And so everything might have been had it not been for the Man. Instead
of saying he was sorry, he had started to argue and blame the Woman. At
that God had refused to speak with him longer. He had ordered the Man
and Woman and all the animals to leave Eden immediately. He had given
them no time to pack. Lining them up like soldiers, He had numbered them
to make certain that none were missing and then, with the Man and Woman
leading, had marched them beyond the walls and locked the golden gates
of Eden against them forever.

Since then all had been privation and confusion. The animals, from
regarding the Man as their lord, had grown to despise him. They had
blamed him for their misfortunes. They had told him that it was his
fault that they had lost their happiness and that God walked the earth
no more. The woman had told him so most particularly. Of all the created
world only the dog and the robin had remained faithful to him. The dog
slept across his feet at night to keep them warm and the robin sang to
him each dawn that he should not lose courage.




III


Through the world's first summer things had not been so bad, though of
course the wilderness that grew outside of Eden was not so comfortable
as the garden they had lost. In the garden no one had needed to work:
food had grown on the trees to one's hand and, because it was so
sheltered, the weather had been always pleasant. It hadn't been
necessary to wear clothing; it hadn't been necessary to build houses,