Christmas Outside of Eden | Page 7

till he stood fearlessly in the
centre of them. Looking up through the burdened branches at the
calamity which he did not understand, he commanded, "Leave off."
To his immense surprise, on the instant the snow ceased falling. It

settled gently like a tired bird into its nest. The serenity of the stillness
was unbroken.
"I am hungry," he said.
The animals hurried to their stores of food and waited on him.
"I have not slept."
The squirrels scraped fallen leaves into a bed, and the bear and the wolf
stood guard.
When he awoke it was a brilliant winter's morning. The sun was
charioteering in highest heaven. The forest was white as though
cotton-wool had blown through it. As far as eye could search,
everything glittered, sheathed in a film of glass. Snow bulged from
branches like pillows filled to bursting. Icicles hung down like fantastic
swords. Down the colonnaded avenues trees cast their shadows in
heavy bars; the spaces between them were golden splashes.
[Illustration: The Man yawned. "I am still tired. Fetch the horse, that he
may carry me back to my dwelling."]
The Man yawned. "I am still tired. Fetch the horse that he may carry
me back to my dwelling."
He ordered the horse to be fetched because he had forgotten where his
cave was. It was clever of him. He did it to keep the animals from
knowing his ignorance.
The horse came galloping up obediently. Clutching him by the mane,
the Man bestrode him. Off they started at a sharp trot, with the animals
shouting and bounding beside them. As they travelled, the Man could
hardly keep from smiling at picturing what a fine fellow he was. He
made no attempt to restrain himself from giving orders. All the time he
kept urging the animals to shout louder. He wanted the Woman to hear
them, so that she might crawl to the entrance of the cave and be a
witness of his triumphant home-coming. It wasn't good enough merely
to picture himself as a fine fellow. He was anxious to hear her say to
him, "Oh, Man, what a fine fellow you are!" He'd forgotten completely
the purpose of his errand--that he'd set out through the world's first
snowstorm in search of God.
So at last they burst forth from the forest and reached the foot of the
slippery ascent. Because it was so slippery, the Man dismounted; the
horse could carry him no further. Having commanded the animals to go
on shouting for at least half-an-hour, he left them and commenced to

climb the steep and narrow path. He had to go gingerly on his hands
and knees. There were places where he slipped back two steps for every
one he advanced. By snatching at rocks and bushes, he dragged himself
slowly to the turning which brought him in sight of the entrance. There,
seated in the entrance to the cave, he saw ...
You must remember that by now it was the twenty-fifth of December.
To remember that is most extraordinarily important. What he saw is so
exciting that it deserves another chapter.

VII
He saw the Woman--but not the Woman as he had left her. She was no
longer sick. She was completely restored. As in the old days her hair
clothed her like a flame. Her face parted it into waves as though she
were a swimmer. He could see the pink dimples in her knees where she
sat and the marble whiteness of her feet, which flashed like jewels. She
was again the darling who had delighted his heart when she had darted
like a sunbeam across the shaven lawns of Eden; but now she was ten
times more radiant.
What was it that had changed her? Her tenderness made a golden mist
about her which inspired him with awe. He had had precisely this sense
of sunny quietness when he had walked through those long, still
afternoons with God.
She was unaware of him. Her eyes were deep pools of sapphire. She
was smiling gently and brooding above something which nestled in her
arms. He called to her softly; she paid him no attention. Far below the
ridge, in obedience to his commands, the animals were still shouting.
Was it because of them that she was smiling? Had the robin flown
ahead of him to tell her what had happened? The robin was perched on
her shoulder, fluttering his little wings and singing her his finest song.
He called to the robin; like the Woman, the robin was too occupied to
hear him. No, it wasn't because of him that she was smiling--he felt
sure. Then why was it?
He gazed back on the dazzling landscape that spread away below him,
hoping to find something there that would