viously，standinginahalf—defiantposture，hersleevesrolledaboveherelbowsandherfaceflushedwithheatandexcitement。AfterFred’sthirdmissilehadrungupontherocksbelow，shesnatchedupastoneandsteppedim—
patientlyoutontheledgeinfrontofhim。Hecaughtherbytheelbowsandpulledherback。
\"Notsoclose，yousilly！You’llspinyourselfoffinaminute。\"
\"Youwentthatclose。There’syourheel—mark，\"sheretorted。
\"Well，Iknowhow。Thatmakesadifference。\"Hedrewamarkinthedustwithhistoe。\"There，that’sright。
Don’tstepoverthat。Pivotyourselfonyourspine，andmakeahalfturn。Whenyou’veswungyourlength，letitgo。\"
Theasettledtheflatpieceofrockbetweenherwristandfingers，facedthecliffwall，stretchedherarminposition，whirledroundonherleftfoottothefullstretchofherbody，andletthemissilespinoutoverthegulf。Shehungexpectantlyintheair，forgettingtodrawbackherarm，hereyesfollowingthestoneasifitcarriedherfortuneswithit。Hercomradewatchedher；thereweren’tmany
girlswhocouldshowalinelikethatfromthetoetothethigh，fromtheshouldertothetipoftheoutstretchedhand。Thestonespentitselfandbegantofall。Theadrewbackandstruckherkneefuriouslywithherpalm。
\"Thereitgoesagain！Notnearlysofarasyours。WhatISthematterwithme？Givemeanother。\"Shefacedthecliffandwhirledagain。Thestonespunout，notquitesofarasbefore。
Ottenburglaughed。\"WhydoyoukeeponworkingAFTERyou’vethrownit？Youcan’thelpitalongthen。\"
Withoutreplying，Theastoopedandselectedanotherstone，tookadeepbreathandmadeanotherturn。Fredwatchedthedisk，exclaiming，\"Goodgirl！Yougotpastthepinethattime。That’sagoodthrow。\"
Shetookoutherhandkerchiefandwipedherglowingfaceandthroat，pausingtofeelherrightshoulderwithherlefthand。
\"Ah——ha，you’vemadeyourselfsore，haven’tyou？
WhatdidItellyou？Yougoatthingstoohard。I’lltellyouwhatI’mgoingtodo，Thea，\"Freddustedhishandsandbegantuckingintheblouseofhisshirt，\"I’mgoingtomakesomesingle—sticksandteachyoutofence。You’dbeallrightthere。You’relightandquickandyou’vegotlotsofdriveinyou。I’dliketohaveyoucomeatmewithfoils；
you’dlooksofierce，\"hechuckled。
Sheturnedawayfromhimandstubbornlysentoutanotherstone，hangingintheairafteritsflight。HerfuryamusedFred，whotookallgameslightlyandplayedthemwell。Shewasbreathinghard，andlittlebeadsofmoisturehadgatheredonherupperlip。Heslippedhisarmabouther。\"Ifyouwilllookasprettyasthat——\"hebenthisheadandkissedher。Theawasstartled，gavehimanangrypush，droveathimwithherfreehandinamannerquitehostile。Fredwasonhismettleinaninstant。Hepinnedbothherarmsdownandkissedherresolutely。
Whenhereleasedher，sheturnedawayandspokeover
hershoulder。\"Thatwasmeanofyou，butIsupposeI
deservedwhatIgot。\"
\"Ishouldsayyoudiddeserveit，\"Fredpanted，\"turningsavageonmelikethat！Ishouldsayyoudiddeserveit！\"
Hesawhershouldersharden。\"Well，IjustsaidIde—
servedit，didn’tI？Whatmoredoyouwant？\"
\"Iwantyoutotellmewhyyouflewatmelikethat！
Youweren’tplaying；youlookedasifyou’dliketomurderme。\"
