\"Yousawmedoit！——ButIamstilllibrarianinyourhouse,forI
neverwasdismissed,andnevergaveuptheoffice。NowIamlibrarianhereaswell。\"
\"Butyouhavejusttoldmeyouweresextonhere！\"
\"SoIam。Itismuchthesameprofession。Exceptyouareatruesexton,booksarebutdeadbodiestoyou,andalibrarynothingbutacatacomb！\"
\"Youbewilderme！\"
\"That\'sallright！\"
Afewmomentshestoodsilent。Thewoman,movelessasastatue,stoodsilentalsobythecoffin—door。
\"Uponoccasion,\"saidthesextonatlength,\"itismoreconvenienttoputone\'sbird—selfinfront。Everyone,asyououghttoknow,hasabeast—self——andabird—self,andastupidfish—self,ay,andacreepingserpent—selftoo——whichittakesadealofcrushingtokill！Intruthhehasalsoatree—selfandacrystal—self,andI
don\'tknowhowmanyselvesmore——alltogetintoharmony。Youcantellwhatsortamanisbyhiscreaturethatcomesoftenesttothefront。\"
Heturnedtohiswife,andIconsideredhimmoreclosely。Hewasabovetheordinaryheight,andstoodmoreerectthanwhenlastIsawhim。Hisfacewas,likehiswife\'s,verypale;itsnosehandsomelyencasedthebeakthathadretiredwithinit;itslipswereverythin,andeventheyhadnocolour,buttheircurveswerebeautiful,andaboutthemquiveredashadowysmilethathadhumourinitaswellasloveandpity。
\"Weareinwantofsomethingtoeatanddrink,wife,\"hesaid;\"wehavecomealongway！\"
\"Youknow,husband,\"sheanswered,\"wecangiveonlytohimthatasks。\"
Sheturnedherunchangingfaceandradianteyesuponmine。
\"Pleasegivemesomethingtoeat,Mrs。Raven,\"Isaid,\"andsomething——whatyouwill——toquenchmythirst。\"
\"Yourthirstmustbegreaterbeforeyoucanhavewhatwillquenchit,\"shereplied;\"butwhatIcangiveyou,Iwillgladly。\"
Shewenttoacupboardinthewall,broughtfromitbreadandwine,andsetthemonthetable。
Wesatdowntotheperfectmeal;andasIate,thebreadandwineseemedtogodeeperthanthehungerandthirst。Anxietyanddiscomfortvanished;expectationtooktheirplace。
Igrewverysleepy,andnowfirstfeltweary。
\"Ihaveearnedneitherfoodnorsleep,Mrs。Raven,\"Isaid,\"butyouhavegivenmetheonefreely,andnowIhopeyouwillgivemetheother,forIsorelyneedit。\"
\"Sleepistoofineathingevertobeearned,\"saidthesexton;
\"itmustbegivenandaccepted,foritisanecessity。Butitwouldbeperiloustousethishouseasahalf—wayhostelry——forthereposeofanight,thatis,merely。\"
Awild—lookinglittleblackcatjumpedonhiskneeashespoke。
Hepatteditasonepatsachildtomakeitgotosleep:heseemedtomepattingdownthesoduponagrave——pattingitlovingly,withaninwardlullaby。
\"HereisoneofMara\'skittens！\"hesaidtohiswife:\"willyougiveitsomethingandputitout？shemaywantit！\"
Thewomantookitfromhimgently,gaveitalittlepieceofbread,andwentoutwithit,closingthedoorbehindher。
\"HowthenamItomakeuseofyourhospitality？\"Iasked。
\"Byacceptingittothefull,\"heanswered。
\"Idonotunderstand。\"
\"Inthishousenoonewakesofhimself。\"
\"Why？\"
\"Becausenooneanywhereeverwakesofhimself。Youcanwakeyourselfnomorethanyoucanmakeyourself。\"
\"ThenperhapsyouorMrs。Ravenwouldkindlycallme！\"Isaid,stillnowiseunderstanding,butfeelingafreshthatvagueforeboding。
