ItookawalkonSpaulding\'sFarmtheotherafternoon。Isawthesettingsunlightinguptheoppositesideofastatelypinewood。
Itsgoldenraysstraggledintotheaislesofthewoodasintosomenoblehall。IwasimpressedasifsomeancientandaltogetheradmirableandshiningfamilyhadsettledthereinthatpartofthelandcalledConcord,unknowntome,——towhomthesunwasservant,——
whohadnotgoneintosocietyinthevillage,——whohadnotbeencalledon。Isawtheirpark,theirpleasure—ground,beyondthroughthewood,inSpaulding\'scranberry—meadow。Thepinesfurnishedthemwithgablesastheygrew。Theirhousewasnotobvioustovision;
theirtreesgrewthroughit。IdonotknowwhetherIheardthesoundsofasuppressedhilarityornot。Theyseemedtoreclineonthesunbeams。Theyhavesonsanddaughters。Theyarequitewell。Thefarmer\'scart—path,whichleadsdirectlythroughtheirhall,doesnotintheleastputthemout,——asthemuddybottomofapoolissometimesseenthroughthereflectedskies。TheyneverheardofSpaulding,anddonotknowthatheistheirneighbor,——notwithstandingIheardhimwhistleashedrovehisteamthroughthehouse。Nothingcanequaltheserenityoftheirlives。Theircoatofarmsissimplyalichen。
Isawitpaintedonthepinesandoaks。Theiratticswereinthetopsofthetrees。Theyareofnopolitics。Therewasnonoiseoflabor。
Ididnotperceivethattheywereweavingorspinning。YetIdiddetect,whenthewindlulledandhearingwasdoneaway,thefinestimaginablesweetmusicalhum,——asofadistanthiveinMay,whichperchancewasthesoundoftheirthinking。Theyhadnoidlethoughts,andnoonewithoutcouldseetheirwork,fortheirindustrywasnotasinknotsandexcrescencesembayed。
ButIfinditdifficulttorememberthem。TheyfadeirrevocablyoutofmymindevennowwhileIspeakandendeavortorecallthem,andrecollectmyself。ItisonlyafteralongandseriousefforttorecollectmybestthoughtsthatIbecomeagainawareoftheircohabitancy。Ifitwerenotforsuchfamiliesasthis,IthinkI
shouldmoveoutofConcord。
Thoreau:\"WALKING。\"
CHAPTERI
THELIBRARY
IhadjustfinishedmystudiesatOxford,andwastakingabriefholidayfromworkbeforeassumingdefinitelythemanagementoftheestate。MyfatherdiedwhenIwasyetachild;mymotherfollowedhimwithinayear;andIwasnearlyasmuchaloneintheworldasamanmightfindhimself。
Ihadmadelittleacquaintancewiththehistoryofmyancestors。
AlmosttheonlythingIknewconcerningthemwas,thatanotablenumberofthemhadbeengiventostudy。Ihadmyselfsofarinheritedthetendencyastodevoteagooddealofmytime,though,Iconfess,afterasomewhatdesultoryfashion,tothephysicalsciences。Itwaschieflythewondertheywokethatdrewme。Iwasconstantlyseeing,andontheoutlooktosee,strangeanalogies,notonlybetweenthefactsofdifferentsciencesofthesameorder,orbetweenphysicalandmetaphysicalfacts,butbetweenphysicalhypothesesandsuggestionsglimmeringoutofthemetaphysicaldreamsintowhichIwasinthehabitoffalling。Iwasatthesametimemuchgiventoaprematureindulgenceoftheimpulsetoturnhypothesisintotheory。Ofmymentalpeculiaritiesthereisnooccasiontosaymore。
Thehouseaswellasthefamilywasofsomeantiquity,butnodescriptionofitisnecessarytotheunderstandingofmynarrative。
Itcontainedafinelibrary,whosegrowthbeganbeforetheinventionofprinting,andhadcontinuedtomyowntime,greatlyinfluenced,ofcourse,bychangesoftasteandpursuit。Nothingsurelycanmoreimpressuponamanthetransitorynatureofpossessionthanhissucceedingtoanancientproperty！Likeamovingpanoramaminehaspassedfrombeforemanyeyes,andisnowslowlyflittingfrombeforemyown。
