point of being hurled over, and suddenly it flashed upon me in my dream
that it was _my_ soul for which they were struggling, and I heard
the cry of the pullers from the other side of the green, and it seemed
to me that, with one voice, they were calling out that terrible
question, 'What are the depths, the fearful depths, to which you are
being drawn?' And through the streaming light I saw my mother's face,
and a look of anguish crossed it, as suddenly the rope broke, and those
who were drawing it on the opposite side went over with a crash,
dragging my soul over with them.

I woke in a terror, and cried out so loudly that Duncan came running
into my room to see what was the matter.

'Nothing, Duncan,' I said, 'I was only dreaming; I thought I had gone
over a precipice.'

'No, thank God, you're all safe, sir,' he said. 'Shall I open your
window a bit? Maybe the room's close; is it?'

'Thank you, Duncan,' I answered; 'I shall be all right now. I'm so sorry
I have waked you.'

'You haven't done that, sir; me and Polly have been up all night with
the little lad. He's sort of funny, too, sir, burning hot, and yet he
shivers like, and he clings to his daddy; so I've been walking a mile or
two with him up and down our chamber floor, and I heard you skriking
out, and says Polly, "Run and see what ails him." So you haven't
disturbed me, sir, not one little bit, you haven't.'

He left me then, and I tried to sleep, but sleep seemed far from me. I