The Day Boy and the Night Girl

The Day Boy and the Night Girl
The Romance of Photogen and Nycteris
by George MacDonald
1882

Contents:
I. Watho
II. Aurora
III. Vesper
IV. Photogen
V. Nycteris
VI. How Photogen Grew
VII. How Nycteris Grew
VIII. The Lamp
IX. Out
X. The Great Lamp
XI. The Sunset
XII. The Garden
XIII. Something Quite New

XIV. The Sun
XV. The Coward Hero
XVI. The Evil Nurse
XVII. Watho's Wolf
XVIII. Refuge
XIX. The Werewolf
XX. All Is Well.

I. Watho
THERE was once a witch who desired to know everything. But the
wiser a witch is, the harder she knocks her head against the wall when
she comes to it. Her name was Watho, and she had a wolf in her mind.
She cared for nothing in itself -- only for knowing it. She was not
naturally cruel, but the wolf had made her cruel.
She was tall and graceful, with a white skin, red hair, and black eyes,
which had a red fire in them. She was straight and strong, but now and
then would fall bent together, shudder, and sit for a moment with her
head turned over her shoulder, as if the wolf had got out of her mind
onto her back.
II. Aurora
THIS witch got two ladies to visit her. One of them belonged to the
court, and her husband had been sent on a far and difficult embassy.
The other was a young widow whose husband had lately died, and who
had since lost her sight. Watho lodged them in different parts of her
castle, and they did not know of each other's existence.
The castle stood on the side of a hill sloping gently down into a arrow

valley, in which was a river with a pebbly channel and a continual song.
The garden went down to the bank of the river, enclosed by high walls,
which crossed the river and there stopped. Each wall had a double row
of battlements, and between the rows was a narrow walk.
In the topmost story of the castle, the Lady Aurora occupied a spacious
apartment of several large rooms looking southward. The windows
projected oriel-wise over the garden below, and there was a splendid
view from them both up and down and across the river. The opposite
side of the valley was steep, but not very high. Far away snowpeaks
were visible. These rooms Aurora seldom left, but their airy spaces, the
brilliant landscape and sky, the plentiful sunlight, the musical
instruments, books, pictures, curiosities, with the company of Watho,
who made herself charming, precluded all dullness. She had venison
and feathered game to eat, milk and pale sunny sparkling wine to drink.
She had hair of the yellow gold, waved and rippled; her skin was fair,
not white like Watho's, and her eyes were of the blue of the heavens
when bluest; her features were delicate but strong, her mouth large and
finely curved, and haunted with smiles.
III. Vesper
BEHIND the castle the hill rose abruptly; the northeastern tower,
indeed, was in contact with the rock and communicated with the
interior of it. For in the rock was a series of chambers, known only to
Watho and the one servant whom she trusted, called Falca. Some
former owner had constructed these chambers after the tomb of an
Egyptian king, and probably with the same design, for in the center of
one of them stood what could only be a sarcophagus, but that and
others were walled off. The sides and roofs of them were carved in low
relief, and curiously painted. Here the witch lodged the blind lady,
whose name was Vesper. Her eyes were black, with long black lashes;
her skin had a look of darkened silver, but was of purest tint and grain;
her hair was black and fine and straight flowing; her features were
exquisitely formed, and if less beautiful yet more lovely from sadness;
she always looked as if she wanted to lie down and not rise again. She
did not know she was lodged in a tomb, though now and then she

wondered why she never touched a window. There were many couches,
covered with richest silk, and soft as her own cheek, for her to lie upon;
and the carpets were so thick, she might have cast herself down
anywhere -- as befitted a tomb. The place was dry and warm, and
cunningly pierced for air, so that it was always fresh, and lacked only
sunlight. There the witch fed her upon milk, and wine dark as a
carbuncle, and pomegranates, and purple grapes, and birds that dwell in
marshy places; and she played to her mournful tunes, and caused
wailful violins to attend her, and told her sad tales, thus holding her
ever in an atmosphere of