He was at work in his
room in the warm evening twilight, when Davie came running to his
door, and said Arkie was coming up after him. He rose and stood at
the top of the stair to receive her. She had heard the music, she
said--very soft: would he go on the roof?
"Where were you, my lady," asked Donal, "when you heard it? I have
heard nothing up here!"
"In my own little parlour," she replied. "It was very faint, but I
could not mistake it."
They went upon the roof. The wind was soft and low, an excellent
thing in winds. They knew the paths of the roof better now, and had
plenty of light, although the moon, rising large and round, gave
them little of hers yet, and were soon at the foot of the great
chimney-stack, which grew like a tree out of the house. There they
sat down to wait and hearken.
"I am almost sorry to have made this discovery!" said Donal.
"Why?" asked lady Arctura. "Should not the truth be found, whatever
it may be? You at least think so!"
"Most certainly," answered Donal. "And if this be the truth, as I
fully expect it will prove, then it is well it should be found to
be. But I should have liked better it had been something we could
not explain."
"I doubt if I understand you."
"Things that cannot be explained so widen the horizon around us!
open to us fresh regions for question and answer, for possibility
and delight! They are so many kernels of knowledge closed in the
hard nuts of seeming contradiction.
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