t; he saw more, that Life gave place to
Death--causelessly, incomprehensibly.

For he did not presume that no holy water could be more holy, more
potent to destroy an evil thing than the life-blood of a pure
heart poured out for another in free willing devotion.

His own true hidden reality that he had desired to know grew
palpable, recognisable. It seemed to him just this: a great glad
abounding hope that he had saved his brother; too expansive to be
contained by the limited form of a sole man, it yearned for a new
embodiment infinite as the stars.

What did it matter to that true reality that the man's brain
shrank, shrank, till it was nothing; that the man's body could not
retain the huge pain of his heart, and heaved it out through the
red exit riven at the neck; that the black noise came again
hurtling from behind, reinforced by that dissolved shape, and
blotted out for ever the man's sight, hearing, sense.

* * * * *

In the early grey of day Sweyn chanced upon the footprints of a
man--of a runner, as he saw by the shifted snow; and the direction
they had taken aroused curiosity, since a little farther their
line must be crossed by the edge of a sheer height. He turned to
trace them. And so doing, the length of the stride struck his
attention--a stride long as his own if he ran. He knew he was
following Christian.

In his anger he had hardened himself to be indifferent to the
night-long absence of his brother; but now, seeing where the
footsteps went, he was seized with compunction and dread. He had
failed to give thought and care to his poor frantic twin, who
might--was it possible?--have rushed to a frantic death.

His heart stood still when he came to the place where the leap had
been taken. A piled edge of snow had fallen too, and nothing but
snow lay below when he peered. Along the upper edge he ran for a
furlong, till he came to a dip where he could slip and climb down,
and then back again on the lower level to the pile of fallen snow.
There he saw that the vigorous running had started afresh.

He stood pondering; vexed that any man should have taken that leap
where he had not ventured to follow; vexed that he had been
beguiled to such painful emotions; guessing vainly at Christian's
object in this mad freak. He began sauntering along, half
unconsciously following his brother's track; and so in a while he
came to the place where the footprints were doubled.

Small