to wrest away her prey, loading her with reproaches and bewailing
the fate of my beautiful bird. Then suddenly some one said to me,
"You have only yourself to blame for this misfortune. While the
bird remained in his cage he was safe. Why should you have taken
him out before the eyes of the cat?"





VI. The Treasure in the Lighted House




A second time I dreamt, and saw a house built in the midst of a
forest. It was night, and all the rooms of the house were brilliantly
illuminated by lamps. But the strange thing was that the windows
were without shutters, and reached to the ground. In one of the
rooms sat an old man counting money and jewels on a table before him.
I stood in the spirit beside him, and presently heard outside the
windows a sound of footsteps and of men's voices talking together
in hushed tones. Then a face peered in at the lighted room, and
I became aware that there were many persons assembled without in
the darkness, watching the old man and his treasure. He also heard
them, and rose from his seat in alarm, clutching his gold and gems
and endeavoring to hide them.

"Who are they?" I asked him. He answered, his face white with terror;
"They are robbers and assassins. This forest is their haunt. They