Again, one noon, in the same direction, I marked, over dimmed tops ofterraced foliage, a broader gleam, as of a silver buckler, held sunwardsover some croucher's head; which gleam, experience in like cases taught,must come from a roof newly shingled. This, to me, made pretty sure therecent occupancy of that far cot in fairy land.
Day after day, now, full of interest in my discovery, what time I couldspare from reading the Midsummer's Night Dream, and all about Titania,wishfully I gazed off towards the hills; but in vain. Either troops ofshadows, an imperial guard, with slow pace and solemn, defiled along thesteeps; or, routed by pursuing light, fled broadcast from east towest--old wars of Lucifer and Michael; or the mountains, though unvexedby these mirrored sham fights in the sky, had an atmosphere otherwiseunfavorable for fairy views. I was sorry; the more so, because I had tokeep my chamber for some time after--which chamber did not face thosehills.
At length, when pretty well again, and sitting out, in the Septembermorning, upon the piazza, and thinking to myself, when, just after alittle flock of sheep, the farmer's banded children passed, a-nutting,and said, "How sweet a day"--it was, after all, but what their fatherscall a weather-breeder--and, indeed, was become go sensitive through myillness, as that I could not bear to look upon a Chinese creeper of myadoption, and which, to my delight, climbing a post of the piazza, hadburst out in starry bloom, but now, if you removed the leaves a little,showed millions of strange, cankerous worms, which, feeding upon thoseblossoms, so shared their blessed hue, as to make it unblessedevermore--worms, whose germs had doubtless lurked in the very bulbwhich, so hopefully, I had planted: in this ingrate peevishness of myweary convalescence, was I sitting there; when, suddenly looking off, Isaw the golden mountain-window, dazzling like a deep-sea dolphin.Fairies there, thought I, once more; the queen of fairies at herfairy-window; at any rate, some glad mountain-girl; it will do me good,it will cure this weariness, to look on her. No more; I'll launch myyawl--ho, cheerly, heart! and push away for fairy-land--for rainbow'send, in fairy-land.
How to get to fairy-land, by what road, I did not know; nor could anyone inform me; not even one Edmund Spenser, who had been there--so hewrote me--further than that to reach fairy-land, it must be voyaged to,and with faith. I took the fairy-mountain's bearings, and the first fineday, when strength permitted, got into my yawl--high-pommeled, leatherone--cast off the fast, and away I sailed, free voyager as an autumnleaf. Early dawn; and, sallying westward, I sowed the morning before me.
