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 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
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 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS
 
 MARIE CORELLI'S ROMANCES 
 
 A Romance of Two Worlds 
 
 Vendetta 
 
 Thelma 
 
 Ardath 
 
 The Soul of Lilith 
 
 Wormwood 
 
 Barabbas 
 
 The Sorrows of Satan 
 
 The Master-Christian 
 
 Temporal Power 
 
 God's Good Man 
 
 Boy 
 
 The Mighty Atom 
 
 Cameos 
 
 Holy Orders
 
 A ROMANCE 
 
 OF 
 
 TWO WORLDS 
 
 BY 
 
 MARIE CORELLI 
 
 THIRTIETH EDITION 
 
 METHUEN & Co. Ltd. 
 
 36 ESSEX STREET W.C. 
 
 LONDON
 
 Originally Puhlished by Messrs. R. BcniUy V Son 
 First Publislu-d (.Thirteenth Edi- 
 tion) by Metliuen iS-" Co. . . . July iSq6 
 
 Fourteenth Edilion October iSc)6 
 
 Fifteenth Edition February tSgj 
 
 Sixteenth Edition September iS(^ 
 
 Seventeenth Edition April iSgS 
 
 Eighteenth Edition November iSqS 
 
 Nineteenth Edition August /Stpg 
 
 Twentieth Edition /uly IQOO 
 
 Twenty-first Edition November iqoo 
 
 Twenty-second Edition August igot 
 
 Twenty-third Edition January igot 
 
 Twenty-fourth Edition July looj 
 
 Twcnty-Jifth Edition November IQ04 
 
 Twenty-sixth Edition November /qoj 
 
 Twenty-seventh Edition .... October iqo6 
 
 Twenty-eighth Edition .... October iqcff 
 
 Twenty-ninth Edition .... September iqoS 
 
 Thirtieth Edition August igio
 
 
 TO 
 
 ONE WHO KNOWS 
 
 G55609
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 PREFACE TO THE NEW EDITION 
 INTRODUCTION 
 PROLOGUE 
 I. AN artist's studio . 
 II. THE mysterious POTION 
 
 III. THREE VISIONS 
 
 IV. A DANCE AND A PROMISE 
 V. CELLINI'S STORY 
 
 VI. THE HOTEL MARS AND ITS OWNER 
 VII. ZARA AND PRINCE IVAN 
 VIII. A SYMPHONY IN THE AIR 
 IX. AN ELECTRIC SHOCK . 
 
 X. MY STRANGE DEPARTURE 
 
 XI. A MINIATURE CREATION 
 
 XII. SECRETS OF THE SUN AND MOON 
 
 XIII. SOCIABLE CONVERSE . 
 
 XIV. THE ELECTRIC CREED 
 XV. DEATH BY LIGHTNING 
 
 XVI. A STRUGGLE FOR THE MASTERY 
 XVII. CONCLUSION . 
 APPENDIX 
 
 PAGE 
 
 ix 
 
 XV 
 
 I 
 5 
 
 15 
 27 
 
 43 
 
 56 
 
 76 
 
 92 
 
 118 
 
 142 
 
 165 
 
 183 
 199 
 
 213 
 229 
 
 248 
 282 
 311 
 326 
 
 VI 1
 
 PREFACE TO THE NEW EDITION 
 
 As the last proofs of this new and revised edition of 
 the " Romance " pass from my hands, I cannot but try- 
 to express some sense of my deep gratitude to the 
 public who have so generously cherished this work of 
 mine, that despite the fact that it was a first crude 
 effort, and that it is now ten years ago since it was 
 originally published, it is still widely read and always 
 in demand. Most novels, whether they turn on 
 spiritual or material matters, are in this busy age 
 forgotten in six or twelve months, — and that I should 
 still be in daily receipt of letters from strangers continu- 
 ally thanking me for this very book, seems a very 
 unusual and gratifying proof of the tenacity with which 
 its theories have taken root and flourished, notwith- 
 standing opposing argument and adverse criticism. 
 
 I am so often asked whether 1 believe in these 
 theories myself, that I take the chance now presented 
 to me of giving a final answer to all such inquiries. I 
 do believe in them, — if I did not, I should not have 
 written them. Such modes of life as are hinted at in 
 the " Creed " here contained are those which I set 
 before myself and endeavoui to follow, — and so far as I 
 
 ix
 
 PREFACE TO THE NEW EDITION 
 
 have gone, nothing but inward peace and happiness 
 have been the results of the trial. The statements I 
 have made concerning the future life awaiting us after 
 death, I most emphatically and earnestly believe to be 
 true, — particularly those which refer to the Progression 
 or Retrogression of the Soul by the action of the Will. 
 To ensure Progression the Will must be guided by 
 faith in Christ, — and Christ only ; equally to ensure 
 Retrogression, the Will is centred on SELF, — and rapidly 
 works degradation on the whole Spiritual Germ. 
 
 One of our most distinguished scientific men, who 
 has been kind enough to interest himself very deeply 
 in the suggestions contained in the " Romance," tells 
 me that I use the wrong word when I call the spiritual 
 essence in each human being " Electricity " or " Electric 
 Force." I have begged him to find another word to 
 express exactly what I mean, — but at the last moment 
 he declares himself baffled. The right term is not to be 
 found in the dictionary, he says, — the term which would 
 cover at once the principles of life, light, heat, force and 
 motion, which, combined with an Intelligent Principle, 
 are the component parts of the living Germ within us 
 which we call the Soul. Therefore the word " Electric " 
 must remain to serve as the simple comprehension of 
 what I have endeavoured to express. To explain one's 
 self clearly to the majority, one must avoid the use of 
 involved and learned terms which confuse the mind 
 without enlightening it, — and which mar the usefulness 
 of many works that have been written on psychic 
 subjects. The very name of " Electricity " conveys to 
 the brain the idea of rapid movement and light, which
 
 PREFACE TO THE NEW EDITION 
 
 are the great characteristics of the Soul. For example, 
 if, as I have stated in the " Romance," the Spiritual 
 Germ is fostered and encouraged towards its higher 
 growth and expansion, its Progress is lightning-like in 
 rapidity, — equally lightning-like is its Retrogression. 
 If, as is too often the case, its very existence is ignored 
 and left to remain dormant in the human composition 
 like a seed without soil or sunshine, then at the death 
 of the merely eating, drinking, breeding animal who 
 has thus neglected all the higher intentions of life, its 
 volatile essence escapes to seek fruition elsewhere. 
 
 The Soul is not an abstract figure of speech, — it is as 
 positive an actuality as the body. We cannot examine 
 or handle it, it is true, — we cannot test it as we can the 
 corpuscles of the blood, — because, being Spiritual and 
 Eternal, it escapes our visual perception, as all truly 
 Spiritual and Eternal things mostly do, save in the case 
 of those rarely privileged ones for whom the veil be- 
 tween Matter and Spirit is sometimes drawn aside. 
 That there are such Seers among us is a fact, — and that 
 there have always been such through all the world's 
 history, is amply proved by Scriptural testimony. And 
 the intention with which I wrote " A Romance of Two 
 Worlds" at first, remains exactly the same as ever it 
 was ; — a desire to rouse some few of my fellow-creatures 
 out of the strange torpor and spiritual lethargy in which 
 they lie, — to tell them that the Soul in each one of them 
 exists, — a living, sentient creature, — and to ask them 
 with all the love of my heart in the question, what they 
 are doing with it in these latter days ? It is a terrible 
 responsibility to possess that " vital spark of Heavenly 
 
 xi
 
 PREFACE TO THE NEW EDITION 
 
 flame," as Pope so exquisitely expresses it, the direct 
 gift of the Creator, and yet do nothing with it. For 
 like the un[)rofitaole servant in the Parable of the Ten 
 Talents, shall we not incur Divine wrath by the act of 
 " hiding it in the earth," the earth of indifference and 
 neglect ? — and at death merely resigning it to our Master 
 with the words, " I was afraid, and \'i'ent and hid Thy 
 talent in the earth, — lo, there Thou hast what is Thine." 
 This is the attitude of the Positivists of the present day, 
 — they are " afraid " to own the existence of a super- 
 natural authority, and though they are inwardly cog- 
 nizant of the reality of the Soul as the vital principle of 
 each man's moral and mental well-being, they keep it 
 down, — hide it in the earth, — and at death return it to 
 its Maker indifferently, saying " Lo, there Thou hast 
 what is Thine ! " 
 
 I am in myself so conscious of the victories attending 
 this fostering and education of the Soul-Germ, even so 
 far as merely physical health and happiness are con- 
 cerned, that I would appeal once more to my readers 
 to try the process for themselves. It has often astonished 
 me very much to receive letters from people asking me 
 " how to set to work ? " when a little sober reasoning of 
 their own would set them in the right way at once. I 
 am asked what books to read, — as if books could help ! 
 The body is nourished, as we know, by air and light and 
 food, — the Soul is nourished and trained by the exercise 
 of interior thought. As the body is kept in a state of 
 health and activity by wholesome occupation, so every 
 noble thought or wish expands the Soul and gives it 
 new vitality. Every mean desire, every sensual craving, 
 
 xii
 
 PREFACE TO THE NEW EDITION 
 
 withers its delicate essence, — it is the only thing we 
 possess of pure Godhead in us, and its very nature is to 
 shrink from the very contact of evil. Bravery, truth, — 
 indifference to anything that is not lasting and noble, — 
 these virtues are as Heaven's own ambrosial breath to 
 the imprisoned Germ, — it springs to life and grows with 
 every effort towards betterness, — till working upon the 
 body itself, it even makes that fairer, and better able to 
 withstand the ravages of time and sorrow. Indeed, as 
 a matter of fact, there is no time and no sorrow where 
 the Immortal Individuality is concerned. We learn to 
 accept the body as a temporary frame for it merely, — 
 we look upon this world and the things of this world as 
 the merest little scene in a passing pageant, — for we 
 know we have yet to pass through many phases of ever 
 broader, deeper and more satisfying life, each phase 
 leading to the highest of all, — the state of uttermost per- 
 fection. To the happy mortal who is conscious of this 
 daily expansion of the Soul, there is nothing in this life 
 that can long grieve or distract. Poverty, scarcity of 
 friends, even illness itself, — all these things will seem easy 
 enough to bear. On the other hand, to whatever height 
 of good fortune we may attain, we shall never be spoilt 
 by what is called " success," inasmuch as we know that 
 in the countings of the Soul's Progress, this world's 
 " successes " are mere flying grains of dust on the road, 
 and are not the road itself. 
 