\"Wecannot。\"
\"HowdareIthengotosleep？\"Icried。
\"Ifyouwouldhavetherestofthishouse,youmustnottroubleyourselfaboutwaking。Youmustgotosleepheartily,altogetherandoutright。\"
Mysoulsankwithinme。
Thesextonsatlookingmeintheface。Hiseyesseemedtosay,\"Willyounottrustme？\"Ireturnedhisgaze,andanswered,\"Iwill。\"
\"Thencome,\"hesaid;\"Iwillshowyouyourcouch。\"
Aswerose,thewomancamein。Shetookupthecandle,turnedtotheinnerdoor,andledtheway。Iwentclosebehindher,andthesextonfollowed。
CHAPTERVII
THECEMETERY
Theairasofanice—housemetmecrossingthethreshold。Thedoorfell—tobehindus。Thesextonsaidsomethingtohiswifethatmadeherturntowardus。——Whatachangehadpasseduponher！
Itwasasifthesplendourofhereyeshadgrowntoomuchforthemtohold,and,sinkingintohercountenance,madeitflashwithalovelinesslikethatofBeatriceinthewhiteroseoftheredeemed。
Lifeitself,lifeeternal,immortal,streamedfromit,anunbrokenlightning。Evenherhandsshonewithawhiteradiance,every\"pearl—shellhelmet\"gleaminglikeamoonstone。Herbeautywasoverpowering;Iwasgladwhensheturneditfromme。
Butthelightofthecandlereachedsuchalittleway,thatatfirstIcouldseenothingoftheplace。Presently,however,itfellonsomethingthatglimmered,alittleraisedfromthefloor。Wasitabed？Couldlivethingsleepinsuchamortalcold？Thensurelyitwasnowonderitshouldnotwakeofitself！Beyondthatappearedafaintershine;andthenIthoughtIdescrieduncertaingleamsoneveryside。
Afewpacesbroughtustothefirst;itwasahumanformunderasheet,straightandstill——whetherofmanorwomanIcouldnottell,forthelightseemedtoavoidthefaceaswepassed。
Isoonperceivedthatwewerewalkingalonganaisleofcouches,onalmosteveryoneofwhich,withitsheadtothepassage,laysomethingasleepordead,coveredwithasheetwhiteassnow。Mysoulgrewsilentwithdread。Throughaisleafteraislewewent,amongcouchesinnumerable。Icouldseeonlyafewofthematonce,buttheywereonallsides,vanishing,asitseemed,intheinfinite。——Wasitherelaymychoiceofabed？MustIgotosleepamongtheunwaking,withnoonetorouseme？Wasthisthesexton\'slibrary？werethesehisbooks？Trulyitwasnohalf—wayhouse,thischamberofthedead！
\"OneofthecellarsIamplacedtowatch！\"remarkedMr。Raven——inalowvoice,asiffearingtodisturbhissilentguests。\"Muchwineissetheretoripen！——Butitisdarkforastranger！\"headded。
\"Themoonisrising;shewillsoonbehere,\"saidhiswife,andherclearvoice,lowandsweet,soundedofancientsorrowlongbiddenadieu。
Evenasshespokethemoonlookedinatanopeninginthewall,andathousandgleamsofwhiterespondedtohershine。ButnotyetcouldIdescrybeginningorendofthecouches。Theystretchedawayandaway,asifforallthedispartedworldtosleepupon。Foralongthefarrecedingnarrowways,everycouchstoodbyitself,andoneachsleptalonelysleeper。Ithoughtatfirsttheirsleepwasdeath,butIsoonsawitwassomethingdeeperstill——asomethingI
didnotknow。
Themoonrosehigher,andshonethroughotheropenings,butI
