en by his fears.
Then the messenger of the King looked upon him kindly, and bid him "fear
not." "Rightly," he said, "art thou named Gehulfe, for thou hast been
ready to help the weak; and the Lord, who has bidden his children 'to
bear one another's burdens,' has watched thee all alone thy way, and
looked upon thee with an eye of love; and forasmuch as thou seemest to
have been hindered in thy own course by helping thy brother, the King has
sent me to carry thee on up this steep place, and over this dangerous
road." With that, I saw that he lifted up the boy, and was about to fly
with him through the air. Then, seeing that he cast a longing look
towards the steep bank, down which Furchtsam had slipped, and that the
sound of his sad voice was still ringing in his ear; the King's messenger
said to him, "'Cast thy burden upon the Lord.' 'The Lord careth for
thee.' 'For the very hairs of your head are numbered,' and 'the Lord is
full of compassion, pitiful, and of great mercy.'" So the heart of
Gehulfe was soothed, and with a happy mind he gave himself to the
messenger, and he bore him speedily along the dangerous path, as if his
feet never touched the ground, but refreshing airs breathed upon his
forehead as he swept along, and silver voices chanted holy words to his
glad heart. "He shall gather the lambs in his arms," said one; and
another and a sweeter took up the strain and sang, "and he shall carry
them in his bosom." And so he passed along the way swiftly and most
happily.

Then I saw that he bore him to the mouth of the arbour into which
Gottlieb had turned to rest. And now as he came up to it, Gottlieb was
just coming forth again to renew his journey. Right glad was Gottlieb of
the company of such a comrade; so they joined their hands together, and
walked along the road speaking to one another of the kindness of the
King, and telling one to the other all that had befallen them hitherto. A
pleasant thing it was to see them marching along that road, their good
staffs in their hands, their lamps burning brightly, and their books
sending forth streams of light, to shew them the way that they should go.
But now I saw they got into a part of the road which was rough and full
of stones; and unless they kept the lights they bore with them ever
turned towards the road, and looked, too, most carefully to their
footing, they were in constant danger of falling. The air, also, seemed
to have some power here of sending