the cabs he had seen; and from that his thoughts slipped calmly to the
glorious history of China, going back to the indecorous times before
calmness came, and beyond those times to the happy days of the earth
when the gods and dragons were here and China was young; and lighting
his opium pipe and casting his thoughts easily forward he looked to
the time when the dragons shall come again.

And for a long while then his mind reposed itself in such a dignified
calm that no thought stirred there at all, from which when he was
aroused he cast off his lethargy as a man emerges from the baths,
refreshed, cleansed and contented, and put away from his musings the
things he had seen on the plain as being evil and of the nature of
dreams, or futile illusion, the results of activity which troubleth
calm. And then he turned his mind toward the shape of God, the One,
the Ineffable, who sits by the lotus lily, whose shape is the shape of
peace, and denieth activity, and went out his thanks to him that he
had cast all bad customs westward out of China as a woman throws
household dirt out of her basket far out into neighbouring gardens.

From thankfulness he turned to calm again, and out of calm to sleep.




A PRETTY QUARREL

On one of those unattained, and unattainable pinnacles that are known
as the Bleaks of Eerie, an eagle was looking East with a hopeful
presage of blood.