,transcriber's note ,this e-book has been transcribed from the author's hand-written manuscript1 downloaded from the ,british ,library4 ,the original text and the pagination have both been retained4 ,for the reader's convenience an edited version follows1 where punctuation1 capitalisation and spelling have been normalised4 ,the following changes have been made to both the original and the edited version3 ,leaf numbers1 as they appear in the original1 are shown in brackets4 ,the name ,o,donell was changed to ,o',donell4 ,ampersand 77 was changed to and4 #a ,the ,search after ,happiness ,a ,tale by ,c ,bronte ,august the seventeenth #ahbi #b ,,the ,,search ,,after ,,hapiness ,a ,,tale ,,by ,,charlotte ,,bronte ,,printed ,,by ,,herself ,,and ,,sold ,,by ,,nobody ct ct ,,august ,,the ,,seventeenth ,,eighteen ,,hundred ,,and on ,twenty nine ,preface ,the persons meant by the ,chief of the city and his ,sons are the ,duke of ,wellington the ,marquis of ,duro and ,lord ,wellesly the city is the ,glass town ,henry ,o',donell and ,alexander ,delancy are ,captain ,tarry-not-at-home and ,monsieur ,like-to-live-in-lonely-places ,charlotte ,bronte ,august the #ag #ahbi #c ,a ,,tale ,,by ,,cb ,july #bh #ahbi ,the search after happiness chapter ,i ,,not many years ago there lived in a certain city a person of the name of ,henry ,o',donell1 in figure he was tall of a dark complexion and searching black eye1 his mind was strong and unbending his disposition uncosiable and though respected by many he was loved by few4 the city where he resided was very great and magnificent it was governed by a warior a mighty man of valour whose deeds had resounded to the ends of the earth4 this soldier had #b son's who were at that time of the seperate age's of #f and #g years ,henry--,o',donell was a nobleman of great consequence in the city and a peculiar favourite with the governor before whose glance his stern mind would bow and at his comand ,o',donells selfwill would be overcome and while playing with the young princes he would forget his usual sulleness of demeanour the day's of his childhood returned upon him and he would be a merry as the youngest who was gay indeed4 one day at court a quarrel ensued between him and another noble words came to blows and ,o',donell struck his oponent a violent blow on the left cheek at this the miliatry ,king started up and commanded ,o',donell to apologize this he imediatly did1 but from that hour the spell of discontent seemed to have been cast over him and he resolved to quit the city4 the evening before he put this resolution into practise he had an interview with the ,king and returned quite an altered man4 before he seemed stern and intractable now he was only meditative and sorrowful as he was passing the inner court of the palace he perceived the #b young princes at play he called them and they came runing to him4 ,i am going far from this city and shall most likely never see you again said ,o',donell4 where are you going8 ,i canot tell then why do you go away from us why do you go from your own house and lands from this great and splendid city to you know not where because ,i am not happy here4 ,and if you are not happy here where you have every thing for which you can whish do you expect to be happy when you are dying of hunger or thirst in a desert or longing for the society of men when you are thousands of miles of miles ,from any human being4 how do you know that that will be my case8 it is very likely that it will4 and if it was ,i am determined to go4 take this then that you may sometimes rememberus when you dwell with only the wild beast of the desert or the great eagle of the mountain1 said they as they each gave him a curling lock of their hair yes ,i will take it my princes and ,i shall rember you and the mighty warrior ,king your father even when the angel of ,death has stretched forth his bony arm against me and ,i am within the confines of his dreary kingdom the cold damp grave replied ,o',donell as the tears rushed to his eyes and he once more embraced the little princes and then quitted them it might be for ever---- ,,chapter4 ,,the ,,ii ,,the ,dawn of the next morning found ,o',donell on the sumit of a ,high mountain which overlooked the city he had stopped to take a farewell view of the place of his nativity4 all along the eastern horizon there was a rich glowing light which as it rose gradually melted into the pale blue of the sky in which just over the light there was still visible the silver crescent of the moon in a short time the sun began to rise in golden glory casting his splendid radiance over all the face of nature and illuminating the magnificent city in the midst of which towering in silent grandeur there appeared the ,palace where dwelt the mighty ,prince of that great and beautiful city4 all around the brazen gates and massive walls of which there flowed the majestic stream of the ,guadima whose ,banks where bordered by splendid palaces and magnificent gardens behind these stretching for many a league were fruitful plains and forests whose shade seemed almost impenetrable to a single ray of light while in the distace blue mountains were seen raising their heads to the sky and forming a misty girdle to the plains of ,dahomey4 on the whole of this grand and beautiful prospect #d ,o',donells gaze was long and fixed but his last look was to the palace of the ,king and a tear stood in his eye as he said ernestly may he be preserved from all evil may good attend him and may the cheif ,geni spread their broad sheild of protection over him all the time of his sojourn in this wearisome world4 then turning round he began to decend the mountain he pursued his way till the sun began to wax hot when he stopped and sitting down he took out some provisions which he had brought with him and which consisted of a few biscuits and dates while he was eating a tall man came up and acosted him ,o',donell requested him to sit beside him and offered him a biscuit this he refused and taking one out of a small bag which he carried he sat down and they began to talk4 ,in the course of conversation ,o',donell learnt that this mans name was ,a,lexander ,de,lancy that he was a native of ,france and that he