From a Dream-book 2 9 



of what we fear by continuing to make part of 

 such an existence as thine." 



"But ye have died innumerable times?" 

 wonderingly said the Man. 



" No, we have not," said the Souls, " not 

 even once that we can remember ; and our mem- 

 ory reaches back to the beginnings of this world. 

 We die only with the race." 



The Man said nothing, being afraid. The 

 Souls resumed : 



"Thy race ceases. Its continuance depended 

 upon thy power to serve our purposes. Thou 

 hast lost all power. What art thou but a charnel- 

 house, a mortuary-pit? Freedom we needed, 

 and space: here we have been compacted to- 

 gether, a billion to a pin-point! Doorless our 

 chambers and blind; and the passages are 

 blocked and broken ; and the stairways lead to 

 nothing. Also there are Haunters here, not of 

 our kind, Things never to be named." 



For a little time the Man thought gratefully of 

 death and dust. But suddenly there came into 

 his memory a vision of his enemy's face, with 

 a wicked smile upon it. And then he wished 

 for longer life, a hundred years of life and 

 pain, only to see the grass grow tall above the 