Shebrushedbackherhairimpatiently。\"Ididn’tmeananything，really。YouinterruptedmewhenIwaswatchingthestone。Ican’tjumpfromonethingtoanother。Ipushedyouwithoutthinking。\"
Fredthoughtherbackexpressedcontrition。Hewentuptoher，stoodbehindherwithhischinabovehershoul—
der，andsaidsomethinginherear。Thealaughedandturnedtowardhim。Theyleftthestone—pilecarelessly，asiftheyhadneverbeeninterestedinit，roundedtheyellowtower，anddisappearedintothesecondturnofthecanyon，wherethedeadcity，interruptedbythejuttingpromon—
tory，beganagain。
OldBiltmerhadbeensomewhatembarrassedbytheturnthegamehadtaken。Hehadnotheardtheirconver—
sation，butthepantomimeagainsttherockswasclearenough。Whenthetwoyoungpeopledisappeared，theirhostretreatedrapidlytowardtheheadofthecanyon。
\"Iguessthatyoungladycantakecareofherself，\"hechuckled。\"YoungFred，though，hehasquiteawaywiththem。\"
VI
DAYwasbreakingoverPantherCanyon。Thegulfwascoldandfullofheavy，purplishtwilight。Thewoodsmokewhichdriftedfromoneofthecliff—houseshunginabluescarfacrossthechasm，untilthedraftcaughtitandwhirleditaway。Theawascrouchinginthedoorwayofherrockhouse，whileOttenburglookedafterthecracklingfireinthenextcave。Hewaswaitingforittoburndowntocoalsbeforeheputthecoffeeontoboil。
Theyhadlefttheranchhousethatmorningalittleafterthreeo’clock，havingpackedtheircampequipmentthedaybefore，andhadcrossedtheopenpasturelandwiththeirlanternwhilethestarswerestillbright。Duringthedescentintothecanyonbylantern—light，theywerechilledthroughtheircoatsandsweaters。Thelanterncreptslowlyalongtherocktrail，wheretheheavyairseemedtoofferresistance。Thevoiceofthestreamatthebottomofthegorgewashollowandthreatening，muchlouderanddeeperthaniteverwasbyday——anothervoicealtogether。Thesullennessoftheplaceseemedtosaythattheworldcouldgetonverywellwithoutpeople，redorwhite；thatunderthehumanworldtherewasageologicalworld，conductingitssilent，immenseoperationswhichwereindifferenttoman。Theahadoftenseenthedesertsunrise，——alight—
heartedaffair，wherethesunspringsoutofbedandtheworldisgoldeninaninstant。Butthiscanyonseemedtowakenlikeanoldman，withrheumandstiffnessofthejoints，withheaviness，andadull，malignantmind。Shecrouchedagainstthewallwhilethestarsfaded，andthoughtwhatcouragetheearlyracesmusthavehadtoenduresomuchforthelittletheygotoutoflife。
Atlastakindofhopefulnessbrokeintheair。Inamo—
mentthepinetreesupontheedgeoftherimwereflashingwithcopperyfire。Thethinredcloudswhichhungabovetheirpointedtopsbegantoboilandmoverapidly，weavinginandoutlikesmoke。Theswallowsdartedoutoftheirrockhousesasatasignal，andflewupward，towardtherim。Littlebrownbirdsbegantochirpinthebushesalongthewatercoursedownatthebottomoftheravine，whereeverythingwasstillduskyandpale。Atfirstthegoldenlightseemedtohanglikeawaveupontherimofthecan—
yon；thetreesandbushesupthere，whichonescarcelynoticedatnoon，stoodoutmagnifiedbytheslantingrays。