was engaged in the same pursuit with himself i-e the search of happiness they talked for along time and at last agreed to travel together then rising they pursued their journey towards night fall they lay down in the open air and slept soundly till morning when they again set off and thus they continued till the #c day when about #b hours after noon they aproached an old castle which they entred and as they were examining it they discovered a subteaneous passage which they could not see the end of ,let us follow where this passage leads us and perhaps we may find happiness here said ,o',donell ,delancy agreed the #b stepped into the opening imediately they a great stone was rolled to the mouth of the passage with a noise like thunder which shut out all but a single ray daylight4 ,what is that6 exclaimed ,o',donell ,i cannot tell1 replied ,de,lancy but never mind ,i supose it is only some genius playing tricks ,well it may be so returned ,o',donell and they proceeded on their way after traveling for a long time as near as they could reckon about #b days they perceived a silvery streak of light on the walls of the passage something like the light of the moon in a short time they came to the end of the passage and leaping out of the opening which formed they entred a new world they where at first so much bewildred by the different objects which struck their senses that they almost fainted but at length recovering they had time to see every thing around them they were upon the top of a rock which was more than a thousand fathoms high1 all beneath them was liquid ,mountains tossed to and fro with horrible confusion roaring and raging with a tremendous noise and crowned with waves of foam all above them was a mighty firmament in one part covere with black clouds from which darted huge and terrible sheets of ,lightning in another part an imense globe of ,light like silver was hanging in the sky and several smaller globes which spakled exceedingly surounded it4 in a short time the tempest which was dreadful beyond description ceased the large black clouds cleared away the silver globes vanished and another globe whose light was of a gold colour appeared it was far larger than the former and in a little time it became so intensely bright that they could no longer gaze on it so after looking around them for some time they rose and pursued their journey4 they had travelled a long way when they came an imense forest the trees of which bore a large fruit of a deep purple colour of which they tasted and found that it was fit for food1 they journeyed in this forest for three days and on the #c day they entred a valley or rather a deep glen surounded on each side by tremendous rocks whose tops where lost in the clouds in this glen they continued for some time and at last came in sight of a mountain which rose so high that the could not see the sumit though the sky was quite clear4 at the foot of the mountain there flowed a river of pure water border by trees which had flowers of a beautiful rose coulour except these trees nothing was to be seen but black forests and huge rocks rising out of a wilderness which bore the terrible aspect of devastation and which stretched as far as the eye could reach in this desolate land no sound was to be heard1 not even cry of the eagle or the scream of the ,curlew but a silence like the silence of the grave reigned over all the face of nature unbroken except by the murmur of the river as it slowly wound its course through the desert #e ,,chapter ,,the ,,iii after they had contemplated this scene for some time ,o',donell exclaimed ,,alexander ,let us abide here what need have we to travel father let us make this our place of rest6 ,we will replied ,de,lancy and this shall be our abode added he pointing to a cave at the foot of the mountaine ,it shall returned--,o',donell as they entered it4 in this country they remained for many long years and passed their time in a maner which made them completely happy sometimes they would sit upon a high rock and listen to the hoarse thunder rolling through the sky and making the mountains to echo and the deserts to ring with its awful voice1 somtimes they would watch the lightning darting across black clouds and shivering huge fragments of rock in its terrible passage sometimes they would witness the great glorious orb of gold sink behind the far distant mountains which girded the horizon and then watch the advance of grey twilight and the little stars coming forth in beauty and the silver moon arising in her splendour till the cold dews of night began to fall and then they would retire to their bed in the cave with hearts full of joy and thankfulness4 one evening they were seated in this cave by a large ,blazing fire of turf which cast its lurid light to the high arched roof and illuminated the tall and stately pillars cut by the hand of nature out the stony rock with a cheerful and red glare that appeared strange in this desolate land which no fires had ever before visited except those feirce flames of death which flash from the heavens when robed in the dreadful majesty of thunder4 they were seated in this cave then listening to the howling night wind as it swept in mournful cadences through the trees of the forest which encircled the foot of the mount and bordered the stream which flowed round it4 they were quite silent and their thoughts were ocupied by those that were afar off and whom it was their fate most likely never more to behold ,o',donell was thinking of his noble master and his young ,princes of the thousands of miles which intervened between him and them and the sad silent tear gushed forth as he ruminated on the happiness of those times when his master frowned not when the gloom of care gave place to the smile of freindship when he would talk to him and laugh with him and be to him not as a brother no no but as a mighty warrior who relaxing from his haughtiness would now and then converse with his high officers in a strain of vivacity and playful humour not to be equalled4 next he viewed him in his minds eye at the head of his army he heared in the ears of his imagination the buzz of expectation of hope and supposition which humed round him as his penetrating