 I finish writing these few words on a day which has 
 always been a particularly happy one to me — my birth- 
 day, — and to all my friends here and everywhere over 
 the world who have found pleasure in the " Romance," 
 
 xni
 
 PREFACE TO THE NEW EDITION 
 
 I offer this New Edition of what many of them are good 
 enough to call their" favourite book," thanking them for 
 the great love they have shown towards me, and the un- 
 wearying sympathy with which they have followed and 
 encouraged the whole of my literary career. 
 
 MARIE CORELLI. 
 Mczy 1st, 1896. 
 
 xiv
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 When this " Romance " was first published, I had no 
 expectation that it would meet with any special favour 
 or attention. I wrote it simply because I strongly 
 felt the force of the spiritual suggestions I have 
 sought to convey in its pages ; but I never hoped to 
 awaken any response from the vast Public I strove 
 to reach. I accepted in silence and resignation the 
 rebuffs, both hot and cold, bestowed on me by the 
 Sir Oracles of the Press, the critics. The book was 
 my first effort, and naturally they could, and can 
 still, find many faults in it. Contrary to their anticipa- 
 tions and my own, however, it has been and is being 
 very widely read ; and more than all, it is not only 
 read, but loved. This is proved to me by the numbers 
 of letters I daily receive from persons in all parts of 
 the United Kingdom — utter strangers — who write in 
 touching and seemingly sincere language of the con- 
 solation and hope they have derived from its unpre- 
 tending pages. I take the opportunity here and now 
 to thank them one and all for a sympathy of which 
 I never dreamed — sympathy which is a far greater 
 reward to the heart of an author than either wealth or 
 
 XV
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 fame. Some of these letters are quoted in the Appendix 
 to the present volume — not in a boastful spirit of literary 
 advertisement, but merely as evidence to show that, in 
 spite of the doctrines of agnostics and materialists, 
 there is a perpetual, passionate craving in the souls of 
 many for that inward peace and absolute content which 
 can only be obtained by a perfect faith in God and the 
 coming Life Eternal. Materialism does not, and can 
 never still the hunger of the Immortal Spirit in man for 
 those things divine, which are, by right, its heritage. 
 Nothing on earth can soothe or console it — nothing 
 temporal can long delight it — in time the best gifts the 
 world can offer seem valueless ; for while one spark of 
 God's own essence remains alit within us, it is impos- 
 sible that here, on this limited plane of thought and 
 action, we should ever be satisfied. I do not address 
 myself to those who have forsaken all spirituality — who 
 have made their cold adieux to God, and who, of their 
 own free will and choice, lie down in dust and ashes, 
 with foolish faces turned earthwards and hidden from 
 the light — to them I say pitifully, " Requiescat in pace ! " 
 for they are as though they were not. It is to those who 
 feel the quick stirrings of a larger, grander life within 
 them — who realise with love and eagerness the wonders 
 of the world to come, and who gaze appealingly across 
 the darkness of present things, striving to see, no matter 
 how distantly, the first faint glimmer of the brightness 
 that glitters beyond the grave — to these I speak, — inade- 
 quately and feebly I know, — yet with all my soul desir- 
 ing to cheer them, as they climb from steep to steep of 
 high thought and noble endeavour, onward and upward. 
 
 xvi
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 The " Romance " has since its appearance been made 
 the subject of much discussion ; and I, as its author, 
 have had to submit to a great deal of cross-questioning 
 concerning its theories. I have been brought into con- 
 tact with many peculiar phases of thought and feeling 
 relating to occultism and clairvoyance, and people of 
 all shades of opinion seek my acquaintance in the 
 expectation of being initiated into something very 
 strange and mysterious — let me say, something vulgarly 
 melodramatic — concerning the spiritual world. Their 
 disappointment is always extreme when they learn that 
 my creed has its foundation in Christ alone, and that I 
 date all spiritual growth in this world from that one 
 Light, containing in itself both the divine and human 
 essence of absolute power, wisdom, and purity. " Only 
 Christ ! " is the look plainly expressed in their faces ; 
 and they turn from me altogether puzzled and dissatis- 
 fied. Were I to initiate them — or rather pretend to 
 initiate them — into some new or old form of Buddhism 
 — could I show them some poor trickery such as the 
 vanishing of a box in the air, the turning of a red flower 
 to white, or white to red, or any of the optical illusions 
 practised with such skill by ordinary conjurers, I might 
 easily be surrounded by disciples of " Occultism " — 
 persons who are generally ready, nay, even eager to be 
 deceived. But " Only Christ ! " — only the old, old story 
 of Divine Love and Sacrifice ! — how tame and trivial ! 
 No skipping about of chairs and tables — no "de- 
 materialisation of matter" — no jumping through a ceiling 
 without making a hole in it — not even a sideboard 
 possessed of voluntary volition — no excitement — no in- 
 
 B xvii
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 cipient madness — nothing but the well-worn doctrines 
 of Christ which have been dinned into our ears from 
 childhood — how shall anything new come of these? 
 Many have eagerly asked me : " How can we perform 
 miracles ? " " Can we see visions ? " " How are we to 
 cultivate the electric Spirit within us?" I have only 
 one reply to make to these " searchers after the unseen ; " 
 it is this — " With God all things are possible." Without 
 Him, nothing is possible. The power of performing 
 miracles, the gifts of healing and prophecy, and the 
 ability to see beyond the things of this world, are all 
 obtainable, but only through absolute faith in Christ. 
 The smallest hesitation, the least grain of that insolent 
 and foolish pride which dares to deny the very existence 
 of the Creator, the faintest shadow of self-seeking or 
 self-love, and the inner spiritual force is instantly 
 paralysed. It cannot be too strongly impressed on the 
 minds of those interested in this high question, that 
 nothing temporal, however pleasant, brings any gratifi- 
 cation or advantage to the Soul. While pent up in clay 
 it is a cramped and prisoned creature, and unless fed 
 with the divine and heating influences of unselfish love, 
 unswerving faith, high aspiration and pure devotion, it 
 starves and dwindles down to so feeble a flame that, 
 when the body in which it has passed such a miserable 
 existence perishes, it is forced to seek elsewhere for 
 some fresh chance of development. I have explained 
 this fully in the " Electric Creed," which, I may here 
 observe, has been much commented upon, and by some 
 deemed blasphemous — I know not why. Its tenets are 
 completely borne out by the New Testament, which 
 
 xviii
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 sacred little book, however, has much of its mystical 
 
 and true meaning obscured nowadays through the 
 
 indifference of those who read, and the apathy of those 
 
 who hear. Sunday after Sunday its noble passages are 
 
 drawled or droned forth by clergymen who have ceased 
 
 to put any life or soul into their manner of utterance, 
 
 and most of whom look upon their sacred vocation 
 
 merely as a means of livelihood. Their congregations 
 
 appear to listen, but in truth their thoughts are far 
 
 away — they have " heard it so often," they murmur, 
 
 with an apologetic yawn. The words, " Because iniquity 
 
 shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold," fall on 
 
 dull and inattentive ears ; the people are unconscious 
 
 that in themselves they are fulfilling that prophecy as 
 
 well as this : " Seeing, they shall not see ; and hearing, 
 
 they shall not understand." And on the inspired pages 
 
 they have all grown weary of, stands the perpetual 
 
 solemn inquiry : " When the Son of Man cometh, shall 
 
 He find faith on the earth ? " 
 
 I find, however, that the majority of persons who 
 
 profess eagerness to know something of the higher 
 
 forms of spiritual progress, would rather believe in 
 
 anything but the too-familiar doctrine of Christianity. 
 
 They will pin their faith on table-turning, magnetic 
 
 slate-writing, and other illusive phenomena ; but when 
 
 it is suggested that, instead of all these things, they shall 
 try to live such a careful, self-denying life as shall 
 
 successfully foster the germ of Divinity within them, 
 
 thus making it capable of the highest clairvoyance and 
 
 spiritual ability ^ they are vaguely vexed and bewildered. 
 
 Indeed, a South-Sea Islander of imposing aspect, who 
 
 xix
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 pretended to magic powers, and who could talk gibberish 
 with sufficient impressiveness and mystery, would, I 
 doubt not, secure a larger number of followers in our 
 civilized London of to-day during the present "craze" 
 for spiritualism — a " craze "which condemns itself at the 
 outset by the manner in which its victims fall easy dupes 
 to the merest charlatanism. True spiritual progress 
 and knowledge arc shown in the cheerful, sincere, and 
 wholesome life of the person possessing it, and in the 
 encouraging and ennobling influence that life has on the 
 lives of others. Moreover it is displayed in the buoy- 
 ancy and tireless energy of the body in which the 
 beautiful, expanding, highly destined Spirit is for a time 
 bidden to work — in the brightness and serenity of the 
 eye, the absence of all depression, the contentment and 
 tranquillity of the disposition and temper. Hypnotism, 
 which is merely animal magnetism called by a new name, 
 and which is nothing but the physical attraction of 
 strong bodies brought to bear on weakly, diseased, or 
 passive ones, has nothing whatever in common with 
 what I may designate spiritual electric force. The 
 professor of hypnotism is able on certain occasions to 
 instil a thought into the mind of his patient, and force 
 him (or her — it is generally a feeble woman who is the 
 subject practised upon) to act upon it ; pain may be 
 soothed, and long trances may ensue, but this power is 
 only temporary. The trance of hypnotism is a stupor, 
 — in it the patient sees nothing worth remembering, 
 even if he could remember, which he never does. This 
 is a positive sign that hypnotism pertains to the material 
 side of existence, and has nothing to do with the spiritual. 
 
