him again and again while he spoke, and it seemed to her
that she saw in him such great knowledge and tenderness as made her
glad; and how he could understand the follies that men had done, and
fathom what real meaning was in them, and disentangle all the threads.
He smiled as she gazed at him, and answered as if she had spoken.

"What was evil perishes, and what was good remains; almost everywhere
there is a little good. We could not understand all if we had not seen
all and shared all."

"And the punishment too," she said, wondering more and more.

He smiled so joyfully that it was like laughter.

"Pain is a great angel," he said. "The reason we hated him in the old
days was because he tended to death and decay; but when it is towards
life he leads, we fear him no more. The welcome thing of all in the land
of darkness is when you see him first and know who he is: for by this
you are aware that you have found the way."

The little Pilgrim did nothing but question with her anxious eyes, for
this was such a wonder to her, and she could not understand. But he only
sat musing with a smile over the things he remembered. And at last he
said--

"If this is so interesting to you, you shall read it all in another
place, in the room where we have laid up our own experiences, in order
to serve for the history afterwards. But we are still busy upon the work
of the earth. There is always something new to be discovered. And it is
essential for the whole world that the chronicle should be full. I am in
great joy because it was but just now that our Lord told me about that
child. Everything was imperfect without him, but now it is clear."

"You mean your brother? And you are happy though you are not sure if he
is happy?" the little Pilgrim said.

"It is not to be happy that we live," said he; and then, "We are all
happy so soon as we have found the way."

She would have asked him more, but that he was called to a consultation
with some others of his kind, and had to leave her, waving his hand to
her with a tender kindness, which went to her heart. She looked after
him with great respect, and almost awe; for it seemed to her that a man
who had been in the land of darkness, and made his way out of it, must
be more wonderful than any other. She looked round for a little upon
the great library, full of all the books that had ever been written, and
where people were doing their work, examining and reading and making
extracts, eve