eye with a still keeness of expression was fixed on the distant ranks of the enemy then he heard his authorative voice exclam1 ,onward brave sons of freedom onward to the battle and lastly his parting words to him in prosperity or1 in misery ,in sorrow or in joy ,in populous cities or in desolate wildernesses my prayer shall go with you darted across his mind with such painful distinctness that he at length gave way to his uncontrollable greif at the thought that he should never behold his beloved and mighty comander more and burst into a flood of tears4 ,what is the matter ,henry exclaimed ,delancy ,o nothing nothing was the reply and they were resuming their tacit thinking when a voice was heard outside the cavern which broke strangely upon the desolate silence of that land which for thousands of years had heard no sound save the howling of the wind through the forest the echoing of the thunder among mountains or the solitary murmuring of the river if we except the preseence of ,o',donell and ,delancy4 ,listen6 cried ,,alexander listen6 what is that4 it is the sound of a mans voice replied ,henry and then snatching up a burning torch he rushed to the mouth of the cave followed by ,delancy when they had got there they saw the figure of a very old man sitting on the damp wet ground moaning and complaining bitterly they went up to him at their approach he rose and said are you human or supernatural beings8 they assured him that they were human4 he went on4 then why have you taken up your abode in this land of the grave8 ,o',donell answered that he would relate to him all the particulars if he would he would take shelter for the night with them the old man consented and when they were all assembled round the cheerful fire ,o',donell fulfilled his promise and then requested the old man to tell them how he came to be travelling there he complied and began as follows---- #f ,,chapter the ,,iv ,i was the son of a respectable merchant in moussoul my father intended to bring me up to his own trade but ,i was idle and did not like4 it one day as ,i was playing in the street a very old man came up to me and asked me if ,i would go with him ,i asked him where he was going he replyed that if ,i would go with him he would show me very wonderful things this raised my curiosity and ,i consented he imediatly took me by the hand and hurried me out of the city of ,moussoul so quickly that my breath was almost stopped and it seemed as if we glided along in the air for ,i could hear no sound of our footsteps we continued on our course for a long time till we came to glen surrounded by very high mountains how we passed over those mountains ,i could never tell1 in the middle of the glen there was a small fountain of very clear water my conducter directed me to drink of it this ,i did and imediatly ,i found myself in a palace the glory of which far exceeds any description which ,i can give the tall stately pillars reaching from heaven to earth were formed of the fines and pured diamonds the pavement sparkling with gold and precious stones and the mighty dome made solem and awful by its stupendous magnitude was of a single emerald4 in the midst of this grand and magnificent palace was a lamp like the sun the radiance of which made all the palace to flash and glitter with an almost fearful grandeur the ruby sent a stream forth of crimson light the topaz gold the saphire intensest purple and the dome poured a flood of deep clear splendour which overcame all the other gaudy lights by its mild triumphant glory in this palace were thousands and tens of thousand of faires and geni some of whom flitted lightly among the blazing lamps to the sound of unearthly music which dyed and swelled in a strain of wild grandeur suited to the words they sung-- in this fairy land of light no mortal ere has been and the dreadful grandeu of this sight by them hath not been seen t'would strike them shudering to the earth like the flash from a thunder cloud it would quench their light and joyous mirth and fit them for the shroud the rising of our palaces like visions of the deep and the glory of their structure no mortal voice can speak the music of our songs and our mighty trumpets swell and the sounding of our silver harps no mortal tongue can tell of us they know but little save when the storm doth rise and the mighty waves are tossing agains the arched skys #g then oft they see us striding o'e'r the billows snow white foam or hear us speak in thunder when we stand in grandeur lone on the darkest of the mighty clouds which veil the pearly moon around us lightning flashing nights blackness to illume chorus the music of our songs and our mighty trumpets swell and the sounding of our silver harp no mortal tongue can tell when they had finished their was a dead silence for about half an hour and then the palace began slowly and gradualy to vanish till it disapeared intirely and ,i found myself in the glen surounded by high mountains the fountain illuminated by the cold light of the moon springing up in the middle of the valley and standing close by was the old man who had conducted me to this enchanted place he turned round and ,i could see that his countenance had an expression of strange severity which ,i had not before observed4 ,follow me he said ,i obeyed and we began to ascend the mountain it would be needless to trouble you with a repititon of all my adventures suffice it to say that after two months time we arrived at a large temple we entred it the interior as well as the outside had a very gloomy and ominous aspect being intirely built of black marble the old man suddenly seized me and dragged me to an altar at the upper end of the temple then forcing me down on my knees he made me swear that ,i would be his servant forever and this promise ,i faithfully kept notwithstanding the dreadful scenes of magic of which every day of my life ,i was forced to be a witness one day he told me that he would discharge me from the oath ,i had taken and comanded me to leave his service ,i obeyed and after wandering about the world for many years ,i one evening laid myself down on a little bank by the roadside intending to pass the night there suddenly ,i felt myself raised in