IV + 

Before her descending, the hill crossed with fireflies. At its foot among dark trees was unseen water and Emmy walked slowly on, feeling the tall wet grass sopping her to the knees, draggling her skirt. + 

She walked on and soon was among trees that as she moved, moved overhead like dark ships parting the star-filled river of the sky, letting the parted waters join again behind them with never a ripple. The pool lay darkly in the dark: sky and trees above it, trees and sky beneath it. She sat down on the wet earth, seeing through the trees the moon becoming steadily brighter in the darkening sky. A dog saw it also and bayed: a mellow, long sound that slid immaculately down a hill of silence, yet at the same time seemed to linger about her like a rumor of a far despair. + 

Tree trunks taking light from the moon, streaks of moonlight in the water⁠—she could almost imagine she saw him standing there across the pool with her beside him; leaning above the water she could almost see them darting keen and swift and naked, flashing in the moon. + 

She could feel earth strike through her clothes against legs and belly and elbows⁠ ⁠… the dog bayed again, hopeless and sorrowful, dying, dying away.⁠ ⁠… After a while she rose slowly, feeling her damp clothes, thinking of the long walk home. Tomorrow was washday. + 