Thelibrary,althoughdulyconsideredinmanyalterationsofthehouseandadditionstoit,hadnevertheless,likeanencroachingstate,absorbedoneroomafteranotheruntilitoccupiedthegreaterpartofthegroundfloor。Itschiefroomwaslarge,andthewallsofitwerecoveredwithbooksalmosttotheceiling;theroomsintowhichitoverflowedwereofvarioussizesandshapes,andcommunicatedinmodesasvarious——bydoors,byopenarches,byshortpassages,bystepsupandstepsdown。
InthegreatroomImainlyspentmytime,readingbooksofscience,oldaswellasnew;forthehistoryofthehumanmindinrelationtosupposedknowledgewaswhatmostofallinterestedme。Ptolemy,Dante,thetwoBacons,andBoylewereevenmoretomethanDarwinorMaxwell,assomuchnearerthevanishedvanbreakingintothedarkofignorance。
IntheeveningofagloomydayofAugustIwassittinginmyusualplace,mybacktooneofthewindows,reading。Ithadrainedthegreaterpartofthemorningandafternoon,butjustasthesunwassetting,thecloudspartedinfrontofhim,andheshoneintotheroom。Iroseandlookedoutofthewindow。Inthecentreofthegreatlawnthefeatheringtopofthefountaincolumnwasfilledwithhisredglory。Iturnedtoresumemyseat,whenmyeyewascaughtbythesamegloryontheonepictureintheroom——aportrait,inasortofnicheorlittleshrinesunkforitintheexpanseofbook—filledshelves。Iknewitasthelikenessofoneofmyancestors,buthadneverevenwonderedwhyithungtherealone,andnotinthegallery,oroneofthegreatrooms,amongtheotherfamilyportraits。Thedirectsunlightbroughtoutthepaintingwonderfully;forthefirsttimeIseemedtoseeit,andforthefirsttimeitseemedtorespondtomylook。Withmyeyesfullofthelightreflectedfromit,something,Icannottellwhat,mademeturnandcastaglancetothefartherendoftheroom,whenIsaw,orseemedtosee,atallfigurereachingupahandtoabookshelf。
Thenextinstant,myvisionapparentlyrectifiedbythecomparativedusk,Isawnoone,andconcludedthatmyopticnerveshadbeenmomentarilyaffectedfromwithin。
Iresumedmyreading,andwoulddoubtlesshaveforgottenthevague,evanescentimpression,haditnotbeenthat,havingoccasionamomentaftertoconsultacertainvolume,Ifoundbutagapintherowwhereitoughttohavestood,andthesameinstantrememberedthatjustthereIhadseen,orfanciedIsaw,theoldmaninsearchofabook。Ilookedallaboutthespotbutinvain。Thenextmorning,however,thereitwas,justwhereIhadthoughttofindit！
Iknewofnooneinthehouselikelytobeinterestedinsuchabook。
Threedaysafter,anotherandyetodderthingtookplace。
Inoneofthewallswasthelow,narrowdoorofacloset,containingsomeoftheoldestandrarestofthebooks。Itwasaverythickdoor,withaprojectingframe,andithadbeenthefancyofsomeancestortocrossitwithshallowshelves,filledwithbook—backsonly。Theharmlesstrickmaybeexcusedbythefactthatthetitlesontheshambackswereeitherhumorouslyoriginal,orthoseofbookslostbeyondhopeofrecovery。Ihadagreatlikingforthemaskeddoor。
Tocompletetheillusionofit,someinventiveworkmanapparentlyhadshovedin,onthetopofoneoftherows,apartofavolumethinenoughtoliebetweenitandthebottomofthenextshelf:
hehadcutawaydiagonallyaconsiderableportion,andfixedtheremnantwithoneofitsopencornersprojectingbeyondthebook—backs。Thebindingofthemutilatedvolumewaslimpvellum,andonecouldopenthecornerfarenoughtoseethatitwasmanuscriptuponparchment。
