Old Yacob had tenderness last little daughter, and was grieved her weep upon his shoulder

" , my dear, he's an idiot He has delusions; 't do anything right "

" ," wept Medina-sarot "But he's better than He's getting better And he's strong, dear father, and kind--stronger and kinder than any I other man And he loves me--and, father, I love him "

Old Yacob was greatly distressed her inconsolable, and, besides-- what made it more distressing--he liked Nunez for many things So he went and sat windowless council-chamber other elders and watched the trend talk, and said, proper time, "He's better than Very likely, some day, find him as sane as ourselves "

Then afterwards elders, who thought deeply, had an idea He great doctor people, their medicine-man, and he had very philosophical and inventive mind, idea of curing Nunez peculiarities appealed to him One day when Yacob was present he returned topic of Nunez

" examined Bogota," , " case is clearer very probably cured "

" what always hoped," said old Yacob

"His brain is affected," said the blind doctor

The elders murmured assent

"Now, what affects it ? "

"Ah ! " said old Yacob

"_This_," said the doctor, answering his own question "Those queer things called the eyes, and which exist an agreeable soft depression face, are diseased, case of Bogota, affect his brain greatly distended, he has eyelashes, eyelids move, and consequently his brain is in state of constant irritation and distraction "

"Yes ? " said old Yacob "Yes ? "

"And say with reasonable certainty that, to cure him completely, all that do is simple and easy surgical operation--namely, to remove these irritant bodies "

"And then sane ? "

"Then perfectly sane, and quite admirable citizen "

"Thank Heaven for science ! " said old Yacob, and went forth at once Nunez happy hopes

But Nunez's manner of receiving the good news struck him as being cold and disappointing

"One might think," , " tone you take, that care daughter "

Medina-sarot who persuaded Nunez the blind surgeons

"_You want me," , "to lose my gift of sight ? "

She shook her head

"My world is sight "

Her head drooped lower

" the beautiful things, the beautiful little things--the flowers, the lichens rocks, the lightness and softness on piece of fur, the far sky with its drifting down of clouds, the sunsets stars And you alone good sight, your sweet, serene face, your kindly lips, your dear, beautiful hands folded together . these eyes you won, these eyes that hold me , idiots seek Instead, touch you, hear you, and never see you again come under that roof of rock and stone and darkness, that horrible roof under which your imagination stoops . No; me ? "

disagreeable doubt had arisen in him He stopped, and left the thing question

" ," she said, "sometimes----" She paused

"Yes," said he, little apprehensively

" sometimes-- talk like that "

"Like what ? "

" it's pretty--it's your imagination I love it, but now_----"

cold "_Now ? " faintly

She sat quite still

"You mean-- -- better, better perhaps-----"

realising things very swiftly anger, indeed, anger dull course of fate, but also sympathy for her lack of understanding--a sympathy near akin to pity

"_Dear_," , and he by her whiteness how intensely her spirit pressed against the things she He put his arms about her, he kissed her ear, sat for time in silence

"If I were to consent ? " at last, in voice that was very gentle

She flung her arms about him, weeping wildly "Oh, ," she sobbed, "if only ! "

* * * * *

For week operation that was to raise him servitude and inferiority level of blind citizen, Nunez knew nothing of sleep, and all warm sunlit hours, while the others slumbered happily, he sat brooding or wandered aimlessly, trying to bring his mind to bear dilemma He had given his answer, he had given his consent, and still not sure And at last work-time was over, the sun rose in splendour over the golden crests, last day of vision began for him He had with Medina-sarot before she went apart to sleep

"To-morrow," , " see no more "

"Dear heart ! " she answered, and pressed his hands with all her strength

" hurt you but little," she said; "and going pain-- going through it, dear lover, . Dear, if woman's heart and life can , repay you My dearest one, my dearest tender voice, repay "

drenched in pity for himself and her

He held her arms, and pressed his lips to hers, and looked on her sweet face time "Good-bye ! " he whispered dear sight, "good-bye ! "

And then in silence he turned away from her

hear his slow retreating footsteps, and something rhythm threw her into passion of weeping

He had fully meant to lonely place where the meadows were beautiful with white narcissus, and there remain until the hour sacrifice should come, but as he went he lifted up his eyes and saw the morning, the morning like an angel in golden armour, marching down the steeps .

It seemed to him that before this splendour he, and this blind world valley, love, and all, were no more than pit of sin

turn aside as he had meant , but went on, and passed wall circumference and out rocks, eyes were always sunlit ice and snow

their infinite beauty, imagination soared over them things beyond now to resign for ever

He thought great free world parted from, the world that was his own, and he had vision further slopes, distance beyond distance, with Bogota, place of multitudinous stirring beauty, glory by day, luminous mystery by night, place of palaces and fountains and statues and white houses, lying beautifully middle distance He thought how for day or so one might come down through passes, drawing ever nearer and nearer to its busy streets and ways He thought river journey, day by day, from great Bogota still vaster world beyond, through towns and villages, forest and desert places, the rushing river day by day, until its banks receded big steamers came splashing by, and one had reached the sea--the limitless sea, with its thousand islands, its thousands of islands, and its ships seen dimly far away in their incessant journeyings round and greater world And there, unpent by mountains, one saw the sky--the sky, not such disc as one saw it here, but an arch of immeasurable blue, deep of deeps circling stars were floating .

His eyes scrutinised the great curtain mountains with keener inquiry

For example, if one went so, up that gully and chimney there, then one might come out high among those stunted pines that ran round in sort of shelf and rose still higher and higher as it passed above the gorge And then ? That talus managed Thence perhaps climb found him precipice that came below the snow; and chimney failed, then another farther east might serve his purpose better And then ? Then one out amber-lit snow there, and half-way crest beautiful desolations

He glanced back village, then turned right round and regarded it steadfastly

He thought of Medina-sarot, and she had become small and remote

He turned again towards the mountain wall, down which the day had come to him

Then very circumspectly he began to climb

When sunset came no longer climbing, but far and high He higher, but still very high His clothes were torn, his limbs were blood-stained, bruised in many places, but he lay he were at his ease, and smile face

From where he rested the valley seemed it were in pit and nearly mile below Already dim with haze and shadow, though the mountain summits around him were things of light and fire The mountain summits around him were things of light and fire, little details rocks near at hand were drenched with subtle beauty--a vein of green mineral piercing the grey, the flash of crystal faces here and there, minute, minutely-beautiful orange lichen close beside his face There were deep mysterious shadows gorge, blue deepening into purple, and purple into luminous darkness, and overhead illimitable vastness sky But he heeded these things no longer, but lay quite inactive there, smiling he were satisfied merely escaped valley Blind he had thought King

The glow sunset passed, night came, and still he lay peacefully contented under the cold clear stars