Volume II Part 26 (1/2)
”You must come and see me on Thursday, and must also co to show you You are going along with hiht”
Starwood had followed Seraphael ie at the door, and were driven I knew not whither; but it was enough to be with hirace he ordered another bed-room e stayed at his hotel I could no more have remonstrated with him than with a -room
”A pair of candles for the chaht, he said to us: ”The waiter will show you to your rooms, dear children; you must not wait a moment”
I could not, so I felt, object, nor entreat him himself to sleep
Starwood and I departed; and whether it was fro happiness, or whether it was because I put myself into one of Starwood's dresses in default of my own, I do not conjecture, but I certainly could not sleep, and was forced to leave it alone
I sat upright for an hour or two, and then rolled arate; I looked into the tall glass at my own double: but all would not exhaustI left -place I knew the number of Seraphael's door, for Starwood had pointed it out to , and I felt drawn, as by odyllic force, to that very metal lock
There was no crack, but a key-hole, and the key-hole was bright as any star; I peeped in also, and shall never forget ure, which decided ions, upon inexperiencedto myself his temperament, I spoke sih I waited not for his reply, and opened the door quite innocent of the ghostly apparel I wore--and how very strange et the look that came home to me as I advanced more near him,--that indraful aspect, that sweetness without a smile
The table was loaded with papers, but there was no strew,--that ”spirit” ever htest ”motion;” one delicate hand was outspread over a sheet, a pen was in the other: he did not seem surprised, scarcely aroused I rushed up to him precipitately
”Dear, dearest sir, I would not have been so rude, but I could not bear to think youup, and I cao to bed!”
”Carl, very Carl, little Carl, great Carl!” he answered, with the uto to bed? and why shouldest thou co, I cannot sleep while you are not sleeping, and while you ought to be besides”
”Is that it? How very kind, how good! I do not ilfully, but if I am awake I must work,--thou knowest that In truth, Carl, hadst thou not been so weary, I should have asked thee this very night what I ”
”Askalready”
”Go get into your bed, then”
”No, sir, certainly not while you are sitting there”
A frown, like the shadow of a butterfly, floated over his forehead
”If thou wilt have it so, I will even go to this naughty bed, but not to sleep The fact is, Carl, I cannot sleep in London I think that so in the air distresses my brain; it will _not_ shut itself up I was about to ask thee whether there is no country, nothing green, no pure wind, to be had within four ious providence There is, as I can assure you experireen, pure country air of Heaven's own distilling within that distance; and there is alsoyou would like even better”
”What is that, Carlomein?”
”I will not tell you, sir, unless you sleep to-night”
”To be sly becomes thee, precisely because thou art not a fox I will lie down; but sleep is God's best gift, next to love, and he has deprived me of both”
”If I be sly, sir, you are bitter But there is not too ht, nor bitterness either, where they can be expressed from words So, sir, co,--sleep thou!”