couldneverseeenoughoftheplaceatoncetoknowitsshapeorcharacter;nowitwouldresemblealongcathedralnave,nowahugebarnmadeintoadwellingoftombs。Shelookedcolderthananymooninthefrostiestnightoftheworld,andwheresheshonedirectuponthem,castabluish,icygleamonthewhitesheetsandthepallidcountenances——butitmightbethefacesthatmadethemoonsocold！
OfsuchasIcouldsee,allwerealikeinthebrotherhoodofdeath,allunlikeinthecharacterandhistoryrecordeduponthem。Herelayamanwhohaddied——foralthoughthiswasnotdeath,Ihavenoothernametogiveit——intheprimeofmanlystrength;hisdarkbeardseemedtoflowlikealiberatedstreamfromtheglacierofhisfrozencountenance;hisforeheadwassmoothaspolishedmarble;
ashadowofpainlingeredabouthislips,butonlyashadow。Onthenextcouchlaytheformofagirl,passinglovelytobehold。
Thesadnessleftonherfacebypartingwasnotyetabsorbedinperfectpeace,butabsolutesubmissionpossessedtheplacidfeatures,whichborenosignofwastingdisease,of\"killingcareorgriefofheart\":ifpainhadbeenthere,itwaslongcharmedasleep,neveragaintowake。Manywerethebeautifulthattherelayverystill——
someofthemmerechildren;butIdidnotseeoneinfant。Themostbeautifulofallwasaladywhosewhitehair,andthatalone,suggestedheroldwhenfirstshefellasleep。Onherstatelycountenancerested——notsubmission,butarightnobleacquiescence,anassurance,firmasthefoundationsoftheuniverse,thatallwasasitshouldbe。Onsomefaceslingeredthealmostobliteratedscarsofstrife,themarringsofhopelessloss,thefadingshadowsofsorrowsthathadseemedinconsolable:theauroraofthegreatmorninghadnotyetquitemeltedthemaway;butthosefaceswerefew,andeveryonethatboresuchbrandofpainseemedtoplead,\"Pardonme:Idiedonlyyesterday！\"or,\"Pardonme:Idiedbutacenturyago！\"ThatsomehadbeendeadforagesIknew,notmerelybytheirunutterablerepose,butbysomethingforwhichIhaveneitherwordnorsymbol。
Wecameatlasttothreeemptycouches,immediatelybeyondwhichlaytheformofabeautifulwoman,alittlepasttheprimeoflife。
Oneofherarmswasoutsidethesheet,andherhandlaywiththepalmupward,initscentreadarkspot。Nexttoherwasthestalwartfigureofamanofmiddleage。Hisarmtoowasoutsidethesheet,thestronghandalmostclosed,asifclenchedonthegripofasword。Ithoughthemustbeakingwhohaddiedfightingforthetruth。
\"Willyouholdthecandlenearer,wife？\"whisperedthesexton,bendingdowntoexaminethewoman\'shand。
\"Ithealswell,\"hemurmuredtohimself:\"thenailfoundinhernothingtohurt！\"
AtlastIventuredtospeak。
\"Aretheynotdead？\"Iaskedsoftly。
\"Icannotansweryou,\"herepliedinasubduedvoice。\"IalmostforgetwhattheymeanbyDEADintheoldworld。IfIsaidapersonwasdead,mywifewouldunderstandonething,andyouwouldimagineanother。——Thisisbutoneofmytreasurevaults,\"hewenton,\"andallmyguestsarenotlaidinvaults:outthereonthemoortheyliethickastheleavesofaforestafterthefirstblastofyourwinter——thick,letmesayrather,asifthegreatwhiteroseofheavenhadsheditspetalsoverit。Allnightthemoonreadstheirfaces,andsmiles。\"
\"Butwhyleavetheminthecorruptingmoonlight？\"Iasked。
