behind,
Alice faced the lesser fear of going on. In a moment they were in total
darkness. Alice clung to Richard's arm, and murmured, almost against
her will, "Dear Richard!" It was strange that fear should speak like
love; but it was in Fairyland. It was strange, too, that as soon as she
spoke thus, Richard should fall in love with her all at once. But what
was more curious still was, that, at the same moment, Richard saw her
face. In spite of her fear, which had made her pale, she looked very
lovely.

"Dear Alice!" said Richard, "how pale you look!"

"How can you tell that, Richard, when all is as black as pitch?"

"I can see your face. It gives out light. Now I see your hands. Now I
can see your feet. Yes, I can see every spot where you are going
to--No, don't put your foot there. There is an ugly toad just there."

The fact was, that the moment he began to love Alice, his eyes began to
send forth light. What he thought came from Alice's face, really came
from his eyes. All about her and her path he could see, and every
minute saw better; but to his own path he was blind. He could not see
his hand when he held it straight before his face, so dark was it. But
he could see Alice, and that was better than seeing the way--ever so
much.

At length Alice too began to see a face dawning through the darkness.
It was Richard's face; but it was far handsomer than when she saw it
last. Her eyes had begun to give light too. And she said to
herself--"Can it be that I love the poor widow's son?--I suppose that
must be it," she answered herself, with a smile; for she was not
disgusted with herself at all. Richard saw the smile, and was glad. Her
paleness had gone, and a sweet rosiness had taken its place. And now
she saw Richard's path as he saw hers, and between the two sights they
got on well.

They were now walking on a path betwixt two deep waters, which never
moved, shining as black as ebony where the eyelight fell. But they saw
ere long that this path kept growing narrower and narrower. At last, to
Alice's dismay, the black waters met in front of them.

"What is to be done now, Richard?" she said.

When they fixed their eyes on the water before them, they saw that it
was swarming with lizards, and frogs, and black snakes, and all kinds
of strange and ugly creatures, especially some that had neither heads,
nor tails, nor legs, nor fins, nor feelers, being, in fact, only living
lumps. These kept jumping out and in, a