The Night Land

And when the instrument was finished, to Naani was given the right to

call first across the dark to discover whether indeed, after that

million years of silence, they were yet companied upon this earth, or

whether they were in truth lonely--the last poor thousands of the

Humans. And a great and painful excitement came upon the people of the lesser

pyramid; for the loneliness of the world pressed upon them; and it was

to them as though we in this age called to a star across the abyss of

space. And because of the excitement and pain of the moment, Naani called only

vaguely with the instrument into the dark; and lo! in a moment, as it

seemed, there came all about her in the night the solemn throb of the

Master-Word, beating in the night. And Naani cried out that she was

answered, and, as may be thought, many of the people wept, and some

prayed, and some were silent; but others beseeched her that she call

again and quickly to have further speech with those of their kind.

And Naani spoke the Master-Word into the night, and directly there came

a calling all about her: "Mirdath! Mirdath!" and the strange wonder of

it made her silent a moment; but when she would have made reply, the

instrument had ceased to work, and she could have no further speech at

that time. This, as may be thought, occasioned much distress; and constant work

they had between the instrument and the Earth-Current, to discover the

reason for this failing; but could not for a great while. And in that

time, oft did Naani hear the call of "Mirdath" thrilling about her; and

twice there came the solemn beat of the Master-Word in the night. Yet

never had she the power to answer. And all that while, as I learned in

time, was she stirred with a quaint ache at heart by the voice that

called "Mirdath!" as it might be the Spirit of Love, searching for its

mate; for this is how she put it.

And thus it chanced, that the constant thrilling of this name about her,

woke her to memory of a book she had read in early years, and but half

understood; for it was ancient, and writ in an olden fashion, and it set

out the love of a man and a maid, and the maid's name was Mirdath. And

so, because she was full of this great awakening of those ages of

silence, and the calling of that name, she found the book again, and

read it many times, and grew to a sound love of the beauty of that tale.