IN THE FOREST OF ARDEN. 143 



precious to them. When we learned that in the 

 Forest nobody vulgarizes one s affairs by making 

 them matter of common talk, that all the mean 

 nesses of slander and gossip and misinterpretation 

 are unknown, and that chanty, courtesy, and 

 honor are the unfailing law of intercourse, we 

 threw down our reserves and experienced the re 

 freshing freedom and sympathy of full knowledge 

 between man and man. 



After a long succession of golden days we awoke 

 one morning to the familiar sound of rain on the 

 roof ; there was no mistake about it ; it was raining 

 in Arden ! Rosalind was so incredulous that I 

 could see she doubted if she were awake ; and 

 when she had satisfied herself of that fact she be 

 gan to ask herself whether we had been really in 

 the Forest at all ; whether we had not been dream 

 ing in a kind of double consciousness, and had 

 now come to the awakening which should rob us 

 of this golden memory. At last we recognized the 

 fact that we were still in Arden, and that it was 

 raining. It was a melancholy awakening, and we 

 were silent and depressed at breakfast ; for the 

 first time no birds sang, and no sunlight flickered 

 through the leaves and brought the day smiling to 

 our very door. The rain fell steadily, and when 

 the wind swept through the trees a sound like a 

 sob went up from the Forest. After breakfast, for 

 lack of active occupation, we lighted a few sticks 

 in the rough fireplace, and found ourselves gradu- 



