even to my dull, unpurged soul
thou canst speak such high things and bring it a sense of an impersonal,
all-compromising One who is in me and I in Him, flesh of His flesh and
soul of His soul.

The sounds ceased, but I was still in that exalted mood and, like a
person in a trance, staring fixedly before me into the open wood of
scattered dwarf trees on the other side of the stream, when suddenly on
the field of vision appeared a grotesque human figure moving towards me.
I started violently, astonished and a little alarmed, but in a very
few moments I recognized the ancient Cla-cla, coming home with a large
bundle of dry sticks on her shoulders, bent almost double under the
burden, and still ignorant of my presence. Slowly she came down to the
stream, then cautiously made her way over the line of stepping-stones
by which it was crossed; and only when within ten yards did the old
creature catch sight of me sitting silent and motionless in her path.
With a sharp cry of amazement and terror she straightened herself up,
the bundle of sticks dropping to the ground, and turned to run from
me. That, at all events, seemed her intention, for her body was thrown
forward, and her head and arms working like those of a person going at
full speed, but her legs seemed paralysed and her feet remained planted
on the same spot. I burst out laughing; whereat she twisted her neck
until her wrinkled, brown old face appeared over her shoulder staring at
me. This made me laugh again, whereupon she straightened herself up once
more and turned round to have a good look at me.

"Come, Cla-cla," I cried; "can you not see that I am a living man and no
spirit? I thought no one had remained behind to keep me company and give
me food. Why are you not with the others?"

"Ah, why!" she returned tragically. And then deliberately turning
from me and assuming a most unladylike attitude, she slapped herself
vigorously on the small of the back, exclaiming: "Because of my pain
here!"

As she continued in that position with her back towards me for some
time, I laughed once more and begged her to explain.

Slowly she turned round and advanced cautiously towards me, staring at
me all the time. Finally, still eyeing me suspiciously, she related that
the others had all gone on a visit to a distant village, she starting
with them; that after going some distance a pain had attacked her in her
hind quarters, so sudden and acute that it had instantly brought her