The shadow, on my moving, fled before me, and I was compelled to begin a strenuous chase of the light fugitive, for which the thought of rescuing myself from my fearful condition could alone have endowed me with the requisite vigor.  It flew toward a wood, at a great distance, in which I must, of necessity, have lost it.  I perceived this—­a horror convulsed my heart, inflamed my desire, added wings to my speed; I gained evidently on the shadow, I came continually nearer, I must certainly reach it.  Suddenly it stopped, and turned toward me.  Like a lion on its prey, I shot with a mighty spring forward to make seizure of it—­and dashed unexpectedly against a hard and bodily object.  Invisibly I received the most unprecedented blows on the ribs that mortal man probably ever received.

The effect of the terror in me was convulsively to close my arms, and firmly to inclose that which stood unseen before me.  In the rapid transaction I plunged forward to the ground, but backward and under me was a man whom I had embraced and who now first became visible.

The whole occurrence then became very naturally explicable to me.  The man must have carried the invisible bird’s nest which renders him who holds it, but not his shadow, imperceptible, and had now cast it away.  I glanced round, soon discovered the shadow of the invisible nest itself, leaped up and toward it, and did not miss the precious prize.  Invisible and shadowless, I held the nest in my hand.

The man swiftly springing up, gazing round instantly after his fortunate conqueror, descried on the wide sunny plain neither him nor his shadow, for which he sought with especial avidity.  For that I was myself entirely shadowless he had no leisure to remark, nor could he imagine such a thing.  Having convinced himself that every trace had vanished, he turned his hand against himself and tore his hair in great despair.  To me, however, the acquired treasure had given the power and desire to mix again amongst men.  I did not want for self-satisfying palliatives for my base robbery, or, rather, I had no need of them; and to escape from every thought of the kind, I hastened away, not even looking round at the unhappy one, whose deploring voice I long heard resounding behind me.  Thus, at least, appeared to me the circumstances at the time.

I was on fire to proceed to the Forester’s garden, and there myself to discern the truth of what the Detested One had told me.  I knew not, however, where I was.  I climbed the next hill, in order to look round over the country, and perceived from its summit the near city and the Forester’s garden lying at my feet.  My heart beat violently, and tears of another kind than what I had till now shed rushed into my eyes.  I should see her again!  Anxious desire hastened my steps down the most direct path.  I passed unseen some peasants who came out of the city.  They were talking of me, of Rascal, and the Forest-master; I would hear nothing—­I hurried past.