ds them."

"Well, but _who_ are they?" I said.

"They are the most troublesome crew of all," said Amroth, "and come
nearest to the old idea of fiends--they are indeed the origin of that
notion. To speak plainly, they are men who have lived virtuous lives,
and have done cruel things from good motives. There are some kings and
statesmen among them, but they are mostly priests and schoolmasters,
I imagine--people with high ideals, of course! But they are not
replenished so fast as they used to be, I think. Their difficulty is
that they can never see that they are wrong. Their notion is that this
is a bad place to come to, and that people are better left in ignorance
and bliss, obedient and submissive. A good many of them have given up
the old rough methods, and hang about the base of the cliff, dissuading
souls from climbing: they do the most harm of all, because if one does
turn back here, it is long before one may make a new attempt. But enough
of this," he added; "it makes me sick to think of them--the old fellow
you saw with me had an awful fright--he was nearly done as it was! But I
see you are feeling stronger, and I think we had better be going. One
does not stay here by choice, though the place has a beauty of its own.
And now you will have an easier time for awhile."

We descended from our rock, and Amroth led the way, through a long
cleft, with rocks, very rough and black, on either side, and fallen
fragments under foot. It was steep at first; but soon the rocks grew
lower; and we came out presently on to a great desolate plain, with
stones lying thickly about, among a coarse kind of grass. At each step I
seemed to grow stronger, and walked more lightly, and in the thin fine
air my horrors left me, though I still had a dumb sense of suffering
which, strange to say, I found it almost pleasant to resist. And so we
walked for a time in friendly silence, Amroth occasionally indicating
the way. The hill began to slope downwards very slowly, and the wind to
subside. The mist drew off little by little, till at last I saw ahead of
us a great bare-looking fortress with high walls and little windows, and
a great blank tower over all.

XVIII

We were received at the guarded door of the fortress by a porter, who
seemed to be well acquainted with Amroth. Within, it was a big, bare
place, with, stone-arched cloisters and corridors, more like a monastery
than a castle. Amroth led me briskly along the passages, and