me for me to go on. I got up."

Here poor Abel shook so that he seized hold of Paul's arm to help him.
Paul recoiled as if an unclean creature touched him. The boy shrunk
back.

"Go on," said Paul recovering himself. The boy took comfort from the
sound of another's voice:--"I went a little way down the hollow, sir, as
if drawn along. Then I came to a steep place; I put my legs over to let
myself down; my knees grew so weak I dared not trust myself; I tried to
draw them up, but the strength was all gone out of them, and then my
feet were as heavy as if made of lead. I gave a screech, and there was a
yell close to me and for miles round, that nigh stunned me. I can't say
how, but the last thing I knew was my leaping along the rocks, while
there was nothing but flames of fire shooting all round me. It was
scarce midday when I left home; and when I came to myself under the
locusts it was growing dark."

"Rest here awhile," said Paul, looking at the boy as at some mysterious
being, "and tell out your story."

Glad at being in company, the boy sat down upon the grass, and went on
with his tale:--"I crawled home as well as I could, and went to bed.
When I was falling asleep I had the same feeling I had when sitting over
the rock. I dared not lie in bed any longer, for I couldn't keep awake
while there. Glad was I when the day broke, and I saw a neighbor open
his door and come out. I was not well all day, and I tried to think
myself more ill than I was, because I somehow thought that then I
needn't go to the wood. But the next day He was not to be put off; and I
went, though I cried and prayed all the way that I might not be made to
go. But I could not stop till I had got over the hill, and reached the
sand round the wood. When I put my foot on it, all the joints in me
jerked as if they would not hold together, so that I cried out with the
pain. When I came under the trees there was a deep sound, and great
shadows were all round me. My hair stood on end, and my eyes kept
glimmering; yet I couldn't go back. I went on till I found a crow's
nest. I climbed the tree, and took out the eggs. The old crow kept
flying round and round me. As soon as I felt the eggs in my hand and my
work done, I dropped from the tree and ran for the hollow. I can't tell
how it was, but it seemed to me that I didn't gain a foot of ground--it
was just as if the whole wood went with me. Then I thought He had me
his. The ground began to bend and the tre