the air by invisible hands in a short time ,i lost sight of the earth and continued on my course through the clouds till ,i became insensible and when ,i recovered from my swoon ,i found myself lying outside this cave what may be my future destiny ,i know not---- ,,chapter the ,v ,when the old man had finished his tale ,o',donell and ,delancy thanked him for the relation adding at the same time that they had never heard anything half so wonderful then as it was very late they all retired to rest next morning ,o',donell awoke very early and looking round the cave he perceived the bed of leaves on which the old man had lain to be empty the rising he went out of the cave the sky was covered with red fiery clouds except those in the east whose edges were tinged with the bright rays of the morning sun as they strove to hide its glory with their dark veil of vapours now all beauty and radiance by the golden line of light which sreaked their gloomy surface beneath this storm portending sky and far off to the westward rose two tremendous rocks whose sumits were enveloped with black clouds rolling one above another with an awful magnificence well suited to the land of wilderness and mountain which they canopied gliding along in the air between these two rocks was a chariot of light and in the chariot sat a figure the expression of whose countenance was that of the old man armed with the majesty and might of a spirit ,o',donell stood at the mouth of the cave watching it till it vanished and then calling ,delancy he related the circumstance to him #h some years after this ,a,lexander went out one morning in search of the fruit on which they subsisted noon came and he had not returned evening and still no tidings of him ,o',donell began to be alarmed and set out in search of him but could no where find him one whole day he spent in wandering about the rocks and mountains and in the evening he came back to his cave weary and faint with hunger and thirst days weeks months passed away and no ,delancy apeared ,o',donell might now ,be said to be truly miserable he would sit on a rock for hours together and cry out ,a,lexander ,a,lexander but receive no answer except the distant echoing of his voice among the rocks sometimes he fancied it was another person answering him and he would listen ernestly till it dyed awey then sinking into utter despair again he woul sit till the dews of night began to fall when he would retire to his cave to pass the night in unquiet broken slumbers or in thinking of his beloved commander whom he could never see more in one of these dreadful intervals he took up a small parcel and opening it he saw lying before him two locks of soft culy hair shing like--burnished gold he gazed on them for a little and thought of the words of those who gave them to him--take this then that you may rember us when you dewll with only the wild beast of the desert and the great eagle of the mountain he burst into a flood of tears he wrung his hands sorrow and in the anguish of the moment he wished that he could once more see them and the mighty ,warrior ,king their father if it cost him his life just at that instant a loud clap of thunder shook the roof of the cave a sound like the rushing of the wind was heard and a mighty genius stood before him ,i know thy wish cried he with a loud and terrible voice and ,i will grant it in #b months time thou returnest to the castle wence thou camest hither and surrenderest thyself into my power ,o',donell promised that he would and instantly he found himself at the door of the old castle and in the land of his birth he pursued his journey for three days and on the #c4 day he arrived at the mountain which overlooked the city it was a beautiful evening in the month of ,september and the full moon was shedding her traquil light on all the face of nature the city was lying in its splendour and magnificence surrounded by the broad stream of the ,guadima the palace was majestically towering in the midst of it and all its pillars and battlements eemed in the calm light of the moon as if they were transformed into siver by the touch of a fairys wand ,o',donell staid not long to contemplate this beautiful scene but decending the mountain he soon crossed the fertile plain which led to the city and entering the gates he quickly arrived at the palace without speaking to any one he entred the iner court of the palace by a seecret way with which he was acquainted and then going up a flight of steps and crossing a long gallery he arrived at the ,kings private apartment the door was half open he looked and beheld #b very handsome young men sitting together and reading he instantly recgonized them and was going to step forward when the door opened and the ,great ,duke entred ,o',donell could contain himself no longer but rushing in he threw himself at the feet of his ,grace ,o',donell is this you exclaimed the ,duke it is my most noble master answered ,o',donell almost choking with joy the young princes instantly embraced him while he almost smothered them with #i caresses after a while they became tranquil and then ,o',donell at the request of the ,duke related all his adventures since he parted with them not omiting the condition on which he was now in the palace when he had ended a loud voice was heard saying that he was free from his promise and might spend the rest of his days in his native city sometime after this as ,o',donell was walking in the streets he met a gentleman who he thought he had seen before but could not recolect where or under what circumstances after a little conversation he discovered that he was ,a,lexander ,delancy that he was now a rich merchant in the city of ,paris and high in favour with the emperor ,napoleon as may be suposed they both were equally delighted at the discovery they ever after lived hapily in their seperate cities and so ends my little tale4 ,c ,bronte ,august the #ag #ahbi ,contents ,chap ,i character of ,o',donell cause of his travels ,chap ,,ii set out meeting ,delancy coming to the old castle entreing the new world description ,chap ,,iii coming to the cave maner of life arrival of the old man ,chap ,,vi old mans tale ,chap ,v ,departure of the old man disapearance