Long，thinstreaksoflightbegantoreachquiveringlydownintothecanyon。Theredsunroserapidlyabovethetopsoftheblazingpines，anditsglowburstintothegulf，abouttheverydoorsteponwhichTheasat。Itboredintothewet，darkunderbrush。Thedrippingcherrybushes，thepaleaspens，andthefrostyPINONSwereglitteringandtrembling，swimmingintheliquidgold。Allthepale，dustylittleherbsofthebeanfamily，neverseenbyanyonebutabotanist，becameforamomentindividualandimport—
ant，theirsilkyleavesquitebeautifulwithdewandlight。
Thearchofskyoverhead，heavyasleadalittlewhilebe—
fore，lifted，becamemoreandmoretransparent，andonecouldlookupintodepthsofpearlyblue。
Thesavorofcoffeeandbaconmingledwiththesmellofwetcedarsdrying，andFredcalledtoTheathathewasreadyforher。Theysatdowninthedoorwayofhiskitchen，withthewarmthofthelivecoalsbehindthemandthesunlightontheirfaces，andbegantheirbreakfast，Mrs。Biltmer’sthickcoffeecupsandthecreambottlebetweenthem，thecoffee—potandfrying—panconvenientlykeepinghotamongtheembers。
\"Ithoughtyouweregoingbackonthewholeproposi—
tion，Thea，whenyouwerecrawlingalongwiththatlan—
tern。Icouldn’tgetawordoutofyou。\"
\"Iknow。Iwascoldandhungry，andIdidn’tbelieve
therewasgoingtobeanymorning，anyway。Didn’tyoufeelqueer，atall？\"
Fredsquintedabovehissmokingcup。\"Well，Iamneverstrongforgettingupbeforethesun。Theworldlooksunfurnished。WhenIfirstlitthefireandhadasquarelookatyou，IthoughtI’dgotthewronggirl。Pale，grim——
youwereasight！\"
Thealeanedbackintotheshadowoftherockroomandwarmedherhandsoverthecoals。\"Itwasdismalenough。
Howwarmthesewallsare，allthewayround；andyourbreakfastissogood。I’mallrightnow，Fred。\"
\"Yes，you’reallrightnow。\"Fredlitacigaretteandlookedathercriticallyasherheademergedintothesunagain。\"Yougetupeverymorningjustalittlebithand—
somerthanyouwerethedaybefore。I’dloveyoujustasmuchifyouwerenotturningintooneoftheloveliestwo—
menI’veeverseen；butyouare，andthat’safacttobereckonedwith。\"Hewatchedheracrossthethinlineofsmokeheblewfromhislips。\"Whatareyougoingtodowithallthatbeautyandallthattalent，MissKronborg？\"
Sheturnedawaytothefireagain。\"Idon’tknowwhatyou’retalkingabout，\"shemutteredwithanawkwardnesswhichdidnotconcealherpleasure。
Ottenburglaughedsoftly。\"Oh，yes，youdo！Nobodybetter！You’reacloseone，butyougiveyourselfawaysometimes，likeeverybodyelse。Doyouknow，I’vede—
cidedthatyouneverdoasinglethingwithoutanulteriormotive。\"Hethrewawayhiscigarette，tookouthistobacco—pouchandbegantofillhispipe。\"Yourideandfenceandwalkandclimb，butIknowthatallthewhileyou’regettingsomewhereinyourmind。Allthesethingsareinstruments；andI，too，amaninstrument。\"Helookedupintimetointerceptaquick，startledglancefromThea。
\"Oh，Idon’tmind，\"hechuckled；\"notabit。Everywoman，everyinterestingwoman，hasulteriormotives，manyof’emlesscreditablethanyours。It’syourconstancy
thatamusesme。Youmusthavebeendoingiteversinceyouweretwofeethigh。\"
Thealookedslowlyupathercompanion’sgood—humoredface。Hiseyes，sometimestoorestlessandsympatheticintown，hadgrownsteadierandclearerintheopenair。Hisshortcurlybeardandyellowhairhadreddenedinthesunandwind。Thepleasantvigorofhispersonwasalwaysdelightfultoher，somethingtosignaltoandlaughwithinaworldofnegativepeople。WithFredshewasneverbe—
