Jurgen | Page 7

tree, and back of her was a broad
muddied river, copper-colored in the sun; and here shone the fair head

of a tall girl on horseback, who seemed to wait for someone: in fine, the
girls along the way were numberless, and Jurgen thought he recollected
one or two of them.
But the Centaur went so swiftly that Jurgen could not be sure.

3.
The Garden between Dawn and Sunrise
Thus it was that Jurgen and the Centaur came to the garden between
dawn and sunrise, entering this place in a fashion which it is not
convenient to record. But as they passed over the bridge three fled
before them, screaming. And when the life had been trampled out of
the small furry bodies which these three had misused, there was none to
oppose the Centaur's entry into the garden between dawn and sunrise.
This was a wonderful garden: yet nothing therein was strange. Instead,
it seemed that everything hereabouts was heart-breakingly familiar and
very dear to Jurgen. For he had come to a broad lawn which slanted
northward to a well-remembered brook: and multitudinous maples and
locust-trees stood here and there, irregularly, and were being played
with very lazily by an irresolute west wind, so that foliage seemed to
toss and ripple everywhere like green spray: but autumn was at hand,
for the locust-trees were dropping a Danaë's shower of small round
yellow leaves. Around the garden was an unforgotten circle of blue
hills. And this was a place of lucent twilight, unlit by either sun or stars,
and with no shadows anywhere in the diffused faint radiancy that
revealed this garden, which is not visible to any man except in the brief
interval between dawn and sunrise.
"Why, but it is Count Emmerick's garden at Storisende," says Jurgen,
"where I used to be having such fine times when I was a lad."
"I will wager," said Nessus, "that you did not use to walk alone in this
garden."

"Well, no; there was a girl."
"Just so," assented Nessus. "It is a local by-law: and here are those who
comply with it."
For now had come toward them, walking together in the dawn, a
handsome boy and girl. And the girl was incredibly beautiful, because
everybody in the garden saw her with the vision of the boy who was
with her. "I am Rudolph," said this boy, "and she is Anne."
"And are you happy here?" asked Jurgen.
"Oh, yes, sir, we are tolerably happy: but Anne's father is very rich, and
my mother is poor, so that we cannot be quite happy until I have gone
into foreign lands and come back with a great many lakhs of rupees and
pieces of eight."
"And what will you do with all this money, Rudolph?"
"My duty, sir, as I see it. But I inherit defective eyesight."
"God speed to you, Rudolph!" said Jurgen, "for many others are in your
plight."
Then came to Jurgen and the Centaur another boy with the small
blue-eyed person in whom he took delight. And this fat and indolent
looking boy informed them that he and the girl who was with him were
walking in the glaze of the red mustard jar, which Jurgen thought was
gibberish: and the fat boy said that he and the girl had decided never to
grow any older, which Jurgen said was excellent good sense if only
they could manage it.
"Oh, I can manage that," said this fat boy, reflectively, "if only I do not
find the managing of it uncomfortable."
Jurgen for a moment regarded him, and then gravely shook hands.
"I feel for you," said Jurgen, "for I perceive that you, too, are a
monstrous clever fellow: so life will get the best of you."

"But is not cleverness the main thing, sir?"
"Time will show you, my lad," says Jurgen, a little sorrowfully. "And
God speed to you, for many others are in your plight."
And a host of boys and girls did Jurgen see in the garden. And all the
faces that Jurgen saw were young and glad and very lovely and quite
heart-breakingly confident, as young persons beyond numbering came
toward Jurgen and passed him there, in the first glow of dawn: so they
all went exulting in the glory of their youth, and foreknowing life to be
a puny antagonist from whom one might take very easily anything
which one desired. And all passed in couples--"as though they came
from the Ark," said Jurgen. But the Centaur said they followed a
precedent which was far older than the Ark.
"For in this garden," said the Centaur, "each man that ever lived has
sojourned for a little while, with no company save his illusions. I must
tell you again that in this garden are