Up startled the whole forest in violet fire.  He saw the country at the foot of the hills to the bounding Rhine gleam, quiver, extinguished.  Then there were pauses; and the lightning seemed as the eye of heaven, and the thunder as the tongue of heaven, each alternately addressing him; filling him with awful rapture.  Alone there—­sole human creature among the grandeurs and mysteries of storm—­he felt the representative of his kind, and his spirit rose, and marched, and exulted, let it be glory, let it be ruin!  Lower down the lightened abysses of air rolled the wrathful crash; then white thrusts of light were darted from the sky, and great curving ferns, seen steadfast in pallor a second, were supernaturally agitated, and vanished.  Then a shrill song roused in the leaves and the herbage.  Prolonged and louder it sounded, as deeper and heavier the deluge pressed.  A mighty force of water satisfied the desire of the earth.  Even in this, drenched as he was by the first outpouring, Richard had a savage pleasure.  Keeping in motion, he was scarcely conscious of the wet, and the grateful breath of the weeds was refreshing.  Suddenly he stopped short, lifting a curious nostril.  He fancied he smelt meadow-sweet.  He had never seen the flower in Rhineland—­never thought of it; and it would hardly be met with in a forest.  He was sure he smelt it fresh in dews.  His little companion wagged a miserable wet tail some way in advance.  He went an slowly, thinking indistinctly.  After two or three steps he stooped and stretched out his hand to feel for the flower, having, he knew not why, a strong wish to verify its growth there.  Groping about, his hand encountered something warm that started at his touch, and he, with the instinct we have, seized it, and lifted it to look at it.  The creature was very small, evidently quite young.  Richard’s eyes, now accustomed to the darkness, were able to discern it for what it was, a tiny leveret, and ha supposed that the dog had probably frightened its dam just before he found it.  He put the little thing on one hand in his breast, and stepped out rapidly as before.

The rain was now steady; from every tree a fountain poured.  So cool and easy had his mind become that he was speculating on what kind of shelter the birds could find, and how the butterflies and moths saved their coloured wings from washing.  Folded close they might hang under a leaf, he thought.  Lovingly he looked into the dripping darkness of the coverts on each side, as one of their children.  He was next musing on a strange sensation he experienced.  It ran up one arm with an indescribable thrill, but communicated nothing to his heart.  It was purely physical, ceased for a time, and recommenced, till he had it all through his blood, wonderfully thrilling.  He grew aware that the little thing he carried in his breast was licking his hand there.  The small rough tongue going over and over the palm of his hand produced the strange sensation he felt.  Now that he knew the cause, the marvel ended; but now that he knew the cause, his heart was touched and made more of it.  The gentle scraping continued without intermission as on he walked.  What did it say to him?  Human tongue could not have said so much just then.