\"Ourmoon,\"heanswered,\"isnotlikeyours——theoldcinderofaburnt—outworld;herbeamsembalmthedead,notcorruptthem。Youobservethatherethesextonlayshisdeadontheearth;beburiesveryfewunderit！Inyourworldhelayshugestonesonthem,asiftokeepthemdown;Iwatchforthehourtoringtheresurrection—bell,andwakethosethatarestillasleep。Yoursextonlooksattheclocktoknowwhentoringthedead—alivetochurch;Ihearkenforthecockonthespiretocrow;`AWAKE,THOU
THATSLEEPEST,ANDARISEFROMTHEDEAD！\'\"
Ibegantoconcludethattheself—styledsextonwasintruthaninsaneparson:thewholethingwastoomad！ButhowwasItogetawayfromit？Iwashelpless！Inthisworldofthedead,theravenandhiswifeweretheonlylivingIhadyetseen:whithershouldIturnforhelp？Iwaslostinaspacelargerthanimagination;forifheretwothings,oranypartsofthem,couldoccupythesamespace,whynottwentyortenthousand？——ButIdarednotthinkfurtherinthatdirection。
\"Youseeminyourdeadtoseedifferencesbeyondmyperception！\"I
venturedtoremark。
\"Noneofthoseyousee,\"heanswered,\"areintruthquitedeadyet,andsomehavebutjustbeguntocomealiveanddie。Othershadbeguntodie,thatistocomealive,longbeforetheycametous;
andwhensuchareindeeddead,thatinstanttheywillwakeandleaveus。Almosteverynightsomeriseandgo。ButIwillnotsaymore,forIfindmywordsonlymisleadyou！——Thisisthecouchthathasbeenwaitingforyou,\"heended,pointingtooneofthethree。
\"Whyjustthis？\"Isaid,beginningtotremble,andanxiousbyparleytodelay。
\"Forreasonswhichonedayyouwillbegladtoknow,\"heanswered。
\"Whynotknowthemnow？\"
\"Thatalsoyouwillknowwhenyouwake。\"
\"Butthesearealldead,andIamalive！\"Iobjected,shuddering。
\"Notmuch,\"rejoinedthesextonwithasmile,\"——notnearlyenough！
Blessedbethetruelifethatthepausesbetweenitsthrobsarenotdeath！\"
\"Theplaceistoocoldtoletonesleep！\"Isaid。
\"Dothesefinditso？\"hereturned。\"Theysleepwell——orwillsoon。
Ofcoldtheyfeelnotabreath:ithealstheirwounds。——Donotbeacoward,Mr。Vane。Turnyourbackonfear,andyourfacetowhatevermaycome。Giveyourselfuptothenight,andyouwillrestindeed。
Harmwillnotcometoyou,butagoodyoucannotforeknow。\"
ThesextonandIstoodbythesideofthecouch,hiswife,withthecandleinherhand,atthefootofit。Hereyeswerefulloflight,butherfacewasagainofastillwhiteness;itwasnolongerradiant。
\"Wouldtheyhavememakeofacharnel—housemybed—chamber？\"I
criedaloud。\"Iwillnot。Iwilllieabroadontheheath;itcannotbecolderthere！\"
\"Ihavejusttoldyouthatthedeadaretherealso,`ThickasautumnalleavesthatstrowthebrooksInVallombrosa,\'\"
saidthelibrarian。
\"IwillNOT,\"Icriedagain;andinthecompassingdark,thetwogleamedoutlikespectresthatwaitedonthedead;neitheransweredme;eachstoodstillandsad,andlookedattheother。
\"Beofgoodcomfort;wewatchtheflockofthegreatshepherd,\"
saidthesextontohiswife。
Thenheturnedtome。
\"Didstthounotfindtheairoftheplacepureandsweetwhenthouenteredstit？\"heasked。
\"Yes;butoh,socold！\"Ianswered。
\"Thenknow,\"hereturned,andhisvoicewasstern,\"thatthouwhocallestthyselfalive,hastbroughtintothischambertheodoursofdeath,anditsairwillnotbewholesomeforthesleepersuntilthouartgonefromit！\"