Happening,asIsatreading,toraisemyeyesfromthepage,myglancefelluponthisdoor,andatonceIsawthatthebookdescribed,ifbookitmaybecalled,wasgone。AngrierthananyworthIknewinitjustified,Irangthebell,andthebutlerappeared。WhenIaskedhimifheknewwhathadbefallenit,heturnedpale,andassuredmehedidnot。Icouldlesseasilydoubthiswordthanmyowneyes,forhehadbeenallhislifeinthefamily,andamorefaithfulservantneverlived。Heleftonmetheimpression,nevertheless,thathecouldhavesaidsomethingmore。
IntheafternoonIwasagainreadinginthelibrary,andcomingtoapointwhichdemandedreflection,Iloweredthebookandletmyeyesgowandering。ThesamemomentIsawthebackofaslenderoldman,inalong,darkcoat,shinyasfrommuchwear,intheactofdisappearingthroughthemaskeddoorintotheclosetbeyond。I
dartedacrosstheroom,foundthedoorshut,pulleditopen,lookedintothecloset,whichhadnootherissue,and,seeingnobody,concluded,notwithoutuneasiness,thatIhadhadarecurrenceofmyformerillusion,andsatdownagaintomyreading。
Naturally,however,Icouldnothelpfeelingalittlenervous,andpresentlyglancinguptoassuremyselfthatIwasindeedalone,startedagaintomyfeet,andrantothemaskeddoor——fortherewasthemutilatedvolumeinitsplace！Ilaidholdofitandpulled:itwasfirmlyfixedasusual！
Iwasnowutterlybewildered。Irangthebell;thebutlercame;
ItoldhimallIhadseen,andhetoldmeallheknew。
Hehadhoped,hesaid,thattheoldgentlemanwasgoingtobeforgotten;itwaswellnoonebutmyselfhadseenhim。Hehadheardagooddealabouthimwhenfirstheservedinthehouse,butbydegreeshehadceasedtobementioned,andhehadbeenverycarefulnottoalludetohim。
\"Theplacewashauntedbyanoldgentleman,wasit？\"Isaid。
Heansweredthatatonetimeeverybodybelievedit,butthefactthatIhadneverheardofitseemedtoimplythatthethinghadcometoanendandwasforgotten。
Iquestionedhimastowhathehadseenoftheoldgentleman。
Hehadneverseenhim,hesaid,althoughhehadbeeninthehousefromthedaymyfatherwaseightyearsold。Mygrandfatherwouldneverhearawordonthematter,declaringthatwhoeveralludedtoitshouldbedismissedwithoutamoment\'swarning:itwasnothingbutapretextofthemaids,hesaid,forrunningintothearmsofthemen！butoldSirRalphbelievedinnothinghecouldnotseeorlayholdof。Notoneofthemaidseversaidshehadseentheapparition,butafootmanhadlefttheplacebecauseofit。
AnancientwomaninthevillagehadtoldhimalegendconcerningaMr。Raven,longtimelibrarianto\"thatSirUpwardwhoseportraithangsthereamongthebooks。\"SirUpwardwasagreatreader,shesaid——notofsuchbooksonlyaswerewholesomeformentoread,butofstrange,forbidden,andevilbooks;andinsodoing,Mr。Raven,whowasprobablythedevilhimself,encouragedhim。Suddenlytheybothdisappeared,andSirUpwardwasneverafterseenorheardof,butMr。Ravencontinuedtoshowhimselfatuncertainintervalsinthelibrary。Thereweresomewhobelievedhewasnotdead;butbothheandtheoldwomanhelditeasiertobelievethatadeadmanmightrevisittheworldhehadleft,thanthatonewhowentonlivingforhundredsofyearsshouldbeamanatall。
HehadneverheardthatMr。Ravenmeddledwithanythinginthehouse,buthemightperhapsconsiderhimselfprivilegedinregardtothebooks。Howtheoldwomanhadlearnedsomuchabouthimhecouldnottell;butthedescriptionshegaveofhimcorrespondedexactlywiththefigureIhadjustseen。
\"Ihopeitwasbutafriendlycallonthepartoftheoldgentleman！\"
heconcluded,withatroubledsmile。
ItoldhimIhadnoobjectiontoanynumberofvisitsfromMr。Raven,butitwouldbewellheshouldkeeptohisresolutionofsayingnothingabouthimtotheservants。ThenIaskedhimifhehadeverseenthemutilatedvolumeoutofitsplace;heansweredthatheneverhad,andhadalwaysthoughtitafixture。Withthathewenttoit,andgaveitapull:itseemedimmovable。
