village green. It was a wild, stormy night, the wind was blowing hard,
and the rain was falling fast; yet through the darkness I could
distinguish crowds of figures gathered on the green. On the side farther
from the sea there was a bright light streaming through the darkness.
I wondered in my dream what was going on, and I found that it was a tug
of war, taking place in the darkness of the night. I saw the huge cable,
and gradually as I watched I caught sight of those who were pulling.
I walked to the side from which the light streamed, and there I saw a
number of holy and beautiful angels with their hands on the rope, and
amongst them I distinctly caught sight of my mother. She seemed to be
dragging with all her might, and there was such an earnest, pleading,
beseeching expression on her dear face that it went to my very heart to
look at her. I noticed that close beside her was the preacher, little
Jack's father, and behind him was Duncan. They were all intent on their
work, and took no notice of me, so I walked to the other end of the
green, the one nearest the sea, that I might see who were there. It was
very dark at that end of the rope, but I could dimly see evil faces, and
dark, strange forms, such as I could not describe. Those on this side
seemed to be having it much their own way, I thought, for the weight,
whatever it was, was gradually drawing near to the sea; and, lo and
behold, I saw that they were close upon a terrible place, for mighty
cliffs stood above the shore, and they were within a very short distance
of a sheer and terrible precipice.

'What are you dragging?' I cried to them.

And a thousand voices seemed to answer, 'A soul! a soul!'

Then, as I watched on, I saw that the precipice was nearly reached, and
that both those who pulled and the weight they were dragging were on the