of ,delancy transportation of ,o',donell his arrival at the city his arrival at the palace2 his interview with his cheif he finds ,delancy end ,,finis ,,edited ,,version ,preface ,the persons meant by the ,chief of the city and his ,sons are the ,duke of ,wellington1 the ,marquis of ,duro and ,lord ,wellesly4 ,the city is the ,glass town4 ,henry ,o',donell and ,alexander ,delancy are ,captain ,tarry-not-at-home and ,monsieur ,like-to-live-in-lonely-places4 ,charlotte ,bronte ,august the #ag #ahbi #c ,a ,,tale ,,by ,,cb ,july #bh #ahbi ,the search after happiness ,chapter ,i ,,not many years ago there lived in a certain city a person of the name of ,henry ,o',donell4 ,in figure he was tall1 of a dark complexion and searching black eye1 his mind was strong and unbending1 his disposition unsociable and though respected by many he was loved by few4 ,the city where he resided was very great and magnificent4 ,it was governed by a warrior1 a mighty man of valour whose deeds had resounded to the ends of the earth4 ,this soldier had two sons who were at that time of the separate ages of six and seven years4 ,henry ,o',donell was a nobleman of great consequence in the city and a peculiar favourite with the governor1 before whose glance his stern mind would bow and at his command ,o',donell's selfwill would be overcome1 and while playing with the young princes he would forget his usual sullenness of demeanour2 the days of his childhood returned upon him and he would be as merry as the youngest1 who was gay indeed4 ,one day at court1 a quarrel ensued between him and another noble1 words came to blows and ,o',donell struck his opponent a violent blow on the left cheek4 ,at this the military ,king started up and commanded ,o',donell to apologize4 ,this he immediately did1 but from that hour the spell of discontent seemed to have been cast over him and he resolved to quit the city4 ,the evening before he put this resolution into practice1 he had an interview with the ,king and returned quite an altered man4 ,before he seemed stern and intractable1 now he was only meditative and sorrowful4 ,as he was passing the inner court of the palace1 he perceived the two young princes at play4 ,he called them and they came running to him4 ,i am going far from this city and shall most likely never see you again1 said ,o',donell4 ,where are you going8 ,i cannot tell4 ,then why do you go away from us1 why do you go from your own house and lands1 from this great and splendid city to you know not where8 ,because ,i am not happy here4 ,and if you are not happy here where you have every thing for which you can wish1 do you expect to be happy when you are dying of hunger or thirst in a desert or longing for the society of men1 when you are thousands of miles1 of miles from any human being8 ,how do you know that that will be my case8 ,it is very likely that it will4 ,and if it was1 ,i am determined to go4 ,take this then that you may sometimes remember us when you dwell with only the wild beast of the desert or the great eagle of the mountain1 said they as they each gave him a curling lock of their hair4 ,yes1 ,i will take it my princes and ,i shall remember you and the mighty warrior ,king your father1 even when the angel of ,death has stretched forth his bony arm against me and ,i am within the confines of his dreary kingdom1 the cold damp grave1 replied ,o',donell1 as the tears rushed to his eyes and he once more embraced the little princes and then quitted them1 it might be for ever---- ,,chapter ,,the ,,ii ,,the ,dawn of the next morning found ,o',donell on the summit of a high mountain which overlooked the city4 ,he had stopped to take a farewell view of the place of his nativity4 ,all along the eastern horizon1 there was a rich glowing light1 which1 as it rose1 gradually melted into the pale blue of the sky1 in which1 just over the light1 there was still visible the silver crescent of the moon4 ,in a short time the sun began to rise in golden glory casting his splendid radiance over all the face of nature and illuminating the magnificent city in the midst of which1 towering in the silent grandeur1 there appeared the ,palace where dwelt the mighty ,prince of that great and beautiful city1 all around the brazen gates and massive walls of which there flowed the majestic stream of the ,guadima whose banks were bordered by splendid palaces and magnificent gardens4 ,behind these stretching for many a league were fruitful plains and forests whose shade seemed almost impenetrable to a single ray of light1 while in the distance blue mountains were seen raising their heads to the sky and forming a misty girdle to the plains of ,dahomey4 ,on the whole of this grand and beautiful prospect1 #d ,o',donell's gaze was long and fixed but his last look was to the palace of the ,king and a tear stood in his eye as he said earnestly1 ,may he be preserved from all evil4 ,may good attend him and may the chief ,genie spread their broad shield of protection over him all the time of his sojourn in this wearisome world4 ,then turning round he began to descend the mountain4 ,he pursued his way till the sun began to wax hot when he stopped and1 sitting down1 he took out some provisions which he had brought with him and which consisted of a few biscuits and dates4 ,while he was eating1 a tall man came up and accosted him4 ,o',donell requested him to sit beside him and offered him a biscuit4 ,this he refused1 and taking one out of a small bag which he carried1 he sat down and they began to talk4 ,in the course of conversation ,o',donell learnt that this man's name was ,alexander ,delancy1 that he was a native of ,france1 and that he was engaged in the same pursuit with himself1 i4e4 the search of happiness4 ,they talked for a long time and at last agreed to travel together4 ,then1 rising1 they pursued their journey4 ,towards nightfall they lay down in the open air and slept soundly till morning1 when they again set off and thus they continued till the #crd day1 when about two hours after noon they approached an old castle which they entered and as they were examining it1 they discovered a subterraneous passage1 which they could not see the end of4 ,let us follow where this passage leads