Page 62 - Adventures in shadow-land

It was, notwithstanding, with a feeling of relief
that Eva at last saw the moon arise, and once
more she and Aster set out on their journey. He

never referred to the words which had awakened
i
her. No strange sights or sounds came to disturb

them. There was utter stillness all around; and
as hour after hour passed, and Aster walked quietly

by her side, Eva began to think that her anxiety
had all been for nothing, and she relaxed a little

of her watchfulness.
At last they came to a place where every plant
along the path was hung with filmy, gossamer,

delicate webs, and in each web sat a spider. And
every spider was different,—no two of them being

alike. And, as they passed these patient spinners,
Aster clung closely to Eva’s hand, saying that he

was afraid of being entangled among their webs,
or else stung by them ; although to her it appeared

as though the spiders did not even nolice them as
they passed. Then all of a sudden the webs and
the insects were gone \ and the children saw crawl­

ing slowly in the path, as if it was afraid of them

and wanted to get out of their way, a spider larger
than any of those they had seen ; a spider whose