no trees or houses. Space
all around us. There was no other sound save the whistle of the wind.

"See, down there!" He stretched out his right hand before him, then, as
I did not reply, for I was afraid to say that I saw nothing, he trudged
on again.

Some minutes passed in silence; then he stopped once more and asked me
if I did not see a group of trees. A vague fear made my voice tremble
when I replied that I saw nothing.

"It is fear, my boy, that makes your eyes dance; look again."

"I tell you, I do not see any trees."

"Not on the big road?"

"I can't see anything."

"We've made a mistake."

I could say nothing, for I did not know where we were, nor where we were
going.

"Let us walk for another five minutes and, if we do not see the trees,
we will come back here. I might have made a mistake on the road."

Now that I knew that we had gone astray, I seemed to have no more
strength left. Vitalis pulled me by the arm.

"Come, come."

"I can't walk any farther."

"Ah, and do you think I'm going to carry you?"

I followed him.

"Are there any deep ruts in the road?"

"No."

"Then we must turn back."

We turned. Now we faced the wind. It stung our faces like a lash. It
seemed that my face was being scorched with a flame.

"We have to take a road leading from the cross-roads," said my master
feebly; "tell me when you see it."

For a quarter of an hour we went on, struggling against the wind; in the
doleful silence of the night the noise of our footsteps echoed on the
dry, hard earth. Although scarcely able to put one foot before the
other, it was I who dragged Vitalis. How anxiously I looked to the left!
In the dark shadows I suddenly saw a little red light.

"See, there's a light," I said, pointing.

"Where?"

Vitalis looked; although the light was but a short distance off, he saw
nothing. I knew then that his sight was going.

"What is that light to us?" he asked; "it is a lamp burning on the table
of some worker, or it's near the bed of a dying person. We cannot go
and knock at those doors. Away in the country, during the night, you
can ask hospitality, but so near Paris ... we must not expect
hospitality here. Come."

A few steps more and I thought I could make out the cross-roads and a
black mass which must be the trees. I let go of my master's hand to go
ahead quicker. There were deep ruts in the road.

"See, here are the ruts?" I cried.

"Give me your hand, we are saved," sai