calmed。Therewasalwayslifeintheair，alwayssomethingcomingandgoing，arhythmoffeelingandaction，——
strongerthanthenaturalaccordofyouth。Asshelookedathim，leaningagainstthesunnywall，shefeltadesiretobefrankwithhim。Shewasnotwillfullyholdinganythingback。But，ontheotherhand，shecouldnotforcethingsthatheldthemselvesback。\"Yes，itwaslikethatwhenI
waslittle，\"shesaidatlast。\"Ihadtobeclose，asyoucallit，orgounder。ButIdidn’tknowIhadbeenlikethatsinceyoucame。I’vehadnothingtobecloseabout。I
haven’tthoughtaboutanythingbuthavingagoodtimewithyou。I’vejustdrifted。\"
Fredblewatrailofsmokeoutintothebreezeandlookedknowing。\"Yes，youdriftlikearifleball，mydear。It’syour——yourdirectionthatIlikebestofall。Mostfellowswouldn’t，youknow。I’munusual。\"
Theybothlaughed，butTheafrownedquestioningly。
\"Whywouldn’tmostfellows？Otherfellowshavelikedme。\"
\"Yes，seriousfellows。Youtoldmeyourselftheywereallold，orsolemn。Butjollyfellowswanttobethewholetarget。Theywouldsayyouwereallbrainandmuscle；
thatyouhavenofeeling。\"
Sheglancedathimsidewise。\"Oh，theywould，wouldthey？\"
\"Ofcoursetheywould，\"Fredcontinuedblandly。\"Jollyfellowshavenoimagination。Theywanttobetheanimat—
ingforce。Whentheyarenotaround，theywantagirltobe——extinct，\"hewavedhishand。\"OldfellowslikeMr。
Nathanmeyerunderstandyourkind；butamongtheyoungones，youareratherluckytohavefoundme。EvenI
wasn’talwayssowise。I’vehadmytimeofthinkingitwouldnotboremetobetheApolloofahomeyflat，andI’vepaidoutatrifletolearnbetter。Allthosethingsgetverytediousunlesstheyarehookedupwithanideaofsomesort。It’sbecauseweDON’Tcomeouthereonlytolookateachotheranddrinkcoffeethatit’ssopleasantto——lookateachother。\"Freddrewonhispipeforawhile，studyingThea’sabstraction。Shewasstaringupatthefarwallofthecanyonwithatroubledexpressionthatdrewhereyesnarrowandhermouthhard。Herhandslayinherlap，oneovertheother，thefingersinterlacing。\"Suppose，\"
Fredcameoutatlength，——\"supposeIweretoofferyouwhatmostoftheyoungmenIknowwouldofferagirlthey’dbeensittingupnightsabout：acomfortableflatinChicago，asummercampupinthewoods，musicaleven—
ings，andafamilytobringup。Woulditlookattractivetoyou？\"
Theasatupstraightandstaredathiminalarm，glaredintohiseyes。\"Perfectlyhideous！\"sheexclaimed。
Freddroppedbackagainsttheoldstoneworkandlaugheddeepinhischest。\"Well，don’tbefrightened。I
won’tofferthem。You’renotanest—buildingbird。YouknowIalwayslikedyoursong，`Meforthejoltofthebreakers！’Iunderstand。\"
Sheroseimpatientlyandwalkedtotheedgeofthecliff。
\"It’snotthatsomuch。It’swakingupeverymorningwiththefeelingthatyourlifeisyourown，andyourstrengthisyourown，andyourtalentisyourown；thatyou’reallthere，andthere’snosaginyou。\"Shestoodforamomentasifsheweretorturedbyuncertainty，thenturnedsuddenlybacktohim。\"Don’ttalkaboutthesethingsanymorenow，\"sheentreated。\"Itisn’tthatI
