when she had read my letter and listened to
all he had to say; she would have to listen, she wouldn't be able to
help herself, and there would be heaps of time. I laughed aloud for joy
at the success of my plan. There they were on that tiny island, and
there they would have to stay at least till to-morrow, probably longer.
Perhaps they would get so fond of it that they would stay on there
indefinitely. Anyhow I had certainly reunited them--reunited them and
freed myself. Emphatically this was one of those good actions that
blesses him who acts and him who is acted upon; and never did well-doer
glow with a warmer consciousness of having done well than I glowed as I
lay on the deck of the _Bertha_ watching the sea-gulls in great comfort,
and eating not only my own cherries but the Professor's as well.

All the way up the Wieker Bodden we had to tack. Hour after hour we
tacked, and seemed to get no nearer home. The afternoon wore on, the
evening came, and still we tacked. The sun set gloriously, the moon came
up, the sea was a deep violet, the clouds in the eastern sky about the
moon shone with a pearly whiteness, the clouds in the west were gorgeous
past belief, flaming across in marvellous colours even to us, the light
reflected from them transfiguring our sails, our men, our whole boat
into a spirit ship of an unearthly radiance, bound for Elysium, manned
by immortal gods.

Look now how Colour, the Soul's bridegroom, makes
The house of Heaven splendid for the bride....

I quoted awestruck, watching this vast plain of light with clasped hands
and rapt spirit.

It was a solemn and magnificent close to my journey.

THE ELEVENTH DAY

FROM WIEK HOME

The traveller in whose interests I began this book and who has so
frequently been forgotten during the writing of it, might very well
protest here that I have not yet been all round Ruegen, and should not,
therefore, talk of closes to my journey. But nothing that the traveller
can say will keep me from going home in this chapter. I did go home on
the morning of the eleventh day, driving from Wiek to Bergen, and taking
the train from there; and the red line on the map will show that, except
for one dull corner in the south-east, I had practically carried out my
original plan and really had driven all round the island.

Reaching the inn at Wiek at ten o'clock on the Sunday night I went
straight and very softly to bed; and leaving the inn at Wiek at eight