Theywentfartherintothegreatchamber,andIwasleftaloneinthemoonlightwiththedead。
Iturnedtoescape。
WhatalongwayIfounditbackthroughthedead！AtfirstIwastooangrytobeafraid,butasIgrewcalm,thestillshapesgrewterrible。Atlast,withloudoffencetothegracioussilence,I
ran,Ifledwildly,and,burstingout,flung—tothedoorbehindme。
Itclosedwithanawfulsilence。
Istoodinpitch—darkness。Feelingaboutme,Ifoundadoor,openedit,andwasawareofthedimlightofalamp。Istoodinmylibrary,withthehandleofthemaskeddoorinmyhand。
HadIcometomyselfoutofavision？——orlostmyselfbygoingbacktoone？Whichwasthereal——whatInowsaw,orwhatIhadjustceasedtosee？Couldbothbereal,interpenetratingyetunmingling？
Ithrewmyselfonacouch,andfellasleep。
Inthelibrarywasonesmallwindowtotheeast,throughwhich,atthistimeoftheyear,thefirstraysofthesunshoneuponamirrorwhencetheywerereflectedonthemaskeddoor:whenIwoke,theretheyshone,andthithertheydrewmyeyes。WiththefeelingthatbehinditmustlietheboundlesschamberIhadleftbythatdoor,Isprangtomyfeet,andopenedit。Thelight,likeaneagerhound,shotbeforemeintothecloset,andpounceduponthegildededgesofalargebook。
\"Whatidiot,\"Icried,\"hasputthatbookintheshelfthewrongway？\"
Butthegildededges,reflectingthelightasecondtime,flungitonanestofdrawersinadarkcorner,andIsawthatoneofthemwashalfopen。
\"Moremeddling！\"Icried,andwenttoclosethedrawer。
Itcontainedoldpapers,andseemedmorethanfull,foritwouldnotclose。Takingthetopmostoneout,Iperceivedthatitwasinmyfather\'swritingandofsomelength。Thewordsonwhichfirstmyeyesfell,atoncemademeeagertolearnwhatitcontained。I
carriedittothelibrary,satdowninoneofthewesternwindows,andreadwhatfollows。
CHAPTERVIII
MYFATHER\'SMANUSCRIPT
IamfilledwithaweofwhatIhavetowrite。Thesunisshininggoldenaboveme;thesealiesbluebeneathhisgaze;thesameworldsendsitsgrowingthingsuptothesun,anditsflyingthingsintotheairwhichIhavebreathedfrommyinfancy;butIknowtheoutspreadsplendourapassingshow,andthatatanymomentitmay,likethedrop—sceneofastage,beliftedtorevealmorewonderfulthings。
Shortlyaftermyfather\'sdeath,Iwasseatedonemorninginthelibrary。Ihadbeen,somewhatlistlessly,regardingtheportraitthathangsamongthebooks,whichIknewonlyasthatofadistantancestor,andwishingIcouldlearnsomethingofitsoriginal。ThenIhadtakenabookfromtheshelvesandbeguntoread。
Glancingupfromit,Isawcomingtowardme——notbetweenmeandthedoor,butbetweenmeandtheportrait——athinpalemaninrustyblack。Helookedsharpandeager,andhadanotablenose,atonceremindingmeofacertainjugmysistersusedtocallMr。Crow。
\"Findingmyselfinyourvicinity,Mr。Vane,Ihavegivenmyselfthepleasureofcalling,\"hesaid,inapeculiarbutnotdisagreeablevoice。\"Yourhonouredgrandfathertreatedme——Imaysayitwithoutpresumption——asafriend,havingknownmefromchildhoodashisfather\'slibrarian。\"
Itdidnotstrikemeatthetimehowoldthemanmustbe。
