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！\"