CHAPTERII
THEMIRROR
Nothingmorehappenedforsomedays。Ithinkitwasaboutaweekafter,whenwhatIhavenowtotelltookplace。
Ihadoftenthoughtofthemanuscriptfragment,andrepeatedlytriedtodiscoversomewayofreleasingit,butinvain:Icouldnotfindoutwhathelditfast。
ButIhadforsometimeintendedathoroughoverhaulingofthebooksinthecloset,itsatmospherecausingmeuneasinessastotheircondition。Onedaytheintentionsuddenlybecamearesolve,andIwasintheactofrisingfrommychairtomakeabeginning,whenIsawtheoldlibrarianmovingfromthedooroftheclosettowardthefartherendoftheroom。IoughtrathertosayonlythatIcaughtsightofsomethingshadowyfromwhichIreceivedtheimpressionofaslight,stoopingman,inashabbydress—coatreachingalmosttohisheels,thetailsofwhich,dispartingalittleashewalked,revealedthinlegsinblackstockings,andlargefeetinwide,slipper—likeshoes。
AtonceIfollowedhim:Imightbefollowingashadow,butI
neverdoubtedIwasfollowingsomething。Hewentoutofthelibraryintothehall,andacrosstothefootofthegreatstaircase,thenupthestairstothefirstfloor,wherelaythechiefrooms。Pasttheserooms,Ifollowingclose,hecontinuedhisway,throughawidecorridor,tothefootofanarrowerstairleadingtothesecondfloor。Upthathewentalso,andwhenI
reachedthetop,strangeasitmayseem,Ifoundmyselfinaregionalmostunknowntome。Ineverhadbrotherorsistertoincitetosuchrompsasmakechildrenfamiliarwithnookandcranny;Iwasamerechildwhenmyguardiantookmeaway;andIhadneverseenthehouseagainuntil,aboutamonthbefore,Ireturnedtotakepossession。
Throughpassageafterpassagewecametoadooratthebottomofawindingwoodenstair,whichweascended。Everystepcreakedundermyfoot,butIheardnosoundfromthatofmyguide。SomewhereinthemiddleofthestairIlostsightofhim,andfromthetopofittheshadowyshapewasnowherevisible。IcouldnotevenimagineI
sawhim。Theplacewasfullofshadows,buthewasnotoneofthem。
Iwasinthemaingarret,withhugebeamsandraftersovermyhead,greatspacesaroundme,adoorhereandthereinsight,andlongvistaswhosegloomwasthinnedbyafewlurkingcobwebbedwindowsandsmallduskyskylights。Igazedwithastrangeminglingofaweandpleasure:thewideexpanseofgarretwasmyown,andunexplored！
Inthemiddleofitstoodanunpaintedinclosureofroughplanks,thedoorofwhichwasajar。ThinkingMr。Ravenmightbethere,I
pushedthedoor,andentered。
Thesmallchamberwasfulloflight,butsuchasdwellsinplacesdeserted:ithadadull,disconsolatelook,asifitfounditselfofnouse,andregrettedhavingcome。Afewratherdimsunrays,markingtheirtrackthroughthecloudofmotesthathadjustbeenstirredup,felluponatallmirrorwithadustyface,old—fashionedandrathernarrow——inappearanceanordinaryglass。Ithadanebonyframe,onthetopofwhichstoodablackeagle,withoutstretchedwings,inhisbeakagoldenchain,fromwhoseendhungablackball。
Ihadbeenlookingatratherthanintothemirror,whensuddenlyIbecameawarethatitreflectedneitherthechambernormyownperson。Ihaveanimpressionofhavingseenthewallmeltaway,butwhatfollowedisenoughtoaccountforanyuncertainty:——couldIhavemistakenforamirrortheglassthatprotectedawonderfulpicture？
Isawbeforemeawildcountry,brokenandheathy。Desolatehillsofnogreatheight,butsomehowofstrangeappearance,occupiedthemiddledistance;alongthehorizonstretchedthetopsofafar—offmountainrange;nearestmelayatractofmoorland,flatandmelancholy。
