("Dearest, thine own feet tread the world at night--
Treading, as moon-flakes step across a dark--
Kissing the very dew to holier light ...
Thy Voice a song past mountains, which to hark
Frightens my soul with an utter lost delight.")
Now, one night, towards the end of the sixteenth hour, as I made ready
to sleep, there came all about me the thrilling of the aether, as
happened oft in those days; but the thrilling had a strange power in it;
and in my soul the voice of Naani sounded plain, all within and about
me. Yet, though I knew it to be the voice of Naani, I answered not
immediately; save to send the sure question of the Master-Word into the
night.
And, directly, I heard the answer, the Master-Word beating
steadily in the night; and I questioned Naani why she had speech with me
by the Instrument at that time, when all were sleeping, and the watch
set among the Monstruwacans; for they in the little Pyramid had their
sleep-time to commence at the eleventh hour; so that by this it was five
hours advanced towards the time of waking; and Naani should have slept;
nor have been abroad to the Tower of Observation, apart from her father.
For I supposed that she spoke by the Instrument, her voice sounding very
clear in my brain. Yet, to this question, she made no answer in kind;
but gave a certain thing into my spirit, which set me trembling; for she
said certain words, that began:"Dearest, thine own feet tread the world at night--
" And it well may be that she set me to tremble; for as the words grew
about me, there wakened a memory-dream how that I had made these same
words to Mirdath the Beautiful in the long-gone Eternity of this our
Age, when she had died and left me alone in all the world. And I was
weak a little with the tumult and force of my emotion; but in a moment I
called eagerly with my brain-elements to Naani to give some explaining
of this thing that she had spoken to the utter troubling of my heart.
Yet, once more she made no direct answer; but spoke the words again to
me across all the dark of the world. And it came to me suddenly, that it
was not Naani that spoke; but Mirdath the Beautiful, from out of all the
everlasting night. And I called: "Mirdath! Mirdath," with my
brain-elements, into the night; and lo! the far, faint voice spoke again
to my spirit through all the darkness of eternity, saying again those
words.