h the empty chrysalis from which he came. The law of
life is growth, and we cannot linger--we must always be going on.

"You stand alone upon a height," he said, dreamily, "like one in a
dreary land. Behind you all is darkness, before you all is darkness;
there is but one small space of light. In that one space is a day.
They come, one at a time, from the night of To-morrow, and vanish into
the night of Yesterday.

"I have thought of the days as men and women, for a woman's day is not
at all like a man's. For you, I think, they first were children, with
laughing eyes and little, dimpled hands. One at a time, they came out
of the darkness, and disappeared into the darkness on the other side.
Some brought you flowers or new toys and some brought you childish
griefs, but none came empty-handed. Each day laid its gift at your
feet and went on.

"Some brought their gifts wrapped up, that you might have the surprise
of opening them. Many a gift in a bright-hued covering turned out to
be far from what you expected when you were opening it. Some of the
happiest gifts were hidden in dull coverings you took off slowly,
dreading to see the contents. Some days brought many gifts, others
only one.

"As the days grew older, some brought you laughter; some gave you light
and love. Others came with music and pleasure--and some of them
brought pain."

"Yes," sighed Evelina, "some brought pain."

"It is of that," went on the Piper, "that I wished to be speaking. It
was one day, was it not, that brought you a long sorrow?"

"Yes."

"Not more than one? Was it only one day?"

"Yes, only one day,"

"See," said The Piper, gently, "the day came with her gift. You would
not let her lay it at your feet and pass on into the darkness of
Yesterday. You held her by her grey garments and would not let her go.
You kept searching her sad eyes to see whether she did not have further
pain for you. Why keep her back from her appointed way? Why not let
your days go by?"

"The other days," murmured Evelina, "have all been sad."

"Yes, and why? You were holding fast to one day--the one that brought
you pain. So, with downcast eyes they passed you, and carried their
appointed gifts on into Yesterday, where you can never find them again.
Even now, the one day you have been holding is struggling to free
herself from the chains you have put upon her. You have no right to
keep a day."

"Should I not keep the gifts?" she asked