He tried
to stop the eternal spinning, but it went remorselessly on; and presently
the face was gone; but not till it had given him ease of his pain.
Then came fighting, fighting, nothing but fighting--endless charges of
cavalry, continuous wheelings and advancings and retreatings, and the mad
din of drums; afterwards, in a swift quiet, the deep, even thud of the
horses' hoofs striking the ground. Flags and banners flaunted gaily by.
How the helmets flashed, and the foam flew from the bits! But those
flocks of blackbirds flying over the heads of the misty horsemen--they
made him shiver. Battle, battle, battle, and death, and being born--he
felt it all.
All at once there came a wide peace and clearing, and the everlasting jar
and movement ceased. Then a great pause, and light streamed round him,
comforting him.
It seemed to him that he was lying helpless and still by falling water in
a valley. The water soothed him, and he fell asleep. After a long time he
waked, and dimly knew that a face, good to look at, was bending over him.
In a vague, far-off way he saw that it was Elise Malboir; but even as he
saw, his eyes closed, the world dropped away, and he sank to sleep again.
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