ick black clouds,
which were forming themselves into terrible shapes all over the garden.
Then I looked for the two that I had seen before: I could just see them;
sorrow sat upon their faces, and fear made them deadly pale; a serpent
was gliding from them into the bushes; and their eyes were fixed upon the
air, as though voices, which I heard not, were speaking terrible things
to their inner ears. Then, as I looked, it grew darker and darker--the
thunder pealed all round me--cries came forth from every hill, as of
fierce and deadly beasts in wild dreadful fight. The flowers round me
were withering up, as if a burning blight had passed over them; and soon
it was all dark, and dreary, and desolate.

Then when my heart was very heavy within me, methought there stood by me
one of the forms of light whom I had seen at the garden's end; and my
knees smote together through fear of his glory; but he looked upon me
kindly, and spoke to me in a voice of pity, and he said, "Wouldst thou
see the end of this sight?" Then my heart gathered courage, and I told
him, that if it were lawful, I would indeed fain look upon it.

With that he lifted me, and we flew through the air, and I knew not where
he had borne me; but in a while he set me on my feet, and bade me look
right down beneath me. Then I looked down at his word, but could see
nothing. My eyes seemed to rest upon the thick mantle of the night, and
they could not pierce through it. Now, while I was striving to pierce
through the darkness, strange noises rose from it to my ears. All sounds
that ever were, came up from it, so mingled together that I could not say
what they were. Whether it were a groan, or a cry, or a roaring, or
music, or shouting, or the voice of anger or of sorrow; for all of these
seemed joined together into one; but the groaning was louder than the
laughing, and the voice of crying well nigh drowned the music. Then I
asked my guide what was this strange noise; and he told me that it was
the voice of all THE WORLD, as it rose up to the ears of those that were
on high. Then I begged of him, if it might be, to let me see those from
whom it came. With that he touched my eyes; and now methought, though
the darkness remained, that I could see in the midst of its thickness,
even as in the brightness of the day.

It was a strange place into which I looked. Instead of the beautiful
garden I had seen before, and two glorious creatures passing through it;
n