetnessoutforoneday，andlieinthedustatnight。Thereisnoflowerhasthecharmofall——thespeedwell’spurity，theeverlasting’sstrength，themountain—

lily’swarmth；butwhoknowswhetherthereisnolovethatholdsall——

friendship，passion，worship？

"Suchalove，"shesaid，inhersweetestvoice，"willfallonthesurfaceofstrong，cold，selfishlifeasthesunlightfallsonatorpidwinterworld；there，wherethetreesarebare，andthegroundfrozen，tillitringstothesteplikeiron，andthewaterissolid，andtheairissharpasatwo—edgedknifethatcutstheunwary。

"Butwhenitssunshinesonit，throughitswholedeadcrustathrobbingyearningwakes：thetreesfeelhim，andeveryknotandbudswell，achingtoopentohim。Thebrownseeds，whohavesleptdeepundertheground，feelhim，andhegivesthemstrength，tilltheybreakthroughthefrozenearth，andlifttwotiny，tremblinggreenhandsinlovetohim。Andhetouchesthewater，tilldowntoitsdepthsitfeelshimandmelts，anditflows，andthethings，strangesweetthingsthatwerelockedupinit，itsingsasitruns，forloveofhim。Eachplanttriestobearatleastonefragrantlittleflowerforhim；andtheworldthatwasdeadlives，andtheheartthatwasdeadandself—centredthrobs，withanupward，outwardyearning，andithasbecomethatwhichitseemedimpossibleevertobecome。

There，doesthatsatisfyyou？"sheasked，lookingdownatGregory。"Isthathowyoulikemetotalk？"

"Oh，yes，"saidGregory，"thatiswhatIhavealreadythought。Wehavethesamethoughtsabouteverything。Howstrange！"

"Very，"saidLyndall，workingwithherlittletoeatastoneinthegroundbeforeher。