Chapter V: Solitude

He describes a delicious evening walk where he feels a part of nature, and upon returning, finds the calling cards of visitors from the forest.

With his nearest neighbor a mile distant, he feels as solitary as if on the prairies, with his own sun, moon, and stars.

He recounts a moment of loneliness that was cured by a sudden sense of sweet and beneficent society in the pattering of the rain.

He questions why he should feel lonely on a planet in the Milky Way, arguing that true nearness is to the source of one's life, not other people.

He describes a sense of doubleness, where a part of him stands aloof as a spectator to his own life, not sharing in its experiences.

He finds it wholesome to be alone, stating he never found a companion as companionable as solitude, which is different from loneliness.

He lists his companions: the loon, the pond, God, a mullein, and the spirits of an old settler and an elderly dame, Nature herself.