The Village

theirownpremises,anddidnotgethometilltowardmorning,bywhichtime,astherehadbeenseveralheavyshowersinthemeanwhile,andtheleaveswereverywet,theyweredrenchedtotheirskins.Ihaveheardofmanygoingastrayeveninthevillagestreets,whenthedarknesswassothickthatyoucouldcutitwithaknife,asthesayingis.Somewholiveintheoutskirts,havingcometotowna-shoppingintheirwagons,havebeenobligedtoputupforthenightandgentlemenandladiesmakingacallhavegonehalfamileoutoftheirway,feelingthesidewalkonlywiththeirfeet,andnotknowingwhentheyturned.Itisasurprisingandmemorable,aswellasvaluableexperience,tobelostinthewoodsanytime.Ofteninasnowstorm,evenbyday,onewillcomeoutuponawell-knownroadandyetfinditimpossibletotellwhichwayleadstothevillage.Thoughheknowsthathehastravelleditathousandtimes,hecannotrecognizeafeatureinit,butitisasstrangetohimasifitwerearoadinSiberia.Bynight,ofcourse,theperplexityisinfinitelygreater.Inourmosttrivialwalks,weareconstantly,thoughunconsciously,steeringlikepilotsbycertainwell-knownbeaconsandheadlands,andifwegobeyondourusualcoursewestillcarryinourmindsthebearingofsomeneighboringcapeandnottillwearecompletelylost,orturnedround,—foramanneedsonlytobeturnedroundoncewithhiseyesshutinthisworldtobelost,—doweappreciatethevastnessandstrangenessofNature.Everymanhastolearnthepointsofcompassagainasoftenasheawakes,whetherfromsleeporanyabstraction.Nottillwearelost,inotherwordsnottillwehavelosttheworld,dowebegintofindourselves,andrealizewhereweareandtheinfiniteextentofourrelations. Oneafternoon,neartheendofthefirstsummer,whenIwenttothevillagetogetashoefromthecobbler’s,Iwasseizedandputintojail,because,asIhaveelsewhererelated,Ididnotpayataxto,orrecognizetheauthorityof,thestatewhichbuysandsellsmen,women,andchildren,likecattleatthedoorofitssenate-house.Ihadgonedowntothewoodsforo