us and perhaps we may find happiness here1 said ,o',donell4 ,delancy agreed2 the two stepped into the opening4 ,immediately a great stone was rolled to the mouth of the passage with a noise like thunder which shut out all but a single ray of daylight4 ,what is that6 exclaimed ,o',donell4 ,i cannot tell1 replied ,delancy but never mind4 ,i suppose it is only some genius playing tricks4 ,well1 it may be so1 returned ,o',donell and they proceeded on their way4 ,after travelling for a long time1 as near as they could reckon about two days1 they perceived a silvery streak of light on the walls of the passage1 something like the light of the moon4 ,in a short time they came to the end of the passage1 and1 leaping out of the opening which formed1 they entered a new world4 ,they were at first so much bewildered by the different objects which struck their senses that they almost fainted1 but at length recovering they had time to see everything around them4 ,they were upon the top of a rock which was more than a thousand fathoms high4 ,all beneath them was liquid mountains tossed to and fro with horrible confusion1 roaring and raging with a tremendous noise and crowned with waves of foam4 ,all above them was a mighty firmament1 in one part covered with black clouds from which darted huge and terrible sheets of lightning1 in another part an immense globe of light like silver was hanging in the sky and several smaller globes which sparkled exceedingly surrounded it4 ,in a short time the tempest which was dreadful beyond description ceased1 the large black clouds cleared away1 the silver globes vanished1 and another globe whose light was of a gold colour appeared4 ,it was far larger than the former and in a little time it became so intensely bright that they could no longer gaze on it1 so after looking around them for some time they rose and pursued their journey4 ,they had travelled a long way1 when they came to an immense forest1 the trees of which bore a large fruit of a deep purple colour of which they tasted and found that it was fit for food4 ,they journeyed in this forest for three days and on the #crd day they entered a valley or rather a deep glen surrounded on each side by tremendous rocks1 whose tops were lost in the clouds4 ,in this glen they continued for some time and at last came in sight of a mountain which rose so high that they could not see the summit though the sky was quite clear4 ,at the foot of the mountain1 there flowed a river of pure water bordered by trees which had flowers of a beautiful rose colour4 ,except these trees nothing was to be seen but black forests and huge rocks rising out of a wilderness which bore the terrible aspect of devastation and which stretched as far as the eye could reach4 ,in this desolate land no sound was to be heard1 not even cry of the eagle or the scream of the curlew1 but a silence1 like the silence of the grave1 reigned over all the face of nature unbroken except by the murmur of the river as it slowly wound its course through the desert4 #e ,,chapter ,,the ,,iii ,after they had contemplated this scene for some time ,o',donell exclaimed1 ,alexander1 let us abide here4 ,what need have we to travel farther8 let us make this our place of rest6 ,we will1 replied ,delancy and this shall be our abode1 added he pointing to a cave at the foot of the mountain4 ,it shall1 returned ,o',donell as they entered it4 ,in this country they remained for many long years and passed their time in a manner which made them completely happy4 ,sometimes they would sit upon a high rock and listen to the hoarse thunder rolling through the sky and making the mountains to echo and the deserts to ring with its awful voice4 ,sometimes they would watch the lightning darting across black clouds and shivering huge fragments of rock in its terrible passage4 ,sometimes they would witness the great glorious orb of gold sink behind the far distant mountains which girded the horizon and then watch the advance of grey twilight and the little stars coming forth in beauty and the silver moon arising in her splendour till the cold dews of night began to fall and then they would retire to their bed in the cave with hearts full of joy and thankfulness4 ,one evening they were seated in this cave by a large blazing fire of turf which cast its lurid light to the high arched roof and illuminated the tall and stately pillars cut by the hand of nature out the stony rock with a cheerful and red glare that appeared strange in this desolate land1 which no fires had ever before visited except those fierce flames of death1 which flash from the heavens when robed in the dreadful majesty of thunder4 ,they were seated in this cave then listening to the howling night wind as it swept in mournful cadences through the trees of the forest1 which encircled the foot of the mount and bordered the stream which flowed round it4 ,they were quite silent and their thoughts were occupied by those that were afar off and whom it was their fate most likely never more to behold4 ,o',donell was thinking of his noble master and his young ,princes1 of the thousands of miles which intervened between him and them1 and the sad silent tear gushed forth as he ruminated on the happiness of those times3 when his master frowned1 not when the gloom of care gave place to the smile of friendship2 when he would talk to him and laugh with him and be to him not as a brother1 no no1 but as a mighty warrior1 who relaxing from his haughtiness would now and then converse with his high officers in a strain of vivacity and playful humour not to be equalled4 ,next he viewed him in his mind's eye at the head of his army4 ,he heard in the ears of his imagination the buzz of expectation of hope and supposition which hummed round him as his penetrating eye with a still keenness of expression was fixed on the distant ranks of the enemy1 then he heard his authoritative voice exclaim1 ,onward brave sons of freedom1 onward to the battle1 and lastly his parting words to him1 ,in prosperity or in misery1 in sorrow or in joy1 in populous cities or in desolate wildernesses my prayer shall go with you1 darted across his mind with such painful distinctness that he at length gave way to his