THE CHILD WANDERS IN THE WOOD. 321 



if you can till the stars shine out, and drink 

 still more of me. 



"'And by-and-by you will understand all 

 about the sun, and the moon, and the star, 3 , 

 and the Earth which is so beautiful, Bevis. 

 It is so beautiful, you can hardly believe how 

 beautiful it is. Do not listen, dear, not for 

 one moment, to the stuff and rubbish they tell 

 you down there in the houses where they will 

 not let me come. If they say the Earth is 

 not beautiful, tell them they do not speak the 

 truth. But it is not their fault, for they have 

 never seen it, and, as they have never drank 

 me, their eyes are closed, and their ears shut 

 up tight. But every evening, dear, before 

 you get into bed, do you go to your window 

 the same as you did the evening the Owl 

 went by and lift the curtain and look up at 

 the sky, and I shall be somewhere about, or else 

 I shall be quiet in order that there may be no 

 clouds, so that you may see the stars. In the 

 morning, as I said before, rush out and drink 

 me up. 



" ' The more you drink of me, the more you 

 will want, and the more I shall love you. 



21 



