And the Pain gat me in the breast, so that I had
surely ended then, but that the Master Doctor set somewhat to my breath,
that eased me, and gave something of dullness unto my senses for a
while. And I did be carried then in a sling unto the Great Lift, and there did
be a bed in the lift, and the Doctor to have me to lie upon the bed; and
I to know that he also to know that I never to need a bed any more;
neither should I ever to come upward again in the Lift. And truly the Mighty Pyramid did be an emptyness; for there did seem to
be left only the Stress Masters that did arrange the moving of the
Millions. And the Stress Masters did stand about the Lift, as we dropt
downward through the great miles unto the Underground Fields. And we
came downward in the last unto the Country of Silence, which did lie an
hundred miles deep in the world, and did be an hundred miles every way
of Silence unto the Dead. And they that were with me, gat me from the Lift, and did mean to carry
me in the sling unto The Last Road. But I stood upon my feet, and made
that I should walk, and I held out my hand for the Diskos, which one did
carry. And the Master Doctor signed that they should obey me, as my
spirit to know. And I walkt very steadfast down the Way that did lead
unto The Last Road; and the Master Doctor walkt behind me, a little
space off. And surely, there did be all the Peoples of the World in that great
Country; and the Peoples did be spread out forever, so far as my seeing
did go; and they to have sight of me; and all the aether did be stirred
with the humanness of their sorrow and their kind sympathy. And there
grew a murmur, which did be like to a low rolling thunder, and did be
the voices of the Peoples. And the rolling of that great husht Sound
went to and fro across that mighty Country of Quiet; and there to be
afterward an utter silence. And I saw below me the place of the Last Rest, where did be the
beginning of The Last Road; and there did lie there a little figure,
covered with a white robe, that did glimmer with the beauteous work of
women that had stitcht love and honour into that Last Garment. And
surely, I to rock upon my feet, and to steady myself with the Diskos;
and the Master Doctor to be unto my side in a moment, and gave me again
something that I breathe-in. But, indeed, I to refuse, after that I had
taken one breath of the drug; for I to be able to bear my pain the
little time that I now to have to live; and I to mean that I have no
dimness of my senses for those short minutes that I should have yet near
unto Mine Own. And truly the Master Doctor did not press me anywise, but
had a perfect understanding, and went quiet again to the rearward. And I came soon to that place where Mine Own Dead One did lie; and the
Master Monstruwacan stood to her feet, and did be clothed in grey
armour, and had the Diskos reversed; and this to be for an Honour unto
My Dead Maid. And there kneeled two maids in white, one to the right and one to the
left of Mine Own, and they to be for Faithfulness, and did be maids,
because that they watched by a maid; and had likewise been matrons, if
that the Dead had been wife unto any. And the place at the Head of the Last Rest did be empty, and did be for
me; and he that stood to the head, did be for Love; for it did be the
chief, and did hold dominion over and did make to live both Faithfulness
and Honour. And this to be the way of the Burial alway. And lo! I took my courage into my heart; and I stood to the head of Mine
Own Maid; and I lookt down upon the wondrous white glory of the garment,
which did be white because that Mine Own did be a Maid; yet did be
worked with yellow Flowers of Weeping, as we did call them, because that
she had died in love. And I to know that no hand had toucht that
wonderful garment, save the hands of maidens. And behold! as I stood there, from far away over the Land, there did
come a far and faint sound; and the sound did come more nigh, so that I
knew that afar off, beyond the Hills of the Babes, the Millions did
begin to sing the Calling Song, where Million did call husht unto
Million, and the sound did come onward toward where we did be, and did
go over us, and pass onward in a husht and wondrous breathing of sound,
as that all the Love that did be ever in this world, did call in a low
anguish unto a lost Beloved. And the sound to pass away and away over
that mighty Country in the deep Earth, and did hush and hush unto a
great and utter silence, save for a faint murmur of countless women
weeping, that did be in the air of that Land of Quiet. And there to be a space of silence, and again the silence to be broken
by a far sound; and there to come again from beyond the far Hills of the
Babes a strange and low sound, and did be as of a wind wandering through
damp forests. And the sound grew, and came across the Hills of the
Babes, and did be breathed forth by Million after Million, so that in a
little I to hear the Song of Weeping sung very low and sorrowful by the
multitudes. And the Song came onward over all that great Country, and
past over us, and went onward into the far Land beyond the Dome, and did
be caught by the voices of Millions that did be hid in great distances,
and so to go onward forever, and to die at last unto a mighty silence. And the Master Monstruwacan lookt at me from the feet of Mine Own Maid,
and I to know that the moment did be come when I to part from the Maid
Naani forever and forever, even though I to live in some strange future,
and to find her soul in some other sweet child. And I stoopt and laid
the Diskos beside Mine Own Maid there upon the Last Rest; and the two
maids drew back the light wonder of the Garment, and showed me the face
of Mine Own, and she to sleep there forever so sweet and husht as a
child, and as oft I to have seen her to sleep. And I lookt a little
while, and the pain of my heart did be sufficient, so that I knew I died
as I lookt. And once more I lookt, and I set my soul about Mine Own. And
I fought with myself, and stood upward, and the maids did cover the face
of Mine Own Maid. And the Master Monstruwacan commended Naani unto Eternity. And he raised
the Diskos reversed; and lo! the Road did begin to move upward unto the
Dome, and Mine Own Maid did be upon the Road; and I to fight that I keep
breathing; so that I not to die before she be lost utter to my sight. And there did rise now a sound from all that Country that had no order
in it; and did be like to a low moaning that did fill all the air of
the Land; and there to be also a constant sound, as of a little
whistling dree wind that did be in all that Country of Quiet; and truly
this to be more than any singing; for it to be the true weeping of
multitudes, that did sorrow from the heart, with the grief of this thing
that did be. And I stood utter still, and did draw my breath very even, and lookt
unto that small form that did be now afar off where it did lie upon the
moving Roadway.