\"MayIaskwhereyoulivenow,Mr。Crow？\"Isaid。
Hesmiledanamusedsmile。
\"Younearlyhitmyname,\"herejoined,\"whichshowsthefamilyinsight。Youhaveseenmebefore,butonlyonce,andcouldnotthenhaveheardit！\"
\"Wherewasthat？\"
\"Inthisveryroom。Youwerequiteachild,however！\"
IcouldnotbesurethatIrememberedhim,butforamomentI
fanciedIdid,andIbeggedhimtosetmerightastohisname。
\"Thereissuchathingasrememberingwithoutrecognisingthememoryinit,\"heremarked。\"Formyname——whichyouhavenearenough——itusedtobeRaven。\"
Ihadheardthename,formarvelloustaleshadbroughtitme。
\"Itisverykindofyoutocomeandseeme,\"Isaid。\"Willyounotsitdown？\"
Heseatedhimselfatonce。
\"Youknewmyfather,then,Ipresume？\"
\"Iknewhim,\"heansweredwithacurioussmile,\"buthedidnotcareaboutmyacquaintance,andwenevermet。——Thatgentleman,however,\"headded,pointingtotheportrait,——\"oldSirUp\'ard,hispeoplecalledhim,——wasinhisdayafriendofmineyetmoreintimatethaneveryourgrandfatherbecame。\"
ThenatlengthIbegantothinktheinterviewastrangeone。ButintruthitwashardlystrangerthatmyvisitorshouldrememberSirUpward,thanthatheshouldhavebeenmygreat—grandfather\'slibrarian！
\"Iowehimmuch,\"hecontinued;\"for,althoughIhadreadmanymorebooksthanhe,yet,throughthespecialdirectionofhisstudies,hewasabletoinformmeofacertainrelationofmodeswhichIshouldneverhavediscoveredofmyself,andcouldhardlyhavelearnedfromanyoneelse。\"
\"Wouldyoumindtellingmeallaboutthat？\"Isaid。
\"Bynomeans——asmuchatleastasIamable:therearenotsuchthingsaswilfulsecrets,\"heanswered——andwenton。
\"Thatclosetheldhislibrary——ahundredmanuscriptsorso,forprintingwasnottheninvented。OnemorningIsatthere,workingatacatalogueofthem,whenhelookedinatthedoor,andsaid,`Come。\'Ilaiddownmypenandfollowedhim——acrossthegreathall,downasteeproughdescent,andalonganundergroundpassagetoatowerhehadlatelybuilt,consistingofastairandaroomatthetopofit。Thedoorofthisroomhadatremendouslock,whichheundidwiththesmallestkeyIeversaw。Ihadscarcelycrossedthethresholdafterhim,when,tomyeyes,hebegantodwindle,andgrewlessandless。Allatoncemyvisionseemedtocomeright,andIsawthathewasmovingswiftlyawayfromme。Inaminutemorehewasthemerestspeckinthedistance,withthetopsofbluemountainsbeyondhim,clearagainstaskyofpalerblue。Irecognisedthecountry,forIhadgonethereandcomeagainmanyatime,althoughIhadneverknownthiswaytoit。
\"Manyyearsafter,whenthetowerhadlongdisappeared,ItaughtoneofhisdescendantswhatSirUpwardhadtaughtme;andnowandthentothisdayIuseyourhousewhenIwanttogothenearestwayhome。Imustindeed——withoutyourleave,forwhichIaskyourpardon——havebythistimewellestablishedarightofwaythroughit——notfromfronttoback,butfrombottomtotop！\"
\"Youwouldhavemethenunderstand,Mr。Raven,\"Isaid,\"thatyougothroughmyhouseintoanotherworld,heedlessofdispartingspace？\"
\"ThatIgothroughitisanincontrovertibleacknowledgementofspace,\"returnedtheoldlibrarian。
\"Pleasedonotquibble,Mr。Raven,\"Irejoined。\"PleasetotakemyquestionasyouknowImeanit。\"