wanttokeepanythingfromyou。ThetroubleisthatI’vegotnothingtokeep——except（youknowaswellasI）thatfeeling。ItoldyouaboutitinChicagoonce。Butitalwaysmakesmeunhappytotalkaboutit。Itwillspoiltheday。
Willyougoforaclimbwithme？\"SheheldoutherhandswithasmilesoeagerthatitmadeOttenburgfeelhowmuchsheneededtogetawayfromherself。
Hesprangupandcaughtthehandssheputoutsocor—
dially，andstoodswingingthembackandforth。\"Iwon’tteaseyou。Aword’senoughtome。ButIloveit，allthesame。Understand？\"Hepressedherhandsanddroppedthem。\"Now，whereareyougoingtodragme？\"
\"Iwantyoutodragme。Overthere，totheotherhouses。
Theyaremoreinterestingthanthese。\"Shepointedacrossthegorgetotherowofwhitehousesintheothercliff。
\"Thetrailisbrokenaway，butIgotupthereonce。It’spossible。Youhavetogotothebottomofthecanyon，crossthecreek，andthengouphand—over—hand。\"
Ottenburg，loungingagainstthesunnywall，hishandsinthepocketsofhisjacket，lookedacrossatthedistantdwell—
ings。\"It’sanawfulclimb，\"hesighed，\"whenIcouldbeperfectlyhappyherewithmypipe。However——\"HetookuphisstickandhatandfollowedTheadownthewatertrail。\"Doyouclimbthispatheveryday？Yousurelyearnyourbath。Iwentdownandhadalookatyourpooltheotherafternoon。Neatplace，withallthoselittlecottonwoods。Mustbeverybecoming。\"
\"Thinkso？\"Theasaidoverhershoulder，assheswungroundaturn。
\"Yes，andsodoyou，evidently。I’mbecomingexpertatreadingyourmeaninginyourback。I’mbehindyousomuchonthesesingle—foottrails。Youdon’twearstays，doyou？\"
\"Nothere。\"
\"Iwouldn’t，anywhere，ifIwereyou。Theywillmakeyoulesselastic。Thesidemusclesgetflabby。Ifyougoin
foropera，there’safortuneinaflexiblebody。MostoftheGermansingersareclumsy，evenwhenthey’rewellsetup。\"
TheaswitchedaPINONbranchbackathim。\"Oh，I’llnevergetfat！ThatIcanpromiseyou。\"
Fredsmiled，lookingafterher。\"Keepthatpromise，nomatterhowmanyothersyoubreak，\"hedrawled。
Theupwardclimb，aftertheyhadcrossedthestream，wasatfirstabreathlessscramblethroughunderbrush。
Whentheyreachedthebigboulders，Ottenburgwentfirstbecausehehadthelongerleg—reach，andgaveTheaahandwhenthestepwasquitebeyondher，swingingherupuntilshecouldgetafoothold。Atlasttheyreachedalittleplat—
formamongtherocks，withonlyahundredfeetofjagged，slopingwallbetweenthemandthecliff—houses。
Ottenburglaydownunderapinetreeanddeclaredthathewasgoingtohaveapipebeforehewentanyfarther。
\"It’sagoodthingtoknowwhentostop，Thea，\"hesaidmeaningly。
\"I’mnotgoingtostopnowuntilIgetthere，\"Theain—
sisted。\"I’llgoonalone。\"
Fredsettledhisshoulderagainstthetree—trunk。\"Goonifyoulike，butI’mheretoenjoymyself。Ifyoumeetarattlerontheway，haveitoutwithhim。\"
Shehesitated，fanningherselfwithherfelthat。\"Ineverhavemetone。\"
\"There’sreasoningforyou，\"Fredmurmuredlanguidly。
Theaturnedawayresolutelyandbegantogoupthewall，usinganirregularcleftintherockforapath。Thecliff，whichlookedalmostperpendicularfromthebottom，wasreallymadeupofledgesandboulders，andbehindtheseshesoondisappeared。ForalongwhileFredsmokedwithhalf—closedeyes，smilingtohimselfnowandagain。