 XX
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 Many persons — particularly women — who are highly 
 nervous and in a debilitated condition of mind and 
 body, imagine their state of chronic hysteria to be one 
 of supernatural inspiration ; and several such over- 
 wrought beings have been introduced to me as 
 " wonderful spiritualists," whereas they are only sickly 
 and morbid. True spiritualism is aboveall things healthy ; 
 it places the human being in a fearless, noble attitude 
 towards both God and Man, and nothing but benefits 
 can accrue from it. I feel the most profound pity for 
 those excited ladies who gravely assure me that the 
 " spirits " throw them their necklaces and other trinkets 
 through the ceiling without making a hole in it. It is 
 quite useless for me to tell them that spirits can touch 
 nothing corporeal ; what little remaining belief they 
 have in God would be far more easily shaken than their 
 obstinate credence in these most vulgar tricks and 
 delusions. When an old gentleman of staid and re- 
 spectable demeanour, though somewhat wild about the 
 eyes, declares that under " certain conditions " (what 
 conditions they are he does not explain) a dog can be 
 " dematerialised " into invisible atoms, and can pass like 
 blown dust through a keyhole, picking up his own bits 
 and coming together again in proper form on the other 
 side, can I or anyone else persuade him to return to 
 sanity before it is too late, and avoid the asylum that 
 looms for him in the distance? No; and I most 
 earnestly desire those who read the " Romance " to 
 understand quite clearly that the " spiritualism " treated 
 of in its pages is an entirely different thing to what is 
 generally understood by the word. I merely endeavour 
 
 xxi
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 to slightly shadow forth the miraculous powers which I 
 knoiv are bestowed on those who truly love and under- 
 stand the teachings of Christ, and who, with adoring 
 faith in Him, strive after the highest spirituality of a 
 pure and perfect life. There is only this one way in 
 which miracles may be performed — only this one means 
 by which true visions of the worlds beyond this one may 
 be seen — only this one connecting ray of communication 
 between us and heaven, on which the descending and 
 ascending angels may become familiar objects to our 
 earthly eyes. The so-called " signs and wonders " of 
 modern self-styled " spiritualists " are always contempt- 
 ibly trivial in character, and vulgar, when not absolutely 
 ridiculous, in display ; and, moreover, they have never 
 been of the least service or advantage to humanity. 
 Ask the " spiritualists " of to-day to feed a multitude of 
 five thousand persons on seven loaves and a few fishes 
 — to calm the enraged waters of the sea — to stay, by 
 their "occult" power, the ravages of a plague — or to 
 raise the dead, and their skill avails them nothing. 
 Moreover, the very fact that they are not above taking 
 money for the practice of their conjuring art is sufficient 
 to condemn them ; for what, after all, is their principal 
 aim ? To gain a certain notoriety by which they can 
 serve themselves and their own personal worldly interests. 
 In this there is neither Christianity nor spiritualism. 
 The miracles of Christ were emanations of pitying love 
 and entire unselfishness, performed solely for the benefit 
 or relief of others, without ostentation or pretence at 
 mystery. But the nineteenth-century expounders of 
 •occult " doctrine reject Christ's miracles altogether — 
 
 xxii
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 they will even declare them to be mere inventions of the 
 Apostles ; and yet they deliberately presume to try and 
 persuade their weak-minded followers that there is 
 spiritual truth in their trumpery tricks of magnetic 
 attraction and sleight of hand, which they know perfectly 
 well in their own hearts are nothing but deceptions. I 
 once asked an ardent Buddhist the reason of his prefer- 
 ence for Buddhism to Christianity. He hesitated a 
 little, then said : " Oh, I don't know ! Anything for a 
 change ! " 
 
 After this, who could doubt the sincerity of his 
 convictions? Certainly, if ever there was a time for 
 a new apostle of Christ to arise and preach His grandly 
 simple message again, that time is now. Such an one 
 should belong to no Church, for in the multitude of 
 churches and their differing and, unhappily, quarrel- 
 some sects, Christ is crucified over and over again, and 
 made to die a thousand shameful deaths. The old 
 forms of preaching do not move the minds of the 
 present generation. There needs fresh fire, more 
 touching eloquence, more earnestness of purpose. And 
 the light of Science must be brought to bear on the 
 New Testament, in which its glorious pages will grow 
 bright with hitherto unguessed mystical meanings if 
 humbly and prayerfully studied. I have often wondered 
 at the density of preachers who, in accordance with the 
 established rule of their order, keep on telling their 
 congregations to " save their souls," without making the 
 slightest attempt to explain what the Soul is. The 
 people taken en masse are never brought to realize the 
 fact of the imperishable inner Self within each one of 
 
 xxiii
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 them — that actual Self which claims as much and more 
 sustenance than the outer body on which we spend 
 such a superabundance of care — care which avails 
 nothing at death, while the attention bestowed on the 
 deathless part of us avails everything. The world is 
 growing surely tired of monotonous sermons on the old 
 Jewish doctrine of original sin and necessary sacrifice. 
 Most truly did Christ declare, " In vain do they worship 
 Me, teacJdng for doctrine the commandments of men!' 
 
 And, as has been set forth in the " Electric Creed," 
 Christ did not come to us as a Sacrifice, but as a means 
 of close communication with God. I consider it both 
 horrible and sacrilegious to imagine that God, the 
 Creator of Love and Beauty, could desire a bleeding 
 victim as a sacrifice to appease His anger, and that 
 Victim part of Himself imprisoned in human form — as 
 if God could feel such an unworthy passion as anger ! 
 Sorrow, pity, desire to draw the love of even so small a 
 part of His creation as this earth nearer to His Infinite 
 Protection — these emotions are God-like, and are all 
 displayed in the person of His Christ. This is why I 
 venture to say that the time has come for a new form 
 of preaching, that shall show the Gospel to be one of 
 Love, not Fear. Not because, coward-like, wc are 
 afraid to displease God, should we endeavour to purify 
 our lives, but because we know and feel we have a spark 
 of His essence in ourselves that attracts us to Him (and 
 therefore to all goodness) by the force of pure Love 
 alone. Not because we would shun future punishment 
 or desire future joy, but because we know we are akin 
 to I Tim and He to us, and in that mar\'cllous affinity 
 
 xxiv
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 feel that we would rather perish forever than wrong by 
 so much as a thought the Supremely Beloved. This, it 
 seems to me, is Christianity as Christ meant it : Un- 
 selfish love for the Creator, the corresponding chord of 
 which must be unselfish love for all He has created ; 
 love radiating like broad sunbeams everywhere without 
 grudge or stint ; love for one's fellow-creatures ; love 
 for the birds and flowers and all the wise and wonderful 
 workings of nature ; love, the first and best nourishment 
 of the spirit within us, which, fed thus, responds like a 
 vibrating harp-string to the smallest hint from the 
 Divine master-hand ; love which looks beyond the veil 
 of temporal things, and sees clearly, with most bright 
 and undazzled eyes ; love which is endowed with perfect 
 faith, because, being part of God, it cannot doubt God's 
 existence. And to the immortal spirit possessed of this 
 love, all things are possible — all miracles, all gifts of 
 healing and high influence. But without it all spiritual 
 research is utterly useless. Though I am but the 
 humblest of students in these mystic matters, I cannot 
 be deceived in the attributes that should distinguish 
 those who are in the right track from those who are 
 deluding themselves with the shadows of false appear- 
 ances. Quite recently I met a lady of whom I was told 
 that she was " full of psychic force." The very day 
 after our introduction she sent me a leaflet (hundreds 
 of which she had for distribution) reprinted from an 
 American paper, which described in the most glowing 
 and exaggerated terms the multitude and brilliancy of 
 her physical charms ! It was easy for me then to take 
 her measure. No one endowed with true psychic 
 
 XXV
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 insight would condescend to advertise her bodily beauty 
 thus among her acquaintances ; no one possessing the 
 least knowledge of heavenly things would stoop to such 
 a level for the sake of earthly flattery. For the 
 distinguishing mark of the true Spiritualist is what I 
 may call Self-rejection. Self stands on one side, as it 
 were, and is no longer allowed to obscure the Soul's 
 view of the splendid universe to which it belongs. And 
 I affirm, and will most ardently maintain, that in the 
 teachings of Christ will be found all the secrets of 
 occult science, all the keynotes of the myriad, upward- 
 sounding scales of the highest active spirituality — spirit- 
 uality that has nothing to do with a morbid imagination 
 and a debilitated or diseased physical frame, but that, 
 on the contrary, is strong and calm, useful and beneficial 
 wherever it works ; cheering, strengthening, encouraging, 
 and ennobling all with whom it is brought in contact, 
 and leaving men and women better, happier, and 
 purer for its influence. Such spirituality, the outcome 
 of the spirit of Divinity in man, corresponding to the 
 supreme centre of Divinity in the Creator, can see and 
 converse with angels — can heal the sick and console the 
 afflicted — can preserve health in the body and beauty 
 in the face and form — can even retain youth much 
 longer than materialists dream of — can meet misfortune 
 as though it were joy, and can triumph in death, know- 
 ing Death to be but this world's name for Life. 
 
 The idea of Eternity, as depicted in the " Electric 
 Ring encompassing God's World" contained in that 
 part of the " Romance " called " A Miniature Creation," 
 has been for the most part passed over by those who 
 
 xxvi
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 have reviewed my book in the columns of the press, 
 and it is to this I wish briefly to draw the attention of 
 my readers. The Ring is described as perpetually 
 creative and perpetually absorbent. Planets are from 
 time to time drawn within it and again cast forth from 
 it, and of this tremendous Force there can be no end, 
 inasmuch as it is the outer circle or atmosphere of 
 the Central Planet of all planets wherein the Creator 
 has His being. The theory is simple, yet by it, all the 
 gigantic and minute mar\'els of the universe are made 
 easy of comprehension — as easy as the explanation of 
 the mainspring of a watch, though an untutored savage 
 would find a watch most difficult to understand. But 
 to the mechanician who has put the watch together and 
 knows how to wind it up, there is no mystery in the 
 seemingly intricate work ; and we, who consider our- 
 selves wise, especially when we are called scientists — 
 we who, in the insolent littleness of our limited thought, 
 sometimes presume to dismiss the Creator as no part of 
 His creation — we shall in the hereafter wake up from 
 the troubled dream we call living, to the fact that the 
 great Chronometer of the Universe is quite a simple 
 thing — so simple that we shall wonder at ourselves for 
 not reading its apparent secret before. As the wise 
 king wrote: "The thoughts of mortal men are miser- 
 able, and their devices are but uncertain. For the 
 corruptible body presseth down the soul, and the 
 earthly tabernacle weigheth down the mind that museth 
 upon many things. And hardly do we guess aright the 
 things that are upon earth, and with labour do we find 
 the things that are before our eyes ; but the things that 
 
 xxvii
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 are in heaven who hath searched out? Except Thou 
 give wisdom and send Thy Holy Spirit front above!' 
 