\"Thereisinyourhouseadoor,onestepthroughwhichcarriesmeintoaworldverymuchanotherthanthis。\"
\"Abetter？\"
\"Notthroughout;butsomuchanotherthatmostofitsphysical,andmanyofitsmentallawsaredifferentfromthoseofthisworld。Asformorallaws,theymusteverywherebefundamentallythesame。\"
\"Youtrymypowerofbelief！\"Isaid。
\"Youtakemeforamadman,probably？\"
\"Youdonotlooklikeone。\"
\"Aliarthen？\"
\"Yougivemenogroundtothinkyousuch。\"
\"Onlyyoudonotbelieveme？\"
\"Iwillgooutofthatdoorwithyouifyoulike:Ibelieveinyouenoughtorisktheattempt。\"
\"Theblunderallmychildrenmake！\"hemurmured。\"Theonlydooroutisthedoorin！\"
Ibegantothinkhemustbecrazy。Hesatsilentforamoment,hisheadrestingonhishand,hiselbowonthetable,andhiseyesonthebooksbeforehim。
\"Abook,\"hesaidlouder,\"isadoorin,andthereforeadoorout。——I
seeoldSirUp\'ard,\"hewenton,closinghiseyes,\"andmyheartswellswithlovetohim:——whatworldishein？\"
\"Theworldofyourheart！\"Ireplied;\"——thatis,theideaofhimisthere。\"
\"Thereisoneworldthenatleastonwhichyourhall—doordoesnotopen？\"
\"Igrantyousomuch;butthethingsinthatworldarenotthingstohaveandtohold。\"
\"Thinkalittlefarther,\"herejoined:\"didanythingeverbecomeyours,exceptbygettingintothatworld？——Thethoughtisbeyondyou,however,atpresent！——Itellyoutherearemoreworlds,andmoredoorstothem,thanyouwillthinkofinmanyyears！\"
Herose,leftthelibrary,crossedthehall,andwentstraightuptothegarret,familiarevidentlywitheveryturn。Ifollowed,studyinghisback。Hishairhungdownlonganddark,straightandglossy。Hiscoatwaswideandreachedtohisheels。Hisshoesseemedtoolargeforhim。
Inthegarretalightcamethroughattheedgesofthegreatroofingslabs,andshoweduspartswherewasnoflooring,andwemuststepfromjoisttojoist:inthemiddleofoneofthesespacesroseapartition,withadoor:throughitIfollowedMr。Ravenintoasmall,obscurechamber,whosetopcontractedasitrose,andwentslantingthroughtheroof。
\"ThatisthedoorIspokeof,\"hesaid,pointingtoanoblongmirrorthatstoodonthefloorandleanedagainstthewall。Iwentinfrontofit,andsawourfiguresdimlyreflectedinitsdustyface。
Therewassomethingaboutitthatmademeuneasy。Itlookedold—fashionedandneglected,but,notwithstandingitsordinaryseeming,theeagle,perchedwithoutstretchedwingsonthetop,appearedthreatful。
\"Asamirror,\"saidthelibrarian,\"ithasgrowndingywithage;
butthatisnomatter:itsdoornessdependsonthelight。\"
\"Light！\"Irejoined;\"thereisnolighthere！\"
Hedidnotanswerme,butbegantopullatalittlechainontheoppositewall。Iheardacreaking:thetopofthechamberwasturningslowlyround。Heceasedpulling,lookedathiswatch,andbegantopullagain。
\"Wearrivealmosttothemoment！\"hesaid;\"itisontheverystrokeofnoon！\"
Thetopwentcreakingandrevolvingforaminuteorso。Thenhepulledtwootherchains,nowthis,nowthat,andreturnedtothefirst。Amomentmoreandthechambergrewmuchclearer:apatchofsunlighthadfallenuponamirroronthewalloppositethatagainstwhichtheotherleaned,andonthedustIsawthepathofthereflectedraystothemirrorontheground。Butfromthelatternonewerereturned;theyseemedtogocleanthrough;therewasnowhereinthechamberasecondpatchoflight！