uncontrollable grief at the thought that he should never behold his beloved and mighty commander more and burst into a flood of tears4 ,what is the matter1 ,henry8 exclaimed ,delancy4 ,o nothing1 nothing1 was the reply1 and they were resuming their tacit thinking1 when a voice was heard outside the cavern which broke strangely upon the desolate silence of that land which for thousands of years had heard no sound save the howling of the wind through the forest1 the echoing of the thunder among mountains or the solitary murmuring of the river if we except the presence of ,o',donell and ,delancy4 ,listen6 cried ,alexander1 listen6 ,what is that8 ,it is the sound of a man's voice1 replied ,henry and then snatching up a burning torch1 he rushed to the mouth of the cave followed by ,delancy4 ,when they had got there they saw the figure of a very old man1 sitting on the damp wet ground moaning and complaining bitterly4 ,they went up to him4 ,at their approach he rose and said1 ,are you human or supernatural beings8 ,they assured him that they were human4 ,he went on1 ,then why have you taken up your abode in this land of the grave8 ,o',donell answered that he would relate to him all the particulars1 if he would he would take shelter for the night with them4 ,the old man consented and when they were all assembled round the cheerful fire1 ,o',donell fulfilled his promise and then requested the old man to tell them how he came to be travelling there4 ,he complied and began as follows---- #f ,,chapter the ,,iv ,i was the son of a respectable merchant in ,moussoul4 ,my father intended to bring me up to his own trade but ,i was idle and did not like it4 ,one day as ,i was playing in the street a very old man came up to me and asked me if ,i would go with him4 ,i asked him where he was going4 ,he replied that if ,i would go with him he would show me very wonderful things4 ,this raised my curiosity and ,i consented4 ,he immediately took me by the hand and hurried me out of the city of ,moussoul so quickly that my breath was almost stopped and it seemed as if we glided along in the air for ,i could hear no sound of our footsteps4 ,we continued on our course for a long time till we came to a glen surrounded by very high mountains4 ,how we passed over those mountains1 ,i could never tell4 ,in the middle of the glen there was a small fountain of very clear water4 ,my conductor directed me to drink of it4 ,this ,i did and immediately ,i found myself in a palace1 the glory of which far exceeds any description which ,i can give3 the tall stately pillars reaching from heaven to earth were formed of the finest and purest diamonds1 the pavement sparkling with gold and precious stones and the mighty dome1 made solemn and awful by its stupendous magnitude1 was of a single emerald4 ,in the midst of this grand and magnificent palace was a lamp like the sun1 the radiance of which made all the palace to flash and glitter with an almost fearful grandeur1 the ruby sent a stream forth of crimson light1 the topaz gold1 the sapphire intensest purple1 and the dome poured a flood of deep clear splendour which overcame all the other gaudy lights by its mild triumphant glory4 ,in this palace were thousands and tens of thousands of fairies and genii1 some of whom flitted lightly among the blazing lamps to the sound of unearthly music which died and swelled in a strain of wild grandeur suited to the words they sung-- in this fairy land of light no mortal ere has been and the dreadful grandeur of this sight by them hath not been seen 'twould strike them shuddering to the earth like the flash from a thunder cloud it would quench their light and joyous mirth and fit them for the shroud the rising of our palaces like visions of the deep and the glory of their structure no mortal voice can speak the music of our songs and our mighty trumpets' swell and the sounding of our silver harps no mortal tongue can tell of us they know but little save when the storm doth rise and the mighty waves are tossing against the arched skies #g then oft they see us striding o'er the billows' snow white foam or hear us speak in thunder when we stand in grandeur lone on the darkest of the mighty clouds which veil the pearly moon around us lightning flashing night's blackness to illume chorus the music of our songs and our mighty trumpets' swell and the sounding of our silver harp no mortal tongue can tell4 ,when they had finished1 there was a dead silence for about half an hour and then the palace began slowly and gradually to vanish till it disappeared entirely and ,i found myself in the glen surrounded by high mountains1 the fountain illuminated by the cold light of the moon springing up in the middle of the valley1 and standing close by was the old man who had conducted me to this enchanted place4 ,he turned round and ,i could see that his countenance had an expression of strange severity which ,i had not before observed4 ,follow me1 he said4 ,i obeyed and we began to ascend the mountain4 ,it would be needless to trouble you with a repetition of all my adventures4 ,suffice it to say that after two months time1 we arrived at a large temple4 ,we entered it4 ,the interior as well as the outside had a very gloomy and ominous aspect being entirely built of black marble4 ,the old man suddenly seized me and dragged me to an altar at the upper end of the temple1 then1 forcing me down on my knees1 he made me swear that ,i would be his servant forever and this promise ,i faithfully kept notwithstanding the dreadful scenes of magic of which every day of my life ,i was forced to be a witness4 ,one day he told me that he would discharge me from the oath ,i had taken and commanded me to leave his service4 ,i obeyed and1 after wandering about the world for many years1 ,i one evening laid myself down on a little bank by the roadside intending to pass the night there4 ,suddenly ,i felt myself raised in the air by invisible hands4 ,in a short time ,i lost sight of the earth and continued on my course through the clouds till ,i became insensible and when ,i recovered from my swoon1 ,i found myself lying outside this cave4 ,what may be my future destiny ,i know not---- ,,chapter the ,v ,when the old man had