Beingshort—sighted,Isteppedclosertoexaminethetextureofastoneintheimmediateforeground,andintheactespied,hoppingtowardmewithsolemnity,alargeandancientraven,whosepurplyblackwashereandtheresoftenedwithgray。Heseemedlookingforwormsashecame。Nowiseastonishedattheappearanceofalivecreatureinapicture,Itookanotherstepforwardtoseehimbetter,stumbledoversomething——doubtlesstheframeofthemirror——
andstoodnosetobeakwiththebird:Iwasintheopenair,onahouselessheath！
CHAPTERIII
THERAVEN
Iturnedandlookedbehindme:allwasvagueanduncertain,aswhenonecannotdistinguishbetweenfogandfield,betweencloudandmountain—side。Onefactonlywasplain——thatIsawnothingIknew。
Imaginingmyselfinvolvedinavisualillusion,andthattouchwouldcorrectsight,Istretchedmyarmsandfeltaboutme,walkinginthisdirectionandthat,ifhaply,whereIcouldseenothing,I
mightyetcomeincontactwithsomething;butmysearchwasvain。
Instinctivelythen,astotheonlylivingthingnearme,Iturnedtotheraven,whichstoodalittlewayoff,regardingmewithanexpressionatoncerespectfulandquizzical。Thentheabsurdityofseekingcounselfromsuchaonestruckme,andIturnedagain,overwhelmedwithbewilderment,notunmingledwithfear。HadI
wanderedintoaregionwhereboththematerialandpsychicalrelationsofourworldhadceasedtohold？Mightamanatanymomentstepbeyondtherealmoforder,andbecomethesportofthelawless？YetIsawtheraven,feltthegroundundermyfeet,andheardasoundasofwindinthelowlyplantsaroundme！
\"HowDIDIgethere？\"Isaid——apparentlyaloud,forthequestionwasimmediatelyanswered。
\"Youcamethroughthedoor,\"repliedanodd,ratherharshvoice。
Ilookedbehind,thenallaboutme,butsawnohumanshape。Theterrorthatmadnessmightbeathandlaidholduponme:mustIhenceforthplacenoconfidenceeitherinmysensesormyconsciousness？ThesameinstantIknewitwastheraventhathadspoken,forhestoodlookingupatmewithanairofwaiting。Thesunwasnotshining,yetthebirdseemedtocastashadow,andtheshadowseemedpartofhimself。
Ibegmyreadertoaidmeintheendeavourtomakemyselfintelligible——ifhereunderstandingbeindeedpossiblebetweenus。
Iwasinaworld,orcallitastateofthings,aneconomyofconditions,anideaofexistence,solittlecorrespondentwiththewaysandmodesofthisworld——whichweareapttothinktheonlyworld,thatthebestchoiceIcanmakeofwordorphraseisbutanadumbrationofwhatIwouldconvey。IbeginindeedtofearthatIhaveundertakenanimpossibility,undertakentotellwhatI
cannottellbecausenospeechatmycommandwillfittheformsinmymind。AlreadyIhavesetdownstatementsIwouldgladlychangedidIknowhowtosubstituteatruerutterance;butasoftenasI
trytofittherealitywithnearerwords,Ifindmyselfindangeroflosingthethingsthemselves,andfeellikeoneinprocessofawakingfromadream,withthethingthatseemedfamiliargraduallyyetswiftlychangingthroughasuccessionofformsuntilitsverynatureisnolongerrecognisable。
Ibethoughtmethatabirdcapableofaddressingamanmusthavetherightofamantoacivilanswer;perhaps,asabird,evenagreaterclaim。
Atendencytocroakcausedacertainroughnessinhisspeech,buthisvoicewasnotdisagreeable,andwhathesaid,althoughconveyinglittleenlightenment,didnotsoundrude。
\"Ididnotcomethroughanydoor,\"Irejoined。
\"Isawyoucomethroughit！——sawyouwithmyownancienteyes！\"
assertedtheraven,positivelybutnotdisrespectfully。
\"Ineversawanydoor！\"Ipersisted。
\"Ofcoursenot！\"hereturned;\"allthedoorsyouhadyetseen——andyouhaven\'tseenmany——weredoorsin;hereyoucameuponadoorout！
Thestrangethingtoyou,\"hewentonthoughtfully,\"willbe,thatthemoredoorsyougooutof,thefartheryougetin！\"
