Part 39 (1/2)
I did not understand her, but, in soht to my mind those that Natalie spoke at the last, and I answered:
”Yva, whenshe bade me seek her elsewhere, for certainly I should find her Doubtless she meant beyond the shores of death--or perhaps she also dreaely
”Your wife, too, ift of dreams, Humphrey As you dream and I dream, so mayhap she dreamed Of dreams, then, let us say no more, since I think that they have served their purpose, and all three of us understand”
Then I stretched out my arms, and next instant my head lay upon her perfu:
”With this kiss again I give myself to you But oh! Humphrey, do not ask too much of the God of hed
”What do youtheh o, I am mortal as you are, and that in eternity time makes no difference”
”And if so, Yva, what then? Do we meet but to part?”
”Who said it? Not I Humphrey, I tell you this Nor earth, nor heaven, nor hell have any bars through which love cannot burst its way towards reunion and completeness Only there must be love,to its end, which is not of the flesh Aye, love that has lost itself, love scorned, love defeated, love that see through the worlds, love asleep and living in its sleep, love awake and yet sleeping; all love that has in it the germ of life It matters not what form love takes If it be true I tell you that it in its way, and in the many that it has seeh perchance not here”
At her words a nuripped my heart
”Not here? Then where?” I said
”Ask your dead wife, Humphrey Ask the dumb stars Ask the God you worshi+p, for I cannot answer, save in one word--Somewhere! Man, be not afraid Do you think that such as you and I can be lost in the aching abysms of space? I know but little, yet I tell you that we are its rulers I tell you that we, too, are Gods, if only we can aspire and believe For the doubting and tiht For those who see with the eyes of the soul and stretch out their hands to grasp there is all Even Bastin will tell you this”
”But,” I said, ”life is short Those worlds are far away, and you are near”
She became wonderful, mysterious
”Near I am far,” she said; ”and far I ah to follow and to clasp And, Huth, for here I am afraid that it will bear little of such fruit as ain terror took hold of me, and I looked at her, for I did not knohat to say or ask
”Listen,” she went on ”Already e, has he not, but at a price which you do not understand?
Believe me, it is one that you should never pay, since the rule of the world can be too dearly bought by the slaughter of half the world And if you would pay it, I cannot”
”But this is madness!” I exclaimed ”Your father has no powers over our earth”
”I would that I could think so, Humphrey I tell you that he has powers and that it is his purpose to use them as he has done before You, too, he would use, and me”
”And, if so, Yva, we are lords of ourselves Let us take each other while we may Bastin is a priest”
”Lords of ourselves! Why, for ought I know, at this very hs Only in death, Humphrey, shall we pass beyond his reach and become lords of ourselves”
”It is monstrous!” I cried ”There is the boat, let us fly away”
”What boat can bear us out of stretch of the arh priest? Nay, here we must wait our doom”