o. He had been the teacher of the Unseen
among us, till the moment when the Unseen was thus, as it were, brought
within our reach; but with the revelation he had nothing to do; and it
filled him with pain and wonder. It made him silent; he said little
about his religion, but signed himself, and his lips moved. He thought
(I imagine) that he had displeased Those who are over all.

When night came the bravest of us were afraid. I speak for myself. It
was bright moonlight where we were, and Semur lay like a blot between
the earth and the sky, all dark: even the Cathedral towers were lost in
it; nothing visible but the line of the ramparts, whitened outside by
the moon. One knows what black and strange shadows are cast by the
moonlight; and it seemed to all of us that we did not know what might be
lurking behind every tree. The shadows of the branches looked like
terrible faces. I sent all my people out on the patrols, though they
were dropping with fatigue. Rather that than to be mad with terror. For
myself, I took up my post as near the bank of the river as we could
approach; for there was a limit beyond which we might not pass. I made
the experiment often; and it seemed to me, and to all that attempted it,
that we did reach the very edge of the stream; but the next moment
perceived that we were at a certain distance, say twenty metres or
thereabout. I placed myself there very often, wrapping a cloak about me
to preserve me from the dew. (I may say that food had been sent us, and
wine from La Clairiere and many other houses in the neighbourhood, where
the women had gone for this among other reasons, that we might be
nourished by them.) And I must here relate a personal incident, though I
have endeavoured not to be egotistical. While I sat watching, I
distinctly saw a boat, a boat which belonged to myself, lying on the
very edge of the shadow. The prow, indeed, touched the moonlight where
it was cut clean across by the darkness; and this was how I discovered
that it was the Marie, a pretty pleasure-boat which had been made for my
wife. The sight of it made my heart beat; for what could it mean but
that some one who was dear to me, some one in whom I took an interest,
was there? I sprang up from where I sat to make another effort to get
nearer; but my feet were as lead, and would not move; and there came a
singing in my ears, and my blood coursed through my veins as in a fever.
Ah! was it possible? I, who am a man, who have