How joy was found: a fantasy

goes out at the beginning, comes in at the end, and appears unexpectedly all through. Finn : Humanity, a long-suffering man. The Carpenter : Duty, a scientific man. The Tracker : Obedience, a dutiful man. The Gripper : Constancy, a patient man. The Climber : Faith, a girl who is more than quite all there. The Thief : Love, an old woman wearing a chaperon. The Listener : Hope, a boy wearing a smile. The Marksman : Truth, a straightforward man carrying a bow and arrows. The Giant : A mere notion. The Dog : Fear (never visible). Her Puppy, Bran : Joy. Given to Hope for the present. The Baby : The Rest of Humanity. Gonachry : The Heart-wounder, a sarcastic man. Angus : A good-natured lazy man. Torquil } Unemotional men. Conan } Condhla } THE GREEN ISLE. EVENING This Earthly Paradise lies across the western main before you come to the sunset. It is seen imperfectly, like a thought not fully realized, and shimmers as if through a rainbow. It is thus described by one who has been there: “Fair is that land to all eternity beneath the snowfall of blossoms. The gleaming walls are bright with many colours, the plains are vocal with joyous cries, mirth and song are at home on the plain, the silver-clouded one. No wailing there for judgment, naught but sweet song to be heard. No pain, no grief, no death, no discord, no sin, no decay, but ever we feast and need none to serve us, ever we love and no strife ensues. Such is the land.” In this place the Big Young Hero, the most attractive person ever imagined, is seen vaguely as if through a radiant light. He is seated alone on the grass watching the flowers in the midst of great beauty. Far off across the sea the outline of the Hebrides is faintly seen, and presently a brown-sailed fishing-boat appears on the edge of the horizon and approaches the shore. As it nears, the figure of a girl is discerned kneeling up in the bows, shading her eyes with her hand, and gazing earnestly towards the shore. She carries a coil of rope over her shoulder. As she draws near her voice is heard saying: Climber My anchorage was not as beautiful as I thought And I have weighed anchor and sailed away. I trust that my…