pard in creation!" I cried.

"Not that way at night," answered the raven; "the road is
difficult.--But come; loss now will be gain then! To wait is harder
than to run, and its meed is the fuller. Go on, my son--straight to
the cottage. I shall be there as soon as you. It will rejoice my wife's
heart to see son of hers on that horse!"

I sat silent. The horse stood like a block of marble.

"Why do you linger?" asked the raven.

"I long so much to ride after the leopardess," I answered, "that I can
scarce restrain myself!"

"You have promised!"

"My debt to the Little Ones appears, I confess, a greater thing than my
bond to you."

"Yield to the temptation and you will bring mischief upon them--and on
yourself also."

"What matters it for me? I love them; and love works no evil. I will
go."

But the truth was, I forgot the children, infatuate with the horse.

Eyes flashed through the darkness, and I knew that Adam stood in his
own shape beside me. I knew also by his voice that he repressed an
indignation almost too strong for him.

"Mr. Vane," he said, "do you not know why you have not yet done anything
worth doing?"

"Because I have been a fool," I answered.

"Wherein?"

"In everything."

"Which do you count your most indiscreet action?"

"Bringing the princess to life: I ought to have left her to her just
fate."

"Nay, now you talk foolishly! You could not have done otherwise than you
did, not knowing she was evil!--But you never brought any one to life!
How could you, yourself dead?"

"I dead?" I cried.

"Yes," he answered; "and you will be dead, so long as you refuse to
die."

"Back to the old riddling!" I returned scornfully.

"Be persuaded, and go home with me," he continued gently. "The
most--nearly the only foolish thing you ever did, was to run from our
dead."

I pressed the horse's ribs, and he was off like a sudden wind. I gave
him a pat on the side of the neck, and he went about in a sharp-driven
curve, "close to the ground, like a cat when scratchingly she wheels
about after a mouse," leaning sideways till his mane swept the tops of
the heather.

Through the dark I heard the wings of the raven. Five quick flaps I
heard, and he perched on the horse's head. The horse checked himself
instantly, ploughing up the ground with his feet.

"Mr. Vane," croaked the raven, "think what you are doing! Twice already
has evil befallen you--once from fear, and once from heedlessness:
breach