\"ObligemebytellingmewhereIam。\"
\"Thatisimpossible。Youknownothingaboutwhereness。Theonlywaytocometoknowwhereyouareistobegintomakeyourselfathome。\"
\"HowamItobeginthatwhereeverythingissostrange？\"
\"Bydoingsomething。\"
\"What？\"
\"Anything;andthesooneryoubeginthebetter！foruntilyouareathome,youwillfinditasdifficulttogetoutasitistogetin。\"
\"Ihave,unfortunately,foundittooeasytogetin;onceoutI
shallnottryagain！\"
\"Youhavestumbledin,andmay,possibly,stumbleoutagain。WhetheryouhavegotinUNFORTUNATELYremainstobeseen。\"
\"Doyounevergoout,sir？\"
\"WhenIpleaseIdo,butnotoften,orforlong。Yourworldissuchahalf—bakedsortofplace,itisatoncesochildishandsoself—satisfied——infact,itisnotsufficientlydevelopedforanoldraven——atyourservice！\"
\"AmIwrong,then,inpresumingthatamanissuperiortoabird？\"
\"Thatisasitmaybe。Wedonotwasteourintellectsingeneralising,buttakemanorbirdaswefindhim。——Ithinkitisnowmyturntoaskyouaquestion！\"
\"Youhavethebestofrights,\"Ireplied,\"inthefactthatyouCANdoso！\"
\"Wellanswered！\"herejoined。\"Tellme,then,whoyouare——ifyouhappentoknow。\"
\"HowshouldIhelpknowing？Iammyself,andmustknow！\"
\"Ifyouknowyouareyourself,youknowthatyouarenotsomebodyelse;butdoyouknowthatyouareyourself？Areyousureyouarenotyourownfather？——or,excuseme,yourownfool？——Whoareyou,pray？\"
IbecameatonceawarethatIcouldgivehimnonotionofwhoIwas。Indeed,whowasI？ItwouldbenoanswertosayIwaswho！
ThenIunderstoodthatIdidnotknowmyself,didnotknowwhatI
was,hadnogroundsonwhichtodeterminethatIwasoneandnotanother。AsforthenameIwentbyinmyownworld,Ihadforgottenit,anddidnotcaretorecallit,foritmeantnothing,andwhatitmightbewasplainlyofnoconsequencehere。Ihadindeedalmostforgottenthatthereitwasacustomforeverybodytohaveaname！
SoIheldmypeace,anditwasmywisdom;forwhatshouldIsaytoacreaturesuchasthisraven,whosawthroughaccidentintoentity？
\"Lookatme,\"hesaid,\"andtellmewhoIam。\"
Ashespoke,heturnedhisback,andinstantlyIknewhim。Hewasnolongeraraven,butamanabovethemiddleheightwithastoop,verythin,andwearingalongblacktail—coat。Againheturned,andIsawhimaraven。
\"Ihaveseenyoubefore,sir,\"Isaid,feelingfoolishratherthansurprised。
\"Howcanyousaysofromseeingmebehind？\"herejoined。\"Didyoueverseeyourselfbehind？Youhaveneverseenyourselfatall！
——Tellmenow,then,whoIam。\"
\"Ihumblybegyourpardon,\"Ianswered:\"Ibelieveyouwereoncethelibrarianofourhouse,butmoreWHOIdonotknow。\"
\"Whydoyoubegmypardon？\"
\"BecauseItookyouforaraven,\"Isaid——seeinghimbeforemeasplainlyaravenasbirdormancouldlook。
\"Youdidmenowrong,\"hereturned。\"Callingmearaven,orthinkingmeone,youallowedmeexistence,whichisthesumofwhatonecandemandofhisfellow—beings。Therefore,inreturn,Iwillgiveyoualesson:——Noonecansayheishimself,untilfirstheknowsthatheIS,andthenwhatHIMSELFis。Infact,nobodyishimself,andhimselfisnobody。Thereismoreinitthanyoucanseenow,butnotmorethanyouneedtosee。Youhave,Ifear,gotintothisregiontoosoon,butnonethelessyoumustgettobeathomeinit;forhome,asyoumayormaynotknow,istheonlyplacewhereyoucangooutandin。Thereareplacesyoucangointo,andplacesyoucangooutof;buttheoneplace,ifyoudobutfindit,whereyoumaygooutandinboth,ishome。\"
Heturnedtowalkaway,andagainIsawthelibrarian。Hedidnotappeartohavechanged,onlytohavetakenuphisshadow。Iknowthisseemsnonsense,butIcannothelpit。
