Page 83 - Adventures in shadow-land

she had seen before. Go back she could not, for

every step, as she passed it, melted into the preci­
pice ; to look back made her dizzy. She must go

upward.
For the first time since she had begun to climb
the wall, which had changed, as she climbed, into*

steps, and then into a prccipice, Eva was afraid.

But there was no choice left for her; go on she
must; and, accordingly, on she went, till she came
to a place where the rock rose, so high that she

could not see its top, in a smooth, unbroken wall,
over which she could not possibly climb, and a

narrow path ran along its base; and as yet she had
not seen nor heard anything of the truant Aster.

She walked slowly along the foot of the great
blank wall, tired and discouraged. What to

do now, she did not know. She could not go
back, for there was the frightful precipice \ in

front was the wall, along which she was walking.
Poor Eva was almost ready to cry, when all

of a sudden she saw a door, cut in the stone,
and the dooT was shut* But she heard, behind

this door, the silvery voices and ringing laughter
of children, and then a great longing came over