harmonies of the world. For Nature reveals 

 not only herself, but some beautiful and for- 

 gotten part of a man's own soul, when she 

 finds him responsive in the wilderness. 



Slowly the glory deepened and faded, and 

 the crimson flush that had spread wide over 

 the great barren came creeping back into the 

 west out of which it had come. After it 

 came the silence, hushing the goslings' chat- 

 ter and the birds' hymn ; and only the river 

 was left singing to itself through the listen- 

 ing woods. Over the vast plain came again 

 the sea-wind swinging its fragrant censer, 

 from which fell now only heavy and drowsy 

 odors; and the fleecy mists that I had seen 

 rise at dawn settled softly again to cover the 

 sleeping earth like a garment. I could no 

 longer see the birds that I had followed all 

 the long, sunny day; but where the little 

 family stood a soft gray shadow blurred the 

 open shore ; and from it came now and then 

 a sleepy, inquisitive peep as some little one 

 stirred uneasily, and then a deep, quiet an- 

 swer to tell him that all was well, and that 

 he was not alone in the darkness. 



217 



In Quest of 



