be so much light; for that there was something in the man's face
which he was afraid to look at, yet could not look away from.
And, indeed, even the lime-burner's dull and torpid sense began
to be impressed by an indescribable something in that thin,
rugged, thoughtful visage, with the grizzled hair hanging wildly
about it, and those deeply sunken eyes, which gleamed like fires
within the entrance of a mysterious cavern. But, as he closed the
door, the stranger turned towards him, and spoke in a quiet,
familiar way, that made Bartram feel as if he were a sane and
sensible man, after all.

"Your task draws to an end, I see," said he. "This marble has
already been burning three days. A few hours more will convert
the stone to lime."

"Why, who are you?" exclaimed the lime-burner. "You seem as well
acquainted with my business as I am myself."

"And well I may be," said the stranger; "for I followed the same
craft many a long year, and here, too, on this very spot. But you
are a newcomer in these parts. Did you never hear of Ethan
Brand?"

"The man that went in search of the Unpardonable Sin?" asked
Bartram, with a laugh.

"The same," answered the stranger. "He has found what he sought,
and therefore he comes back again."

"What! then you are Ethan Brand himself?" cried the lime-burner,