 I have been accused by a leading critic of " imagin- 
 ing a new heaven and earth, and passionately flinging 
 them in the teeth of an obstinate reality that will 
 not conform to them." But I have imagined no 
 theory of which the starting-point cannot be found in 
 the Scriptures, and the only "obstinate reality" I am 
 aware of in this world is death, to which, undoubtedly, 
 all things must conform. Therefore I hope I do 
 "passionately fling into the teeth of iliat obstinate 
 reality" my glad, grateful, and full belief in the future 
 existence — the coming life of perfect joy, love, and 
 beauty — a life which alone is worth working for, hoping 
 for, praying for, — and compared to which, in my eyes at 
 least, this earth seems but a sort of eclipse — a black 
 disc, obscuring for a time the desired and desirable sun- 
 light — a passing cloud, the movement of which I note 
 with a certain impatience, accepting its shadow, as it 
 falls on my soul, not as an " obstinate reality," but 
 simply as shadow, — through which sometimes — by the 
 way of the Cross — the light of the veiled Glory shines. 
 
 MARIE CORELLl. 
 
 xxvili
 
 ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 PROLOGUE 
 
 We live in an age oi universal inquiry ; ergo of universal 
 scepticism. The prophecies of the poet, the dreams of 
 the philosopher and scientist, are being daily realized — 
 things formerly considered mere fairy-tales have be- 
 come facts — yet, in spite of the marvels of learning and 
 science that are hourly accomplished among us, the 
 attitude of mankind is one of disbelief. " There is no 
 God ! " cries one theorist ; " or if there be one, / can 
 obtain no proof of His existence ! " " There is no 
 Creator ! " exclaims another. *' The Universe is simply 
 a rushing together of atoms." " There can be no 
 Immortality," asserts a third. " We are but dust, and 
 to dust we shall return." " What is called by idealists 
 the Soul," argues another, "is simply the vital prin- 
 ciple composed of heat and air, which escapes from 
 the body at death, and mingles again with its native 
 element. A candle when lit emits flame ; blow out the 
 light, the flame vanishes — where? Would it not be 
 madness to assert the flame immortal ? Yet the soul, 
 or vital principle of human existence, is no more than 
 the flame of a candle."
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 If you propound to these theorists the eternal ques- 
 tion WHY? — why is the world in existence? why is there 
 a universe? why do we live? why do we think and 
 plan ? why do we perish at the last ? — their grandiose 
 reply is, " Because of the Law of Universal Necessity." 
 They cannot explain this mysterious Law to them- 
 selves, nor can they probe deep enough to find the 
 answer to a still more tremendous WHY — namely, U7/_y 
 is there a Law of Universal Necessity? — but they are 
 satisfied with the result of their reasonings, if not wholly, 
 yet in part, and seldom try to search beyond that great 
 vague vast Necessity, lest their finite brains should reel 
 into madness worse than death. Recognising, therefore, 
 that in this cultivated age a wall of scepticism and 
 cynicism is gradually being built up by intellectual 
 thinkers of every nation against all that treats of the 
 Supernatural and Unseen, I am aware that my narra- 
 tion of the events I have recently experienced will be 
 read with incredulity. At a time when the great 
 empire of the Christian Religion is being assailed, or 
 politely ignored by governments and public speakers 
 and teachers, I realize to the fullest extent how daring 
 is any attempt to prove, even by a plain history of 
 strange occurrences happening to one's self, the actual 
 existence of the Supernatural around us; and the 
 absolute certainty of a future state of being, after the 
 passage through that brief soul -torpor in which the 
 body perishes, known to us as Death. 
 
 In the present narration, which I have purposely 
 called a " romance," I do not expect to be believed, as 
 I can only relate what I myself have experienced, I 
 know that men and women of to-day must have proofs, 
 or what they are willing to accept as proofs, before they 
 will credit anything that purports to be of a spiritual 
 tendency; — something startling — some miracle of a
 
 PROLOGUE 
 
 stupendous nature, such as according to prophecy they 
 are all unfit to receive. Few will admit the subtle 
 influence and incontestable, though mysterious, authority 
 exercised upon their lives by higher intelligences than 
 their own — intelligences unseen, unknown, but felt. 
 Yes ! felt by the most careless, the most cynical ; in 
 the uncomfortable prescience of danger, the inner fore- 
 bodings of guilt — the moral and mental torture endured 
 by those who fight a protracted battle to gain the 
 hardly-won victory in themselves of right over wrong — 
 in the thousand and one sudden appeals made without 
 warning to that compass of a man's life, Conscience 
 — and in those brilliant and startling impulses of 
 generosity, bravery, and self-sacrifice which carry us 
 on, heedless of consequences, to the performance of 
 great and noble deeds, whose fame makes the whole 
 world one resounding echo of glory — deeds that we 
 wonder at ourselves even in the performance of them — 
 acts of heroism in which mere life goes for nothing, and 
 the Soul for a brief space is pre-eminent, obeying blindly 
 the guiding influence of a something akin to itself, yet 
 higher in the realms of Thought. 
 
 There are no proofs as to why such things should be ; 
 but that they are, is indubitable. The miracles enacted 
 now are silent ones, and are worked in the heart and 
 mind of man alone. Unbelief is nearly supreme in the 
 world to-day. Were an angel to descend from heaven 
 in the middle of a great square, the crowd would think 
 he had got himself up on pulleys and wires, and would 
 try to discover his apparatus. Were he, in wrath, to 
 cast destruction upon them, and with fire blazing from 
 his wings, slay a thousand of them with the mere 
 shaking of a pinion, those who were left alive would 
 either say that a tremendous dynamite explosion had 
 occurred, or that the square was built on an extinct
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 volcano which had suddenly broken out into frightful 
 activity. Anything rather than believe in angels — the 
 nineteenth century protests against the possibility of 
 their existence. It sees no miracles — it pooh-poohs 
 the very enthusiasm that might work them. 
 
 " Give a positive sign/' it says ; " prove clearly that 
 what you say is true, and I, in spite of my Progress and 
 Atom Theory, will believe." The answer to such a 
 request was spoken eighteen hundred years and more 
 ago. " A faithless and perverse generation asketh for 
 a sign, and no sign shall be given unto them." 
 
 Were I now to assert that a sign had been given to 
 me — to me, as one out of the thousands who demand it 
 — such daring assurance on my part would meet with 
 the most strenuous opposition from all who peruse the 
 following pages ; each person who reads having his own 
 ideas on all subjects, and naturally considering them 
 to be the best if not the only ideas worth anything. 
 Therefore I wish it to be plainly understood that in this 
 book I personally advocate no new theory of cither 
 religion or philosophy ; nor do I hold myself answer- 
 able for the opinions expressed by any of my characters. 
 My aim throughout is to let facts speak for themselves. 
 If they seem strange, unreal, even impossible, I can only 
 say that the things of the invisible world must always 
 appear so to those whose thoughts and desires are 
 centred on this life only.
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 AN artist's studio 
 
 In the winter of 1884, I was afflicted by a series of 
 nervous ailments, brought on by overwork and over- 
 worry. Chief among these was a protracted and terrible 
 insomnia^ accompanied by the utmost depression of 
 spirits and anxiety of mind. I became filled with the 
 gloomiest anticipations of evil ; and my system was 
 strung up by slow degrees to such a high tension of 
 physical and mental excitement, that the quietest and 
 most soothing of friendly voices had no other effect 
 upon me than to jar and irritate. Work was impos- 
 sible ; music, my one passion, intolerable ; books became 
 wearisome to my sight ; and even a short walk in the 
 open air brought with it such lassitude and exhaustion, 
 that I soon grew to dislike the very thought of moving 
 out of doors. In such a condition of health, medical 
 aid became necessary ; and a skilful and amiable 
 
 physician. Dr. R , of great repute in nervous 
 
 ailments, attended me for many weeks, with but slight 
 success. He was not to blame, poor man, for his failure 
 to effect a cure. He had only one way of treatment, 
 and he applied it to all his patients with more or less 
 happy results. Some died, some recovered ; it was a 
 lottery on which my medical friend staked his reputa- 
 tion, and won. The patients who died were never 
 heard of more — those who recovered sang the praises
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 of their physician everywhere, and sent him gifts of 
 silver plate and hampers of wine, to testify their grati- 
 tude. His popularity was very great; his skill con- 
 sidered marvellous ; and his inability to do me any 
 good arose, I must perforce imagine, out of some defect 
 or hidden obstinacy in my constitution, which was to 
 him a new experience, and for which he was unprepared. 
 
 Poor Dr. R ! How many bottles of your tastily 
 
 prepared and expensive medicines have I not swallowed, 
 in blind confidence and blinder ignorance of the offences 
 I thus committed against all the principles of that 
 Nature within me, which, if left to itself, always 
 heroically struggles to recover its own proper balance 
 and effect its own cure ; but which, if subjected to the 
 experimental tests of various poisons or drugs, often 
 loses strength in the unnatural contest and sinks ex- 
 hausted, perhaps never to rise with actual vigour again. 
 Baffled in his attempts to remedy my ailments. Dr. 
 
 R at last resorted to the usual plan adopted by all 
 
 physicians when their medicines have no power. He 
 recommended change of air and scene, and urged my 
 leaving London, then dark with the fogs of a dreary 
 winter, for the gaiety and sunshine and roses of the 
 Riviera. The idea was not unpleasant to me, and I 
 determined to take the advice proffered. Hearing of 
 my intention, some American friends of mine, Colonel 
 Everard and his charming young wife^ decided to 
 accompany me, sharing with me the expenses of the 
 journey and hotel accommodation. We left London all 
 together on a damp foggy evening, when the cold was 
 so intense that it seemed to bite the flesh like the sharp 
 teeth of an animal, and after two days' rapid journey, 
 during which I felt my spirits gradually rising, and 
 my gloomy forebodings vanishing slowly one by one, 
 we arrived at Cannes, and put up at the H6tel de 
 
 6
 
 AN ARTIST'S STUDIO 
 
 L . It was a lovely place, and most beautifully 
 
 situated ; the garden was a perfect wilderness of roses 
 in full bloom, and an avenue of orange-trees beginning 
 to flower cast a delicate fragrance on the warm 
 delicious air. 
 