\"Wherearethesunraysgone？\"Icried。
\"ThatIcannottell,\"returnedMr。Raven;\"——back,perhaps,towheretheycamefromfirst。Theynowbelong,Ifancy,toasensenotyetdevelopedinus。\"
Hethentalkedoftherelationsofmindtomatter,andofsensestoqualities,inawayIcouldonlyalittleunderstand,whencehewentontoyetstrangerthingswhichIcouldnotatallcomprehend。
Hespokemuchaboutdimensions,tellingmethatthereweremanymorethanthree,someofthemconcernedwithpowerswhichwereindeedinus,butofwhichasyetweknewabsolutelynothing。Hiswords,however,Iconfess,tooklittlemoreholdofmethanthelightdidofthemirror,forIthoughthehardlyknewwhathewassaying。
SuddenlyIwasawarethatourformshadgonefromthemirror,whichseemedfullofawhitemist。AsIgazedIsaw,growinggraduallyvisiblebeyondthemist,thetopsofarangeofmountains,whichbecameclearerandclearer。Soonthemistvanishedentirely,uncoveringthefaceofawideheath,onwhich,atsomedistance,wasthefigureofamanmovingswiftlyaway。Iturnedtoaddressmycompanion;hewasnolongerbymyside。Ilookedagainattheforminthemirror,andrecognisedthewidecoatflying,theblackhairliftinginawindthatdidnottouchme。Irushedinterrorfromtheplace。
CHAPTERIX
IREPENT
Ilaidthemanuscriptdown,consoledtofindthatmyfatherhadhadapeepintothatmysteriousworld,andthatheknewMr。Raven。
ThenIrememberedthatIhadneverheardthecauseoranycircumstanceofmyfather\'sdeath,andbegantobelievethathemustatlasthavefollowedMr。Raven,andnotcomeback;whereuponIspeedilygrewashamedofmyflight。WhatwondrousfactsmightInotbythistimehavegatheredconcerninglifeanddeath,andwideregionsbeyondordinaryperception！AssuredlytheRavensweregoodpeople,andanightintheirhousewouldnowisehavehurtme！
Theyweredoubtlessstrange,butitwasfacultyinwhichtheonewaspeculiar,andbeautyinwhichtheotherwasmarvellous！AndI
hadnotbelievedinthem！hadtreatedthemasunworthyofmyconfidence,asharbouringadesignagainstme！ThemoreIthoughtofmybehaviourtothem,themoredisgustedIbecamewithmyself。
WhyshouldIhavefearedsuchdead？TosharetheirholyrestwasanhonourofwhichIhadprovedmyselfunworthy！Whatharmcouldthatsleepingking,thatladywiththewoundinherpalm,havedoneme？Ifellalongingafterthesweetandstatelystillnessoftheirtwocountenances,andwept。WeepingIthrewmyselfonacouch,andsuddenlyfellasleep。
AssuddenlyIwoke,feelingasifsomeonehadcalledme。Thehousewasstillasanemptychurch。Ablackbirdwassingingonthelawn。Isaidtomyself,\"IwillgoandtellthemIamashamed,andwilldowhatevertheywouldhavemedo！\"Irose,andwentstraightupthestairstothegarret。
ThewoodenchamberwasjustaswhenfirstIsawit,themirrordimlyreflectingeverythingbeforeit。Itwasnearlynoon,andthesunwouldbealittlehigherthanwhenfirstIcame:Imustraisethehoodalittle,andadjustthemirrorsaccordingly！IfI
hadbutbeenintimetoseeMr。Ravendoit！
Ipulledthechains,andletthelightfallonthefirstmirror。