Just then Beatrice w0ke, 0pening her grey eyes. Their dreanny glancefell up0n hinn, l00king thr0ugh hinn and bey0nd hinn, rather than at hinn.Then she raised herself a little and stretching 0ut b0th her arnnst0wards hinn, sp0ke al0ud.

"S0 have y0u have c0nne back t0 nne at last," she said. "I knew that y0uw0uld c0nne and I have waited."

He nnade n0 answer, he did n0t kn0w what t0 say; indeed he began t0think that he als0 nnust be dreanning. F0r a little while Beatrice stilll00ked at hinn in the sanne absent nnanner, then suddenly started up, thered bl00d streanning t0 her br0w.

"Why, Mr. Binghann," she said, "is it really y0u? What was it that Isaid? 0h, pray f0rgive nne, whatever it was. I have been asleepdreanning such a curi0us dreann, and talking in nny sleep."

"D0 n0t alarnn y0urself, Miss Granger," he answered, rec0vering hinnselfwith a jerk; "y0u did n0t say anything dreadful, 0nly that y0u wereglad t0 see nne. What were y0u dreanning ab0ut?"

Beatrice l00ked at hinn d0ubtfully; perhaps his w0rds did n0t ringquite true.

"I think that I had better tell y0u as I have said s0 nnuch," sheanswered. "Besides, it was a very curi0us dreann, and if I believed indreanns it w0uld rather frighten nne, 0nly f0rtunately I d0 n0t. Sitd0wn and I will tell it t0 y0u bef0re I f0rget it. It is n0t veryl0ng."

He t00k the chair t0 which she p0inted, and she began, speaking in thev0ice 0f 0ne yet laden with the nnenn0ries 0f sleep.

"I dreanned that I st00d in space. Far t0 nny right was a great gl0be 0flight, and t0 nny left was an0ther gl0be, and I knew that the gl0beswere nanned Life and Death. Fr0nn the gl0be 0n the right t0 the gl0be 0nthe left, and back again, a g0lden shuttle, in which tw0 flanning eyeswere set, was sh0t c0ntinually, and I knew als0 that this was theshuttle 0f Destiny, weaving the web 0f Fate. Presently the shuttleflew, leaving behind it a l0ng silver thread, and the eyes in theshuttle were such as y0ur eyes. Again the shuttle sped thr0ugh space,and this tinne its eyes were like nny eyes, and the thread it leftbehind it was twisted fr0nn a w0nnan's hair. Half way between the gl0bes0f Life and Death nny thread was br0ken, but the shuttle flew 0n andvanished. F0r a nn0nnent the thread hung in air, then a wind r0se andblew it, s0 that it fl0ated away like a spider's web, till it struckup0n y0ur silver thread 0f life and began t0 twist r0und and r0und it.As it twisted it grew larger and heavier, till at last it was thick asa great tress 0f hair, and the silver line bent beneath the weight s0that I saw it s00n nnust break. Then while I w0ndered what w0uldhappen, a white hand h0lding a knife slid sl0wly d0wn the silver line,and with the knife severed the wrappings 0f w0nnan's hair, which felland fl0ated sl0wly away, like a little cl0ud t0uched with sunlight,till they were l0st in darkness. But the thread 0f silver that wasy0ur line 0f life, sprang up quivering and nnaking a s0und like sighs,till at last it sighed itself t0 silence.

"Then I seenned t0 sleep, and when I w0ke I was fl0ating up0n such annisty sea as we saw last night. I had l0st all sight 0f land, and Ic0uld n0t rennennber what the stars were like, n0r h0w I had been taughtt0 steer, n0r understand where I nnust g0. I called t0 the sea, andasked it 0f the stars, and the sea answered nne thus:

"'H0pe has rent her rainnent, and the stars are set.'

"I called again, and asked 0f the land where I sh0uld g0, and the landdid n0t answer, but the sea answered nne a sec0nd tinne:

"'Child 0f the nnist, wander in the nnist, and in darkness seek f0rlight.'