 Mrs. Everard was delighted. 
 
 "If you do not recover your health here," she said 
 half laughingly to me on the second morning after our 
 arrival, " I am afraid your case is hopeless. What sun- 
 shine ! What a balmy wind ! It is enough to make 
 a cripple cast away his crutches and forget he was ever 
 lame. Don't you think so?" 
 
 I smiled in answer, but inwardly I sighed. Beautiful 
 as the scenery, the air, and the general surroundings 
 were, I could not disguise from myself that the tem- 
 porary exhilaration of my feelings, caused by the novelty 
 and excitement of my journey to Cannes, was slowly 
 but surely passing away. The terrible apathy, against 
 which I had fought for so many months, was again 
 creeping over me with its cruel and resistless force. 
 I did my best to struggle against it ; I walked, I rode, 
 I laughed and chatted with Mrs. Everard and her 
 husband, and forced myself into sociability with some 
 of the visitors at the hotel, who were disposed to show 
 us friendly attention. I summoned all my stock of 
 will-po^^■er to beat back the insidious physical and 
 mental misery that threatened to sap the very spring 
 of my life ; and in some of these efforts I partially 
 succeeded. But it was at night that the terrors of my 
 condition manifested themselves. Then sleep forsook 
 my eyes ; a dull throbbing weight of j^ain encircled my 
 head like a crown of thorns ; nervous terrors shook me 
 from head to foot ; fragments of my own musical com- 
 positions hummed in my ears with wearying persistence 
 — fragments that always left me in a state of distressed
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 conjecture ; for T never could remember how they ended, 
 and I puzzled myself vainly over crotchets and quavers 
 that never would consent to arrange themselves in any 
 sort oi finale. So the days went on ; for Colonel Everard 
 and his wife those days were full of merriment, sight- 
 seeing, and enjoyment. For me, though outwardly I 
 appeared to share in the universal gaiety, they were 
 laden with increasing despair and wretchedness ; for I 
 began to lose hope of ever recovering my once buoyant 
 health and strength, and, what was even worse, I seemed 
 to have utterly parted with all working ability. I was 
 quite young, and up to within a few months life had 
 stretched brightly before mc, with the prospect of a 
 brilliant career. And now, what was I ? A wretched 
 invalid — a burden to myself and to others — a broken 
 spar flung with other fragments of shipwrecked lives 
 on the great ocean of Time, there to be whirled away 
 and forgotten. But a rescue was approaching ; a 
 rescue sudden and marvellous, of which, in my wildest 
 fancies, I had never dreamed. 
 
 Staying in the same hotel with us was a )-oung 
 Italian artist, Raffaello Cellini by name. His pictures 
 were beginning to attract a great deal of notice, both 
 in Paris and Rome: not only for their faultless draw- 
 ing, but for their wonderfully exquisite colouring. So 
 deep and warm and rich were the hues he transferred 
 to his canvases, that others of his art, less fortunate 
 in the management of the palette, declared he must 
 have invented some foreign compound whereby he was 
 enabled to deepen and brighten his colours for the time 
 being ; but that the effect was only temporary, and 
 that his pictures, exposed to the air for some eight cr 
 ten years, would fade away rapidly, leaving only the 
 traces of an indistinct blur. Others, more generous, 
 congratulated him on having discovered the secrets of 
 
 8
 
 AN ARTIST'S STUDIO 
 
 the old masters. In short, he was admired, condemned, 
 enviedj and flattered, all in a breath ; while he himself, 
 being of a singularly serene and unruffled disposition, 
 worked away incessantly, caring little or nothing for 
 the world's praise or blame. 
 
 Cellini had a pretty suite of rooms in the Hotel de 
 
 L , and my friends Colonel and Mrs. Everard 
 
 fraternized with him very warmly. He was by no 
 means slow to respond to their overtures of friendship, 
 and so it happened that his studio became a sort of 
 lounge for us, where we would meet to have tea, to chat, 
 to look at the pictures, or to discuss our plans for future 
 enjoyment. These visits to Cellini's studio, strange to 
 say, had a remarkably soothing and calming effect upon 
 my suffering nerves. The lofty and elegant room, 
 furnished with that "admired disorder" and mixed 
 luxuriousness peculiar to artists, with its heavily droop- 
 ing velvet curtains, its glimpses of white m.arble busts 
 and broken columns, its flash and fragrance of flowers 
 that bloomed in a tiny conservatory opening out from 
 the studio and leading to the garden, where a fountain 
 bubbled melodiously — all this pleased me and gave me 
 a curious, yet most welcome, sense of absolute rest. 
 Cellini himself had a fascination for me, for exactly 
 the same reason. As an example of this, I remember 
 escaping from Mrs. Everard on one occasion, and 
 hurrying to the most secluded part of the garden, in 
 order to walk up and down alone in an endeavour to 
 calm an attack of nervous agitation which had suddenly 
 seized me. While thus pacing about in feverish rest- 
 lessness, I saw Cellini approaching, his head bent as 
 if in thought, and his hands clasped behind his back. 
 As he drew near me, he raised his eyes — they were 
 clear and darkly brilliant — he regarded me steadfastly 
 with a kindly smile. Then lifting his hat with the
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 graceful reverence peculiar to an Italian, he passed on, 
 saying no word. But the effect of his momentary 
 presence upon me was remarkable — it was electric. I 
 was no longer agitated. Calmed, soothed, and almost 
 happy, I returned to Mrs. Everard, and entered into 
 her plans for the day with so much alacrity that she 
 was surprised and delighted. 
 
 "If you go on like this," she said, "you will be 
 perfectly well in a month." 
 
 I was utterly unable to account for the remedial 
 influence Raffaello Cellini's presence had upon me; but 
 such as it was I could not but be grateful for the 
 respite it gave me from nervous suffering, and my now 
 daily visits to the artist's studio were a pleasure and a 
 privilege not to be foregone. Moreover, I was never 
 tired of looking at his pictures. His subjects were all 
 original, and some of them were very weird and fantastic. 
 One large picture particularly attracted me. It was 
 entitled " Lords of our Life and Death." Surrounded 
 by rolling masses of cloud, some silver-crested, some 
 shot through with red flame, was depicted the W'orld, as 
 a globe half in light, half in shade. Poised above it 
 was a great Angel, upon whose calm and noble face 
 rested a mingled expression of deep sorrow, yearning 
 pity, and infinite regret. Tears seemed to glitter on the 
 drooping lashes of this sweet yet stern Spirit ; and in 
 his strong right hand he held a drawn sword — the sword 
 of destruction — pointed for ever downwards to the fated 
 globe at his feet. Beneath this Angel and the world he 
 dominated was darkness — utter illimitable darkness. 
 But above him the clouds were torn asunder, and 
 through a transparent veil of light golden mist, a face of 
 surpassing beauty was seen — a face on which youth, 
 health, hope, love, and ecstatic joy all shone with 
 ineffable radiance. It was the personification of Life — 
 
 10
 
 AN ARTIST'S STUDIO 
 
 not life as we know it, brief and full of care — but Life 
 Immortal and Love Triumphant. Often and often I 
 found myself standing before this masterpiece of Cellini's 
 genius, gazing at it, not only with admiration, but with a 
 sense of actual comfort. One afternoon, while resting 
 in my favourite low chair opposite the picture, I roused 
 myself from a reverie, and turning to the artist, who 
 was showing some water-colour sketches to Mrs. 
 Everard, I said abruptly : 
 
 " Did you imagine that face of the Angel of Life, 
 Signor Cellini, or had you a model to copy from ? " 
 
 He looked at me and smiled. 
 
 "It is a moderately good portrait of an existing 
 original," he said. 
 
 " A woman's face then, I suppose ? How very 
 beautiful she must be ! " 
 
 " Actual beauty is sexless," he replied, and was silent. 
 The expression of his face had become abstracted and 
 dreamy, and he turned over the sketches for Mrs. 
 Everard with an air which showed his thoughts to be 
 far away from his occupation. 
 
 " And the Death Angel ? " I went on. " Had you a 
 model for that also ? " 
 
 This time a look of relief, almost of gladness, passed 
 over his features. 
 
 '"' No, indeed," he answered with ready frankness ; 
 " that is entirely my own creation." 
 
 I was about to compliment him on the grandeur and 
 force of his poetical fancy, when he stopped me by a 
 slight gesture of his hand. 
 
 "If you really admire the picture," he said, "pray 
 do not say so. If it is in truth a work of art, let it 
 speak to you as art only, and spare the poor workman 
 who has called it into existence the shame of having to 
 confess that it is not above human praise. The only 
 
 II
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 true criticism of high art is silence — silence as grand as 
 heaven itself." 
 
 He spoke with energy, and his dark eyes flashed. 
 Amy (Mrs. Everard) looked at him curiously. 
 
 " Say now ! " she exclaimed, with a ringing laugh. 
 " Aren't you a little bit eccentric, signor ? You talk like 
 a long-haired prophet ! I never met an artist before 
 who couldn't stand praise ; it is generally a matter of 
 wonder to me to notice how much of that intoxicating 
 sweet they can swallow without reeling. But you're an 
 exception, I must admit. I congratulate you ! " 
 
 Cellini bowed gaily in response to the half- friendly, 
 half-mocking curtsey she gave him, and, turning to me 
 again, said : 
 
 " I have a favour to ask of you, mademoiselle. Will 
 you sit to me for your portrait ?" 
 
 "I!" I exclaimed, with astonishment. "Signor 
 Cellini, I cannot imagine why you should wish so to 
 waste your valuable time. There is nothing in my poor 
 physiognomy worthy of your briefest attention." 
 