IgazedafterhimuntilIsawhimnomore;butwhetherdistancehidhim,orhedisappearedamongtheheather,Icannottell。
CoulditbethatIwasdead,Ithought,anddidnotknowit？WasIinwhatweusedtocalltheworldbeyondthegrave？andmustI
wanderaboutseekingmyplaceinit？HowwasItofindmyselfathome？TheravensaidImustdosomething:whatcouldIdohere？——
Andwouldthatmakemesomebody？fornow,alas,Iwasnobody！
ItookthewayMr。Ravenhadgone,andwentslowlyafterhim。
PresentlyIsawawoodoftallslenderpine—trees,andturnedtowardit。Theodourofitmetmeonmyway,andImadehastetoburymyselfinit。
Plungedatlengthinitstwilightglooms,Ispiedbeforemesomethingwithashine,standingbetweentwoofthestems。Ithadnocolour,butwaslikethetranslucenttremblingofthehotairthatrises,inaradiantsummernoon,fromthesun—bakedground,vibrantlikethesmittenchordsofamusicalinstrument。WhatitwasgrewnoplainerasIwentnearer,andwhenIcamecloseup,I
ceasedtoseeit,onlytheformandcolourofthetreesbeyondseemedstrangelyuncertain。Iwouldhavepassedbetweenthestems,butreceivedaslightshock,stumbled,andfell。WhenIrose,I
sawbeforemethewoodenwallofthegarretchamber。Iturned,andtherewasthemirror,onwhosetoptheblackeagleseemedbutthatmomenttohaveperched。
Terrorseizedme,andIfled。OutsidethechamberthewidegarretspaceshadanUNCANNYlook。Theyseemedtohavelongbeenwaitingforsomething;ithadcome,andtheywerewaitingagain！Ashudderwentthroughmeonthewindingstair:thehousehadgrownstrangetome！somethingwasabouttoleapuponmefrombehind！Idarteddownthespiral,struckagainstthewallandfell,roseandran。OnthenextfloorIlostmyway,andhadgonethroughseveralpassagesasecondtimeereIfoundtheheadofthestair。AtthetopofthegreatstairIhadcometomyselfalittle,andinafewmomentsI
satrecoveringmybreathinthelibrary。
Nothingshouldeveragainmakemegoupthatlastterriblestair！
Thegarretatthetopofitpervadedthewholehouse！Itsatuponit,threateningtocrushmeoutofit！Thebroodingbrainofthebuilding,itwasfullofmysteriousdwellers,oneorotherofwhommightanymomentappearinthelibrarywhereIsat！Iwasnowheresafe！Iwouldlet,Iwouldsellthedreadfulplace,inwhichana雛ialportalstoodeveropentocreatureswhoselifewasotherthanhuman！IwouldpurchaseacraginSwitzerland,andthereonbuildawoodennestofonestorywithneveragarretaboveit,guardedbysomegrandoldpeakthatwouldsenddownnothingworsethanafewtonsofwhelmingrock！
Iknewallthetimethatmythinkingwasfoolish,andwasevenawareofacertainundertoneofcontemptuoushumourinit;butsuddenlyitwaschecked,andIseemedagaintohearthecroakoftheraven。
\"IfIknownothingofmyowngarret,\"Ithought,\"whatistheretosecuremeagainstmyownbrain？CanItellwhatitisevennowgenerating？——whatthoughtitmaypresentmethenextmoment,thenextmonth,orayearaway？Whatisattheheartofmybrain？WhatisbehindmyTHINK？AmIthereatall？——Who,whatamI？\"
Icouldnomoreanswerthequestionnowthanwhentheravenputittomein——at——\"Wherein？——whereat？\"Isaid,andgavemyselfupasknowinganythingofmyselfortheuniverse。
Istartedtomyfeet,hurriedacrosstheroomtothemaskeddoor,wherethemutilatedvolume,stickingoutfromtheflatofsoulless,bodiless,non—existentbooks,appearedtobeckonme,wentdownonmyknees,andopeneditasfarasitspositionwouldpermit,butcouldseenothing。Igotupagain,lightedataper,andpeepingasintoapairofreluctantjaws,perceivedthatthemanuscriptwasverse。FurtherIcouldnotcarrydiscovery。Beginningsoflineswerevisibleontheleft—handpage,andendsoflinesontheother;