finished his tale1 ,o',donell and ,delancy thanked him for the relation1 adding at the same time that they had never heard anything half so wonderful4 ,then as it was very late1 they all retired to rest4 ,next morning ,o',donell awoke very early and1 looking round the cave1 he perceived the bed of leaves on which the old man had lain to be empty4 ,he went out of the cave4 ,the sky was covered with the rising red fiery clouds except those in the east whose edges were tinged with the bright rays of the morning sun1 as they strove to hide its glory with their dark veil of vapours1 now all beauty and radiance by the golden line of light which streaked their gloomy surface4 ,beneath this storm-portending sky and far off to the westward rose two tremendous rocks whose summits were enveloped with black clouds rolling one above another with an awful magnificence well suited to the land of wilderness and mountain which they canopied4 ,gliding along in the air between these two rocks was a chariot of light and in the chariot sat a figure1 the expression of whose countenance was that of the old man armed with the majesty and might of a spirit4 ,o',donell stood at the mouth of the cave watching it till it vanished and then calling ,delancy he related the circumstance to him4 #h ,some years after this1 ,alexander went out one morning in search of the fruit on which they subsisted4 ,noon came and he had not returned1 evening and still no tidings of him4 ,o',donell began to be alarmed and set out in search of him but could nowhere find him4 ,one whole day he spent in wandering about the rocks and mountains and in the evening he came back to his cave weary and faint with hunger and thirst4 ,days1 weeks1 months passed away and no ,delancy appeared4 ,o',donell might now be said to be truly miserable4 ,he would sit on a rock for hours together and cry out ,alexander1 ,alexander1 but receive no answer1 except the distant echoing of his voice among the rocks4 ,sometimes he fancied it was another person answering him and he would listen earnestly till it died away4 ,then sinking into utter despair again1 he would sit till the dews of night began to fall1 when he would retire to his cave to pass the night in unquiet broken slumbers or in thinking of his beloved commander1 whom he could never see more4 ,in one of these dreadful intervals1 he took up a small parcel and opening it he saw lying before him two locks of soft curly hair shining like burnished gold4 ,he gazed on them for a little and thought of the words of those who gave them to him--,take this then1 that you may remember us when you dwell with only the wild beast of the desert and the great eagle of the mountain4 ,he burst into a flood of tears1 he wrung his hands in sorrow1 and in the anguish of the moment he wished that he could once more see them and the mighty ,warrior ,king their father if it cost him his life4 ,just at that instant1 a loud clap of thunder shook the roof of the cave1 a sound like the rushing of the wind was heard and a mighty genius stood before him4 ,i know thy wish1 cried he with a loud and terrible voice and ,i will grant it4 ,in two months' time thou returnest to the castle whence thou camest hither and surrenderest thyself into my power4 ,o',donell promised that he would and instantly he found himself at the door of the old castle and in the land of his birth4 ,he pursued his journey for three days and on the third day1 he arrived at the mountain which overlooked the city4 ,it was a beautiful evening in the month of ,september and the full moon was shedding her tranquil light on all the face of nature4 ,the city was lying in its splendour and magnificence surrounded by the broad stream of the ,guadima1 the palace was majestically towering in the midst of it and all its pillars and battlements seemed in the calm light of the moon as if they were transformed into silver by the touch of a fairy's wand4 ,o',donell stayed not long to contemplate this beautiful scene but1 descending the mountain1 he soon crossed the fertile plain which led to the city and entering the gates he quickly arrived at the palace4 ,without speaking to anyone he entered the inner court of the palace by a secret way with which he was acquainted and then going up a flight of steps and crossing a long gallery he arrived at the ,king's private apartment4 ,the door was half open4 ,he looked and beheld two very handsome young men sitting together and reading4 ,he instantly recognized them and was going to step forward1 when the door opened and the ,great ,duke entered4 ,o',donell could contain himself no longer but1 rushing in1 he threw himself at the feet of his ,grace4 ,o',donell1 is this you8 exclaimed the ,duke4 ,it is1 my most noble master1 answered ,o',donell1 almost choking with joy4 ,the young princes instantly embraced him while he almost smothered them with #i caresses4 ,after a while they became tranquil1 and then ,o',donell at the request of the ,duke related all his adventures since he parted with them not omitting the condition on which he was now in the palace4 ,when he had ended1 a loud voice was heard saying that he was free from his promise and might spend the rest of his days in his native city4 ,some time after this1 as ,o',donell was walking in the streets1 he met a gentleman who he thought he had seen before but could not recollect where or under what circumstances4 ,after a little conversation1 he discovered that he was ,alexander ,delancy1 that he was now a rich merchant in the city of ,paris and high in favour with the emperor ,napoleon4 ,as may be supposed1 they both were equally delighted at the discovery4 ,they ever after lived happily in their separate cities and so ends my little tale4 ,c ,bronte ,august the #ag #ahbi ,contents ,chap ,i ,character of ,o',donell--cause of his travels ,chap ,,ii ,set out--meeting ,delancy--coming to the old castle--entering the new world--description ,chap ,,iii ,coming to the cave--manner of life--arrival of the old man ,chap ,,iv ,old man's tale ,chap ,v ,departure of the old man--disappearance of ,delancy--transportation of ,o',donell--his arrival at the city--his arrival at the palace--his interview with his chief--he finds ,delancy--end