en where men sang with their arms around one
another; and the mountain-side where they worked in company. And I
shuddered.

And I said, "Is it not terribly alone here?"

God said, "It is never alone!"

I said, "What has it for all its labour? I see nothing return to it."

Then God touched my eyes, and I saw stretched out beneath us the plains
of Heaven and Hell, and all that was within them.

God said, "From that lone height on which he stands, all things are
open. To him is clear the shining in the garden, he sees the flower
break forth and the streams sparkle; no shout is raised upon the
mountain-side but his ear may hear it. He sees the crown grow and the
light shoot from it. All Hell is open to him. He sees the paths mount
upwards. To him, Hell is the seed ground from which Heaven springs. He
sees the sap ascending."

And I saw the figure bend over its work, and the light from its face
fell upon it.

And I said to God, "What is it making?"

And God said, "Music!"

And he touched my ears, and I heard it.

And after a long while I whispered to God, "This is Heaven."

And God asked me why I was crying. But I could not answer for joy.

And the face turned from its work, and the light fell upon me. Then it
grew so bright I could not see things separately; and which were God,
or the man, or I, I could not tell; we were all blended. I cried to God,
"Where are you?" but there was no answer, only music and light.

Afterwards, when it had grown so dark again that I could see things
separately, I found that I was standing there wrapped tight in my little
old, brown, earthly cloak, and God and the man were separated from each
other, and from me.

I did not dare say I would go and make music beside the man. I knew I
could not reach even to his knee, nor move the instrument he played.
But I thought I would stand there on my little peak and sing an
accompaniment to that great music. And I tried; but my voice failed. It
piped and quavered. I could not sing that tune. I was silent.

Then God pointed to me, that I should go out of Heaven.

And I cried to God, "Oh, let me stay here! If indeed it be, as I know
it is, that I am not great enough to sing upon the mountain, nor strong
enough to labour on its side, nor bright enough to shine and love within
the garden, at least let me go down to the great gateway; humbly I will
kneel there sweeping; and, as the saved pass in, I will see the light
upon their faces. I shal