Occasionallyheliftedaneyebrowasheheardtherattleofsmallstonesamongtherocksabove。\"Inatemper，\"heconcluded；\"dohergood。\"Thenhesubsidedintowarmdrowsinessandlistenedtothelocustsintheyuccas，and
thetap—tapoftheoldwoodpeckerthatwasneverwearyofassaultingthebigpine。
Fredhadfinishedhispipeandwaswonderingwhetherhewantedanother，whenheheardacallfromtheclifffarabovehim。Lookingup，hesawTheastandingontheedgeofaprojectingcrag。Shewavedtohimandthrewherarmoverherhead，asifsheweresnappingherfingersintheair。
Ashesawhertherebetweentheskyandthegulf，withthatgreatwashofairandthemorninglightabouther，FredrecalledthebrilliantfigureatMrs。Nathanmeyer’s。
Theawasoneofthosepeoplewhoemerge，unexpectedly，largerthanweareaccustomedtoseethem。Evenatthisdistanceonegottheimpressionofmuscularenergyandaudacity，——akindofbrilliancyofmotion，——ofaperson—
alitythatcarriedacrossbigspacesandexpandedamongbigthings。Lyingstill，withhishandsunderhishead，Ottenburgrhetoricallyaddressedthefigureintheair。
\"YouarethesortthatusedtorunwildinGermany，dressedintheirhairandapieceofskin。Soldierscaught’eminnets。OldNathanmeyer，\"hemused，\"wouldlikeapeepathernow。Knowingoldfellow。AlwaysbuyingthoseZornetchingsofpeasantgirlsbathing。Nosaginthemeither。Mustbethecoldclimate。\"Hesatup。
\"She’llbegintopitchrocksonmeifIdon’tmove。\"Inresponsetoanotherimpatientgesturefromthecrag，heroseandbeganswingingslowlyupthetrail。
Itwastheafternoonofthatlongday。Theawaslyingonablanketinthedoorofherrockhouse。SheandOtten—
burghadcomebackfromtheirclimbandhadlunch，andhehadgoneoffforanapinoneofthecliff—housesfartherdownthepath。Hewassleepingpeacefully，hiscoatunderhisheadandhisfaceturnedtowardthewall。
Thea，too，wasdrowsy，andlaylookingthroughhalf—
closedeyesupattheblazingbluearchovertherimofthecanyon。Shewasthinkingofnothingatall。Hermind，like
herbody，wasfullofwarmth，lassitude，physicalcontent。
Suddenlyaneagle，tawnyandofgreatsize，sailedoverthecleftinwhichshelay，acrossthearchofsky。Hedroppedforamomentintothegulfbetweenthewalls，thenwheeled，andmounteduntilhisplumagewassosteepedinlightthathelookedlikeagoldenbird。Heswepton，followingthecourseofthecanyonalittlewayandthendisappearingbeyondtherim。Theasprangtoherfeetasifshehadbeenthrownupfromtherockbyvolcanicaction。Shestoodrigidontheedgeofthestoneshelf，straininghereyesafterthatstrong，tawnyflight。Oeagleofeagles！Endeavor，achievement，desire，gloriousstrivingofhumanart！Fromacleftintheheartoftheworldshesalutedit……Ithadcomealltheway；whenmenlivedincaves，itwasthere。
Avanishedrace；butalongthetrails，inthestream，underthespreadingcactus，therestillglitteredinthesunthebitsoftheirfrailclayvessels，fragmentsoftheirdesire。
VII
FROMthedayofFred’sarrival，heandTheawereunceasinglyactive。TheytooklongridesintotheNavajopineforests，boughtturquoisesandsilverbrace—
letsfromthewanderingIndianherdsmen，androdetwentymilestoFlagstaffupontheslightestpretext。Theahadneverfeltthispleasantexcitementaboutanymanbefore，andshefoundherselftryingveryhardtopleaseyoungOttenburg。Shewasnevertired，neverdull。Therewasazestaboutwakingupinthemorninganddressing，aboutwalking，riding，evenaboutsleep。