 " You must pardon me, mademoiselle," he replied 
 gravely, " if I presume to differ from you. I am exceed- 
 ingly anxious to transfer your features to my canvas. 
 I am aware that you are not in strong health, and that 
 your face has not that roundness and colour formerly 
 habitual to it. But I am not an admirer of the milk-maid 
 type of beauty. Everywhere I seek for intelligence, for 
 thought, for inward refinement — in short, mademoiselle, 
 you have the face of one whom the inner soul consumes, 
 and, as such, may I plead again with you to give me a 
 little of your spare time ? ] ^ou zuill not regret it, I assure 
 yo7i!' 
 
 These last words were uttered in a lower tone and 
 with singular impressivcness. I rose from my seat and 
 looked at him steadily ; he returned me glance for 
 
 12
 
 AN ARTIST'S STUDIO 
 
 glance. A strange thrill ran through me, followed by 
 that inexplicable sensation of absolute calm that I had 
 before experienced. I smiled — I could not help smiling, 
 
 " I will come to-morrow," I said. 
 
 " A thousand thanks, mademoiselle ! Can you be here 
 at noon ? " 
 
 I looked inquiringly at Amy, who clapped her hands 
 with delighted enthusiasm. 
 
 " Of course ! Any time you like, signor. We will 
 arrange our excursions so that they shall not interfere 
 with the sittings. It will be most interesting to watch 
 the picture growing day by day. What will you call it, 
 signor ? By some fancy title? " 
 
 "It will depend on its appearance when completed," 
 he replied, as he threw open the doors of the studio, and 
 bowed us out with his usual ceremonious politeness. 
 
 " Au revoir, madame ! A demain, mademoiselle ! '' 
 and the violet velvet curtains of the portiere fell softly 
 behind us as we made our exit. 
 
 " Is there not something strange about that young 
 man ? " said Mrs. Everard, as we walked through the 
 
 long gallery of the Hotel de L back to our own 
 
 rooms. " Something fiendish or angelic, or a little of 
 both qualities mixed up ? " 
 
 " I think he is what people term * peculiar,' when they 
 fail to understand the poetical vagaries of genius," I 
 replied. " He is certainly very uncommon." 
 
 " Well ! " continued my friend meditatively, as she 
 contemplated her pretty mignonne face and graceful 
 figure in a long mirror placed attractively in a corner of 
 the hall through which we were passing ; " All I can 
 say is that I wouldn't let him paint my portrait if he 
 were to ask ever so ! I should be scared to death. I 
 wonder you, being so nervous, were not afraid of him." 
 
 " I thought you liked him," I said. 
 
 13
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 " So I do. So does my husband. He's awfully hand- 
 some and clever, and all that — but his conversation ! 
 There now, my dear, you must own he is slightly 
 'queer.' Wh}-, who but a lunatic would say that the only 
 criticism of art is silence ? Isn't that utter rubbish ? " 
 
 " The only tnie criticism," I corrected her gently. 
 
 " Well, it's all the same. How can there be any 
 criticism at all in silence? According to his idea, when 
 we admire anything very much we ought to go round 
 with long faces and gags on our mouths. That would 
 be entirely ridiculous ! And what was that dreadful 
 thing he said to you ? " 
 
 " I don't quite understand you," I answered ; " I 
 cannot remember his saying anything dreadful." 
 
 " Oh, I have it now," continued Amy with rapidity ; 
 " it was awful ! He said you had \X\Q.face of one tvhojn 
 the soul consumes. You know that was most horribly 
 mystical 1 And when he said it he looked — ghastly ! 
 What did he mean by it, I wonder ? " 
 
 I made no answer ; but I thought I knew. I changed 
 the conversation as soon as possible, and my volatile 
 American friend was soon absorbed in a discussion on 
 dress and jewellery. That night was a blessed one for 
 me ; I was free from all suffering, and slept as calmly as 
 a child, while in my dreams the face of Cellini's " Angel 
 of Life " smiled at me, and seemed to suggest peace. 
 
 14
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 THE MYSTERIOUS POTION 
 
 The next day, punctually at noon, according to my 
 promise, I entered the studio. I was alone, for Amy, 
 after some qualms of conscience respecting chaperonage, 
 propriety, and Mrs. Grundy, had yielded to my en- 
 treaties and gone for a drive with some friends. In 
 spite of the fears she began to entertain concerning the 
 Mephistophelian character of Raffaello Cellini, there 
 was one thing of which both she and I felt morally 
 certain : namely, that no truer or more honourable 
 gentleman than he ever walked on the earth. Under 
 his protection the loveliest and loneliest woman that 
 ever lived would have been perfectly safe — as safe as 
 though she were shut up, like the princess in the fairy- 
 tale, in a brazen tower, of which only an undiscoverable 
 serpent possessed the key. When I arrived, the rooms 
 were deserted, save for the presence of a magnificent 
 iSiewfoundland dog. who, as I entered, rose, and shaking 
 his shaggy body, sat down before me and offered me 
 his huge paw, wagging his tail in the most friendly 
 manner all the while. I at once responded to his 
 cordial greeting, and as I stroked his noble head, I 
 wondered where the animal had come from ; for though 
 we had visited Signer Cellini's studio every day, there 
 had been no sign or mention of this stately, brown-eyed, 
 four-footed companion. I seated myself, and the dog 
 
 15
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 immediately lay down at my feet, ever}' now and then 
 looking lip at me with an affectionate glance and a 
 renewed wagging of his tail. Glancing round the well- 
 known room, 1 noticed that the picture I admired so 
 much was veiled by a curtain of Oriental stuff, in which 
 were embroidered threads of gold mingled with silks 
 of various brilliant hues. On the working easel was a 
 large square canvas, already prepared, as I supposed, 
 for my features to be traced thereon. It w^as an ex- 
 ceedingly warm morning, and though the windows as 
 well as the glass doors of the conservatory were wide 
 open, I found the air of the studio very oppressive. I 
 perceived on the table a finely-wrought decanter of 
 Venetian glass, in which clear water sparkled tempt- 
 ingly. Rising from my chair, I took an antique silver 
 goblet from the mantelpiece, filled it with the cool fluid, 
 and was about to drink, when the cup was suddenly 
 snatched from my hand, and the voice of Cellini, 
 changed from its usual softness to a tone both imperious 
 and commanding, startled me. 
 
 "Do not drink that," he said ; "you must not! You 
 dare not ! I forbid you 1 " 
 
 I looked up at him in mute astonishment. His face 
 was very pale, and his large dark eyes shone with 
 suppressed excitement. Slowly my self-possession 
 returned to me, and I said calmly : 
 
 " You forbid me, signor? Surely you forget yourself! 
 What harm have I done in helping myself to a simple 
 glass of water in your studio ? You are not usually so 
 inhospitable." 
 
 While I spoke his manner changed, the colour re- 
 turned to his face, and his eyes softened — he smiled. 
 
 " Forgive me, mademoiselle, for my brusquerie\ It is 
 true I forgot myself for a moment. But you were in 
 danger, and " 
 
 i6
 
 THE MYSTERIOUS POTION 
 
 " In danger ! " I exclaimed incredulously. 
 
 " Yes, mademoiselle. This," and he held up the 
 Venetian decanter to the light, " is not water simply. 
 If you will observe it now with the sunshine beating 
 full against it, I think you will perceive peculiarities in 
 it that will assure you of my veracity." 
 
 I looked as he bade me, and saw, to my surprise, that 
 the fluid was never actually still for a second. A sort 
 of internal bubbling seemed to work in its centre, and 
 curious specks and lines of crimson and gold flashed 
 through it from time to time. 
 
 " What is it ? " I asked ; adding with a half-smile, 
 " Are you the possessor of a specimen of the far-famed 
 Aqua To/ana}" 
 
 Cellini placed the decanter carefully on a shelf, and I 
 noticed that he chose a particular spot for it, where the 
 rays of the sun could fall perpendicularly upon the 
 vessel containing it. Then turning to me, he replied : 
 
 '■'■Aqua Tofana^ mademoiselle, is a deadly poison, 
 known to the ancients and also to many learned 
 chemists of our day. It is a clear and colourless liquid, 
 but it is absolutely still — as still as a stagnant pool. 
 What I have just shown you is not poison, but quite the 
 reverse. I will prove this to you at once." And taking 
 a tiny liqueur glass from a side-table, he filled it with the 
 strange fluid and drank it off, carefully replacing the 
 stopper in the decanter. 
 
 " But, Signor Cellini," I urged, " if it is so harmless, 
 why did you forbid my tasting it? Why did you say 
 there was danger for me when I was about to drink it ? " 
 
 " Because, mademoiselle, for you it would be danger- 
 ous. Your health is weak, your nerves unstrung. That 
 elixir is a powerful vivifying tonic, acting with great 
 rapidity on the entire system, and rushing through the 
 veins with the swiftness of electricity. I am accustomed 
 
 17
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 to it ; it is my daily medicine. But I was brought to it 
 by slow and almost imperceptible degrees. A single 
 teaspoonful of that fluid, mademoiselle, administered to 
 anyone not prepared to receive it, would be instant 
 death, though its actual use is to vivify and strengthen 
 human life. You understand now why I said you were 
 in danger?" 
 
 " I understand," I replied, though in sober truth I was 
 mystified and puzzled. 
 
 "And you forgive my seeming rudeness?" 
 
 " Oh, certainly ! But you have aroused my curiosity. 
 I should like to know more about this strange medicine 
 of yours." 
 
 "You shall know more if you wish," said Cellini, his 
 usual equable humour and good spirits now quite 
 restored. " You shall know everything ; but not to- 
 day. We have too little time. I have not yet com- 
 menced your picture. And I forgot — you were thirsty, 
 and I was, as you said, inhospitable. You must permit 
 me to repair my fault." 
 
 And with a courteous salute he left the room, to 
 return almost immediately with a tumbler full of some 
 fragrant, golden-coloured liquid, in which lumps of ice 
 glittered refreshingly. A few loose rose-leaves were 
 scattered on the top of this dainty-looking beverage. 
 
