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TIME PASSESallies? Were they enemies? How long would theyendure?

So some random light directing them with itspale footfall upon stair and mat, from some uncov-ered star, or wandering ship, or the Lighthouse even,the little airs mounted the staircase and nosed roundbedroom doors. But here surely, they must cease.Whatever else may perish and disappear, what lieshere is steadfast. Here one might say to those slid-ing lights, those fumbling airs that breathe andbend over the bed itself, here you can neither touchnor destroy. Upon which, wearily, ghostlily, as ifthey had feather-light fingers and the light per-sistency of feathers, they would look, once, on theshut eyes, and the loosely clasping fingers, and foldtheir garments wearily and disappear. And so, nos-ing, rubbing, they went to the window on the stair-case, to the servants’ bedrooms, to the boxes in theattics; descending, blanched the apples on the din-ing-room table, fumbled the petals of roses, triedthe picture on the easel, brushed the mat and blewa little sand along the floor. At length, desisting, allceased together, gathered together, all sighed to-gether; all together gave off an aimless gust oflamentation to which some door in the kitchen re-plied; swung wide; admitted nothing; and slammedto.191