OnemorningwhenTheacameoutfromherroomatseveno’clock，shefoundHenryandFredontheporch，lookingupatthesky。Thedaywasalreadyhotandtherewasnobreeze。Thesunwasshining，butheavybrowncloudswerehanginginthewest，likethesmokeofafor—
estfire。SheandFredhadmeanttoridetoFlagstaffthatmorning，butBiltmeradvisedagainstit，foretellingastorm。Afterbreakfasttheylingeredaboutthehouse，waitingfortheweathertomakeupitsmind。Fredhadbroughthisguitar，andastheyhadthedining—roomtothemselves，hemadeTheagooversomesongswithhim。
TheygotinterestedandkeptitupuntilMrs。Biltmercametosetthetablefordinner。OttenburgknewsomeoftheMexicanthingsSpanishJohnnyusedtosing。TheahadneverbeforehappenedtotellhimaboutSpanishJohnny，andheseemedmoreinterestedinJohnnythaninDr。ArchieorWunsch。
Afterdinnertheyweretoorestlesstoenduretheranchhouseanylonger，andranawaytothecanyontopracticewithsingle—sticks。Fredcarriedaslickerandasweater，andhemadeTheawearoneoftherubberhatsthathungin
Biltmer’sgun—room。Astheycrossedthepasturelandtheclumsyslickerkeptcatchinginthelacingsofhisleggings。
\"Whydon’tyoudropthatthing？\"Theaasked。\"I
won’tmindashower。I’vebeenwetbefore。\"
\"Nousetakingchances。\"
Fromthecanyontheywereunabletowatchthesky，sinceonlyastripofthezenithwasvisible。Theflatledgeaboutthewatch—towerwastheonlylevelspotlargeenoughforsingle—stickexercise，andtheywerestillpracticingtherewhen，ataboutfouro’clock，atremendousrollofthunderechoedbetweenthecliffsandtheatmospheresuddenlybecamethick。
Fredthrustthesticksinacleftintherock。\"We’reinforit，Thea。Bettermakeforyourcavewherethereareblankets。\"Hecaughtherelbowandhurriedheralongthepathbeforethecliff—houses。Theymadethehalf—mileataquicktrot，andastheyrantherocksandtheskyandtheairbetweenthecliffsturnedaturbidgreen，likethecolorinamossagate。Whentheyreachedtheblanketedrockroom，theylookedateachotherandlaughed。Theirfaceshadtakenonagreenishpallor。Thea’shair，even，wasgreen。
\"Darkaspitchinhere，\"Fredexclaimedastheyhurriedovertheoldrockdoorstep。\"Butit’swarm。Therocksholdtheheat。It’sgoingtobeterriblycoldoutside，allright。\"Hewasinterruptedbyadeafeningpealofthunder。
\"Lord，whatanecho！Luckyyoudon’tmind。It’sworthwatchingoutthere。Weneedn’tcomeinyet。\"
Thegreenlightgrewmurkierandmurkier。Thesmallervegetationwasblottedout。Theyuccas，thecedars，andPINONSstooddarkandrigid，likebronze。Theswallowsflewupwithsharp，terrifiedtwitterings。Eventhequak—
ingaspswerestill。WhileFredandTheawatchedfromthedoorway，thelightchangedtopurple。Cloudsofdarkvapor，likechlorinegas，begantofloatdownfromtheheadofthecanyonandhungbetweenthemandthecliff—houses
intheoppositewall。Beforetheyknewit，thewallitselfhaddisappeared。Theairwaspositivelyvenomous—looking，andgrewcoldereveryminute。Thethunderseemedtocrashagainstonecliff，thenagainsttheother，andtogoshriekingoffintotheinnercanyon。