my fellow. Go, I am satisfied; I have forgiven;' and he laid him down
peacefully and folded his hands on his breast, and I thought it was well
with him. But scarcely had my wings rustled and I turned to come up here,
when I heard one crying out on earth again, 'I cannot forgive! I cannot
forgive! Oh, God, God, I cannot forgive! It is better to die than to
hate! I cannot forgive! I cannot forgive!' And I went and stood outside
his door in the dark, and I heard him cry, 'I have not sinned so, not so!
If I have torn my fellows' flesh ever so little, I have kneeled down and
kissed the wound with my mouth till it was healed. I have not willed that
any soul shall be lost through hate of me. If they have but fancied that I
wronged them I have lain down on the ground before them that they might
tread on me, and so, seeing my humiliation, forgive and not be lost through
hating me; they have not cared that my soul should be lost; they have not
willed to save me; they have not tried that I should forgive them!'

"I said to him, 'See here, be thou content; do not forgive: forget this
soul and its injury; go on your way. In the next world perhaps--'

"He cried, 'Go from me, you understand nothing! What is the next world to
me! I am lost now, today. I cannot see the sunlight shine, the dust is in
my throat, the sand is in my eyes! Go from me, you know nothing! Oh, once
again before I die to see that the world is beautiful! Oh, God, God, I
cannot live and not love. I cannot live and hate. Oh, God, God, God!' So
I left him crying out and came back here."

God said, "This man's soul must be saved."

And the angel said "How?"

God said, "Go down you, and save it."