 "You may enjoy this without fear," said he, smiling; 
 "it will do you good. It is an Eastern wine, unknown 
 to trade, and therefore untampered with. I see }'ou are 
 looking at the rose-leaves on the surface. That is a 
 Persian custom, and I think a pretty one. They float 
 away from your lips in the action of drinking, and there- 
 fore they are no obstacle." 
 
 I tasted the wine and found it delicious, soft and 
 mellow as summer moonlight. While I sipped it, the 
 big Newfoundland, who had stretched himself in a 
 
 i8
 
 THE MYSTERIOUS POTION 
 
 couckani posture on the hearth-rug ever since Cellini 
 had first entered the room, rose and walked majestically 
 to my side and rubbed his head caressingly against the 
 folds of my dress, 
 
 " Leo has made friends with you, I see," said Cellini. 
 " You should take that as a great compliment, for he is 
 most particular in his choice of acquaintance, and most 
 steadfast when he has once made up his mind. He has 
 more decision of character than many a statesman." 
 
 "How is it we have never seen him before?" I in- 
 quired. " You never told us you had such a splendid 
 companion." 
 
 *' I am not his master," replied the artist. " He only 
 favours me with a visit occasionally. He arrived from 
 Paris last night, and came straight here, sure of his 
 welcome. He does not confide his plans to me, but I 
 suppose he will return to his home when he thinks it 
 advisable. He knows his own business best!" 
 
 I laughed. 
 
 "What a clever dogl Does he journey on foot, or 
 does he take the train ? " 
 
 " I believe he generally patronizes the railway. All 
 the officials know him, and he gets into the guard's van 
 as a matter of course. Sometimes he will alight at a 
 station en route, and walk the rest of the way. But if 
 he is lazily inclined, he does not stir till the train 
 reaches its destination. At the end of every six months 
 or so, the railway authorities send the bill of Leo's 
 journeyings in to his master, when it is always settled 
 without difficulty." 
 
 " And who is his master ? " I ventured to ask. 
 
 Cellini's face grew serious and absorbed, and his eyes 
 were full of grave contemplation as he answered : 
 
 " His master, mademoiselle, is my master — one who, 
 among men, is supremely intelligent ; among teachers, 
 
 19
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 absolutely unselfish ; among thinkers, purely imper- 
 sonal ; among friends, inflexibly faithful. To him I owe 
 everything — even life itself. For him no sacrifice, no 
 extreme devotion would be too great, could I hope 
 thereby to show my gratitude. But he is as far above 
 human thanks or human rewards as the sun is abov'e 
 the sea. Not here, not now, dare I say to him, My 
 fricjtd, behold hoiu much I love thee! such language 
 would be all too poor and unmeaning ; but hereafter — 
 who knows? " and he broke off abruptly with a half- 
 sigh. Then, as if forcing himself to change the tenor of his 
 thoughts, he continued in a kind tone: "But, mademoiselle, 
 I am wasting your time, and am taking no advantage 
 of the favour you have shown me by your presence 
 to-day. Will you seat yourself here?" and he placed 
 an elaborately carved oaken settee in one corner of the 
 studio, opposite hisown easel. " I should be sorry to fatigue 
 you at all," he went on ; " do you care for reading?'' 
 
 I answered eagerly in the affirmative, and he handed 
 me a volume bound in curiously embossed leather, and 
 ornamented with silver clasps. It was entitled " Letters 
 of a Dead Musician." 
 
 " You will find clear gems of thought, passion, and 
 feeling in this book," said Cellini ; " and being a 
 musician yourself, you will know how to appreciate 
 them. The writer was one of those geniuses whose 
 work the world repays with ridicule and contempt. 
 There is no fate more enviable ! " 
 
 I looked at the artist with some surprise as I took the 
 volume he recommended, and seated myself in the 
 position he indicated ; and while he busied himself in 
 arranging the velvet curtains behind mc as a back- 
 ground, I said : 
 
 " Do you really consider it enviable, Signor Cellini, 
 to receive the world's ridicule and contempt?" 
 
 20
 
 THE MYSTERIOUS POTION 
 
 " I do indeed," he replied, " since it is a certain proof 
 that the world does not understand you. To achieve 
 something that is above human comprehension, — that is 
 greatness ! To have the serene sublimity of the God- 
 man Christ, and consent to be crucified by a gibing 
 world that was fated to be afterwards civilized and 
 dominated by His teachings, what can be more glorious? 
 To have the magnificent versatility of a Shakespeare, 
 who was scarcely recognised in his own day, but whose 
 gifts were so vast and various that the silly multitudes 
 wrangle over his very identity and the authenticity of 
 his plays to this hour — what can be more triumphant? 
 To know that one's own soul can, if strengthened and 
 encouraged by the force of will, rise to a supreme 
 altitude of power — is not that sufficient to compensate 
 for the little whining cries of the common herd of men 
 and women who have forgotten whether they ever had a 
 spiritual spark in them, and who, straining up to see the 
 light of genius that burns too fiercely for their earth- 
 dimmed eyes, exclaim : ' We see nothing, therefore 
 there can be nothing/ Ah, mademoiselle, the knowledge 
 of one's own inner Self -Existence is a knowledge sur- 
 passing all the marvels of art and science ! " 
 
 Cellini spoke with enthusiasm, and his countenance 
 seemed illumined by the eloquence that warmed his 
 speech. I listened with a sort of dreamy satisfaction ; 
 the usual sensation of utter rest that I always experi- 
 enced in this man's presence was upon me, and I 
 watched him with interest as he drew with quick and 
 facile touch the outline of my features on his canvas. 
 
 Gradually he became more and more absorbed in his 
 work ; he glanced at me from time to time, but did not 
 speak, and his pencil worked rapidly. I turned over 
 the " Letters of a Dead Musician " with some curiosity. 
 Several passages struck me as being remarkable for 
 
 D 21
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 their originality and depth of thought ; but what par- 
 ticularly impressed me as I read on, was the tone of 
 absolute joy and contcntnient that seemed to light up 
 every page. There were no wailings over disappointed 
 ambition, no regrets for the past, no complaints, no 
 criticism, no word for or against the brothers of his art ; 
 everything was treated from a lofty standpoint of 
 splendid equality, save when the writer spoke of himself, 
 and then he became the humblest of the humble, yet 
 never abject, and always happy. 
 
 "O Music!" he wrote, " Music, thou Sweetest Spirit 
 of all that serve God, what have I done that thou 
 shouldst so often visit me? It is not well, O thou 
 Lofty and Divine One, that thou shouldst stoop so low 
 as to console him who is the un worthiest of all thy 
 servants. For I am too feeble to tell the world how 
 soft is the sound of thy rustling pinions, how tender is 
 the sighing breath of thy lips, how beyond all things 
 glorious is the vibration of thy lightest whisper! 
 Remain aloft, thou Choicest Essence of the Creator's 
 Voice, remain in that pure and cloudless ether, where 
 alone thou art fitted to dwell. My touch must desecrate 
 thee, — my voice affright thee. Suffice it to thy servant, 
 O Beloved, to dream of thee and die ! " 
 
 Meeting Cellini's glance as I finished reading these 
 lines, I asked : 
 
 " Did you know the author of this book, signor ? " 
 
 " I knew him well," he replied ; " he was one of the 
 gentlest souls that ever dwelt in human clay. As 
 ethereal in his music as John Keats in his poetry, he 
 was one of those creatures born of dreams and rapture 
 that rarely visit this planet. Happy fellow ! What a 
 death was his ! " 
 
 " How did he die?" I inquired. 
 
 "He was playing the organ in one of the great 
 
 22
 
 THE MYSTERIOUS POTION 
 
 churches of Rome on the day of the Feast of the 
 Virgin, A choir of finely trained voices sang to his 
 accompaniment his own glorious setting of the Regina 
 Cceli. The music was wonderful, startling, triumphant 
 — ever rising in power and majesty to a magnificent 
 finale, when suddenly a slight crash was heard ; the 
 organ ceased abruptly, the singers broke off. The 
 musician was dead. He had fallen forward on the keys 
 of the instrument, and when they raised him, his face 
 was fairer than the face of any sculptured angel, so 
 serene was its expression, so rapt was its smile. No 
 one could tell exactly the cause of his death — he had 
 always been remarkably strong and healthy. Everj'one 
 said it was heart-disease — it is the usual reason assigned 
 by medical savants for these sudden departures out of 
 the world. His loss was regretted by all, save myself 
 and one other who loved him. We rejoiced, and still do 
 rejoice, at his release." 
 
 I speculated vaguely on the meaning of these last 
 words, but I felt disinclined to ask any more questions, 
 and Cellini, probably seeing this, worked on at his 
 sketch without further converse. ]\Iy eyes were growing 
 heavy, and the printed words in the " Dead Musician's 
 Letters" danced before my sight like active little black 
 demons with thin waving arms and legs. A curious yet 
 not unpleasant drowsiness stole over me, in which I 
 heard the humming of the bees at the open window, the 
 singing of the birds, and the voices of people in the 
 hotel gardens, all united in one continuous murmur that 
 seemed a long way off. I saw the sunshine and the 
 shadow — I saw the majestic Leo stretched full length 
 near the easel, and the slight supple form of Raffaello 
 Cellini standing out in bold outline against the light ; 
 yet all seemed shifting and mingling strangely into a 
 sort of wide radiance in which there was nothing but 
 
 23
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 varj'ing tints of colour. And could it have been my 
 fancy, or did I actually see the curtain fall gradually 
 away from my favourite picture, just enough for the face 
 of the " Angel of Life" to be seen smiling down upon 
 me ? I rubbed my eyes violently, and started to my 
 feet at the sound of the artist's voice. 
 
 " I have tried your patience enough for to-day," he 
 said, and his words sounded muffled, as though they 
 were being spoken through a thick wall. " You can 
 leave me now if you like." 
 
 I stood before him mechanically, still holding the 
 book he had lent me clasped in my hand. Irresolutely 
 I raised my eyes towards the " Lords of our Life and 
 Death." It was closely veiled. I had then experienced 
 an optical illusion. I forced myself to speak — to smile 
 — to put back the novel sensations that were over- 
 whelming me. 
 
 " I think," I said, and I heard myself speak as though 
 I were somebody else at a great distance off — " I think, 
 Signor Cellini, your Eastern wine has been too potent 
 for me. My head is quite heavy, and I feel dazed." 
 
