ion contemplatively. 'You
cannot see, Alderman Gold, because your eyes are filled with the colour
of the thing you have made your God all through your life; it is the
gold dust that has blinded you. The dazzling golden hoard you desired
through life, watched, kept, gloated over. This love that tinged all
your life and thoughts and feelings has poisoned you, has permeated
with its fatal colour everything so that you cannot any longer see the
beauty of the blue sky, the ripple of the moving waters, the tender
bloom of blossoming flowers and trees. Remove the terrible gold-dust
from your eyes that you have worshipped and you will see again, perhaps
better than you have ever really seen before.'

"'Cease! cease!' broke in the Miser; 'you are only mocking my misery
now, and even if what you say is true, it is too late now to help me.'

"'Not too late,' returned the Lion, more gently, I thought, than he had
spoken hitherto; 'just in time, I think, just in time.' Then he called
me. 'Skylark,' said the Lion, 'come here.'

"I came out from my hiding-place, still hugging the body of poor Sam
close to me. The Miser peered at me curiously, though he couldn't see
me very well, or what I was holding, judging from the expression of his
face.

"'I suppose,' said the Miser, 'this is the ragged little wretch who is
always hanging about here.'

"'He is very ragged now,' said the Lion patiently, 'but he will be very
great one day.'

"The Miser laughed his harsh, unpleasant laugh, and peered down to see
what I was carrying so carefully, then he put out his hand and touched
Sam's coat.

"I pushed his hand away with my own dirty and grubby paw, but in a very
determined way.

"'Don't yer touch 'im,' I cried.

"'It's a dog,' said the Miser, 'and it's dead; a dead dog isn't of much
use to any one,' and he laughed again. I felt when he laughed that my
blood was boiling.

"'Look 'ere, if 'ee's dead, 'ee's gone straight to 'Eaven, which is 'is
proper place, an' where 'e'll 'ave fields an' the country and rabbits
to chase, an' all them fings wot 'e ought ter 'ave 'ad in his life
'ere, an' 'e'll a wait fer me there sure as 'e always waited fer me
'ere, an' don't you say nothink agin Sam, 'cos in 'is life 'e was a
damned sight better than wot you are, so there.'

"By this time my outraged feelings had so overcome me that I was
shouting at the Miser, who stood stock still saying nothing, for the
suddenness, to say nothing of the