rd,
hesitatingly, shyly, and awkwardly, glad. 'I knew it was you,' he
said."

"Oh, mother! what did you do?"

"All at once I began to wonder where I had got the courage from! I did
not even know what I wanted with him! When I saw him I could have
turned and fled. But his wonderful gait, those long firm strides, his
hat in hand, his shaggy head.... I felt I must see it all. And the
wonderful thing he said: 'I knew it was you.' How could he have known
it? I don't remember whether I asked him, or if he saw my surprise, but
he explained that he had seen me as we came away from the lecture; he
had heard who I was. It was wonderful to hear the deep voice, which for
me meant something so absolutely exceptional, as though resounding from
the far future, making embarrassed excuses for having said anything
that might have wounded me. Before he succeeded in getting out 'wounded
_you_,' he stammered--'wounded the Queen--wounded the Queen and her
ladies--wounded _you_!' He had so many other subjects he might have
touched upon, and so many other themes he might have chosen. He could
have said so much that was good of the Queen, much that he knew to be
true; but he had forgotten it. So he went on, his eyes looking into
mine--trusting, but commanding eyes, whose attraction I felt. There
seemed to be an echo in the silent wood of his unfathomable honesty.
And his eyes went on repeating, 'Don't you believe it, too?' No one can
imagine how unconscious he was of the effect they produced. He spoke,
and I listened, and we drew nearer and nearer to each other. But the
joy I felt, and which could not find words--what should I have said? At
last it became uncontrollable--it burst all bounds. I suddenly heard
myself laugh! And you should have seen how, all of a sudden, he laughed
with me! Laughed, so that the woods re-echoed! The fishermen were just
rowing past to be at their post when the sun should rise. They rested
on their oars and listened. They all knew the sound of his laughter. I
recognised its sound from the time when I saw him coming between his
two satellites. There was a faun in him--a northern faun, of course, a
wild man of the woods, unrestrained, but innocent, leading two bears,
one under each arm! Yes, something of that kind. Not a troll, you
understand, for they are stupid and malignant."

"You say 'innocent,' mother? How do you mean that he was innocent,
since he was so wild?"

"Because nothing harmed him. Whatever he migh