Страна слепых

           Nunezlaughed. "Icanseeit,"hesaid. 

           "Thereisnosuchwordassee,"saidtheblindman,afterapause. "Ceasethisfolly,andfollowthesoundofmyfeet." 

           Nunezfollowed,alittleannoyed. 

           "Mytimewillcome,"hesaid. 

           "You’lllearn,"theblindmananswered. "Thereismuchtolearnintheworld." 

           "Hasnoonetoldyou,’IntheCountryoftheBlindtheOne-eyedManisKing’?" 

           "Whatisblind?"askedtheblindmancarelesslyoverhisshoulder. 

           Fourdayspassed,andthefifthfoundtheKingoftheBlindstillincognito,asaclumsyanduselessstrangeramonghissubjects. 

           Itwas,hefound,muchmoredifficulttoproclaimhimselfthanhehadsupposed,andinthemeantime,whilehemeditatedhiscoupd’itat,hedidwhathewastoldandlearntthemannersandcustomsoftheCountryoftheBlind. Hefoundworkingandgoingaboutatnightaparticularlyirksomething,andhedecidedthatthatshouldbethefirstthinghewouldchange. 

           Theyledasimple,laboriouslife,thesepeople,withalltheelementsofvirtueandhappiness,asthesethingscanbeunderstoodbymen. Theytoiled,butnotoppressively;theyhadfoodandclothingsufficientfortheirneeds;theyhaddaysandseasonsofrest;theymademuchofmusicandsinging,andtherewasloveamongthem,andlittlechildren. 

           Itwasmarvellouswithwhatconfidenceandprecisiontheywentabouttheirorderedworld.