 " It is mere fatigue and the heat of the day," he 
 replied quietly. " I am sure you are not too dar:ed, as 
 you call it, to see your favourite picture, are you ? " 
 
 I trembled. Was not that picture veiled? I looked 
 — there was no curtain at all, and the faces of the two 
 Angels shone out of the canvas with intense brilliancy! 
 Strange to say, I felt no surprise at this circumstance, 
 which, had it occurred a moment previously, would 
 have unquestionably astonished and perhaps alarmed 
 me. The mistiness of my brain suddenly cleared ; I 
 saw everything plainly; I heard distinctly; and when I 
 spoke, the tone of my voice sounded as full and ringing 
 as it had previously seemed low and muftled. I gazed 
 steadfastly at the painting, and replied, half smiling: 
 
 24
 
 THE MYSTERIOUS POTION 
 
 " I should be indeed 'far gone' as the saying is, if 
 I could not see that, signor ! It is truly your master- 
 piece. Why have you never exhibited it ? " 
 
 " Can you ask that ? " he said with impressive emphasis, 
 at the same time drawing nearer and fixing upon me 
 the penetrating glance of his dark fathomless eyes. It 
 then seemed to me that some great inner force com- 
 pelled me to answer this half-inquiry, in words of which 
 I had taken no previous thought, and which, as I 
 uttered them, conveyed no special meaning to my own 
 ears. 
 
 " Of course," I said slowly, as if I were repeating a 
 lesson, "you would not so betray the high trust committed 
 to your charge." 
 
 " Well said ! " replied Cellini ; " you are fatigued, 
 mademoiselle. Au revoir ! Till to-morrow ! " And 
 throwing open the door of his studio, he stood aside for 
 me to pass out. I looked at him inquiringly. 
 
 " Must I come at the same time to-morrow ? " I 
 asked. 
 
 " If you please." 
 
 I passed my hand across my forehead perplexedly. I 
 felt I had something else to say before I left him. He 
 waited patiently, holding back with one hand the 
 curtains oi tho. portiere. 
 
 " I think I had a parting word to give you," I said at 
 last, meeting his gaze frankly ; " but I seem to have 
 forgotten what it was." 
 
 Cellini smiled gravely. 
 
 " Do not trouble to think about it, mademoiselle- I 
 am unworthy the effort on your part." 
 
 A flash of vivid light crossed my eyes for a second, 
 and I exclaimed eagerly : 
 
 " I remember now ! It was * Dieu vous garde^ 
 signor ! " 
 
 25
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 He bent his head reverentially. 
 
 " Merci mille fois, mademoiselle ! Dieu vous garde— 
 vous aussi. Au revoir." 
 
 And clasping my hand with a light yet friendly 
 pressure, he closed the door of his room behind me. 
 Once alone in the passage, the sense of high elation and 
 contentment that had just possessed me began gradually 
 to decrease. 1 did not become actually dispirited, but 
 a languid feeling of weariness oppressed me, and my 
 limbs ached as though I had walked incessantly for 
 many miles. I went straight to my own room. I 
 consulted my watch ; it was half-past one, the hour at 
 which the hotel luncheon was usually served. Mrs. 
 Everard had evidently not returned from her drive. 
 I did not care to attend the table d'hote alone; besides, 
 I had no inclination to eat. I drew down the window- 
 blinds to shut out the brilliancy of the beautiful southern 
 sunlight, and throwing myself on my bed I determined 
 to rest quietly till Amy came back. I had brought the 
 " Letters of a Dead Musician " away with me from 
 Cellini's studio, and I began to read, intending to keep 
 myself awake by this means. But I found I could not 
 fix my attention on the page, nor could I think at all 
 connectedly. Little by little my eyelids closed ; the 
 book dropped from my nerveless hand ; and in a few 
 minutes I was in a deep and tranquil slumber. 
 
 26
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 THREE VISIONS 
 
 Roses, roses l An interminable chain of these royal 
 blossoms, red and white, wreathed by the radiant fingers 
 of small rainbow-winged creatures as airy as moonlight 
 mist, as delicate as thistledown ! They cluster round 
 me with smiling faces and eager eyes ; they place the 
 end of their rose-garland in my hand, and whisper, 
 " Fo//ozu/" Gladly I obey, and hasten onward. Guid- 
 ing myself by the fragrant chain I hold, I pass through 
 a labyrinth of trees, whose luxuriant branches quiver 
 with the flight and song of birds. Then comes a sound 
 of waters ; the riotous rushing of a torrent unchecked, 
 that leaps sheer down from rocks a thousand feet high, 
 thundering forth the praise of its own beauty as it tosses 
 in the air triumphant crowns of silver spray. How the 
 living diamonds within it shift, and change, and sparkle I 
 Fain would I linger to watch this magnificence ; but 
 the coil of roses still unwinds before me, and the fairy 
 voices still cry, " Follow ! " I press on. The trees grow 
 thicker ; the songs of the birds cease ; the light around 
 me grows pale and subdued. In the far distance I see 
 a golden crescent that seems suspended by some in- 
 visible thread in the air. Is it the young moon? No; 
 for as I gaze it breaks apart into a thousand points of 
 vivid light like wandering stars. These meet; they 
 blaze into letters of fire. I strain my dazzled eyes 
 
 27
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 to spell out their meaning. They form one word — 
 Heliobas. I read it. I utter it aloud. The rose-chain 
 breaks at my feet, and disappears. The fairy voices 
 die away on my ear. There is utter silence, utter dark- 
 ness, — save where that one Name writes itself in burning 
 gold on the blackness of the heavens. 
 
 The interior of a vast cathedral is opened before my 
 gaze. The lofty white marble columns support a vaulted 
 roof painted in fresco, from which arc suspended a 
 thousand lamps that emit a mild and steady effulgence. 
 The great altar is illuminated ; the priests, in glittering 
 raiment, pace slowly to and fro. The large voice of the 
 organ, murmuring to itself awhile, breaks forth in a 
 shout of melody ; and a boy's clear, sonorous treble 
 tones pierce the incense-laden air. "CREDO!" — and 
 the silver, trumpet-like notes fall from the immense 
 height of the building like a bell ringing in a pure 
 atmosphere ; — " Credo in unum Deiivi ; Patron oninipo- 
 tentum, factorem cceii et terrcs visibilmvi omnium et 
 invisibiliurn." 
 
 The cathedral echoes with answering voices ; and, 
 involuntarily kneeling, I follow the words of the grand 
 chant. 1 hear the music slacken ; the notes of rejoicing 
 change to a sobbing and remorseful wail ; the organ 
 shudders like a forest of pines in a tempest, " Criicifixus 
 etiam pro nobis ; pass7/s et sepultus est." A darkness 
 grows up around me ; my senses swim. The music 
 altogether ceases ; but a brilliant radiance streams 
 through a side door of the church, and twenty maidens, 
 clad in white and crowned with myrtle, pacing two by 
 two, approach me. They gaze at me with joyous eyes. 
 "Art thou also one of us?" they murmur; then they 
 pass onward to the altar, where again the lights are 
 
 28
 
 THREE VISIONS 
 
 glimmering. I watch them with eager interest ; I hear 
 them uplift their fresh young voices in prayer and 
 praise. One of them, whose deep blue eyes are full 
 of lustrous tenderness, leaves her companions, and 
 softly approaches me. She holds a pencil and tablet 
 in her hand. 
 
 " Write ! " she says, in a thrilling whisper ; " and write 
 quickly ! for whatsoever thou shalt now inscribe is the 
 clue to thy destiny." 
 
 I obey her mechanically, impelled not by my own 
 will, but by some unknown powerful force acting within 
 and around me I trace upon the tablet one word only; 
 it is a name that startles me even while I myself write 
 it down— Heliobas. Scarcely have I written it when 
 a thick white cloud veils the cathedral from my sight 
 the fair maiden vanishes, and all is again still. 
 
 ****** 
 
 I am listening to the accents of a grave melodious 
 voice, which, from its slow and measured tones, would 
 seem to be in the action of reading or reciting aloud. 
 I see a small room sparely furnished, and at a table 
 covered with books and manuscripts is seated a man 
 of noble features and commanding presence. He is in 
 the full prime of life ; his dark hair has no thread of 
 silver to mar its luxuriance ; his face is unwrinkled ; his 
 forehead unfurrowed by care ; his eyes, deeply sunk 
 beneath his shelving brows, are of a singularly clear 
 and penetrating blue, with an absorbed and watchful 
 look in them, like the eyes of one accustomed to gaze 
 far out at sea. His hand rests on the open pages of a 
 massive volume; he is reading, and his expression is 
 intent and earnest — as if he were uttering his own 
 thoughts aloud, with the conviction and force of an 
 orator who knows the truth of which he speaks : 
 
 29
 
 A ROINIANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 " The Universe is upheld solely by the Law of Love. 
 A majestic invisible Protectorate governs the winds, the 
 tides, the incoming and outgoing of the seasons, the 
 birth of the flowers, the growth of forests, the outpour- 
 ings of the sunlight, the silent glittering of the stars. A 
 wide illimitable Beneficence embraces all creation. A 
 vast Eternal Pity exists for all sorrow, all sin. He who 
 first swung the planets in the air, and bade them revolve 
 till Time should be no more — He, the Fountain-Head 
 of Absolute Perfection, is no deaf, blind, capricious, or 
 remorseless Being. To Him the death of the smallest 
 singing-bird is as great or as little as the death of a 
 world's emperor. P'or Him the timeless withering of an 
 innocent flower is as pitiful as the decay of a mighty 
 nation. An infant's first prayer to Him is heard with 
 as tender a patience as the united petitions of thousands 
 of worshippers. For in everything and around every- 
 thing, from the sun to a grain of sand, He hath a portion, 
 small or great, of His own most Perfect Existence. 
 Should He hate His Creation, He must perforce hate 
 Himself; and that Love should hate Love is an im- 
 possibility. Therefore He loves all His work; and as 
 Love, to be perfect, must contain Pity, Forgiveness, and 
 Forbearance, so doth He pity, forgive, and forbear. 
 Shall a mere man deny himself for the sake of his child 
 or friend? and shall the Infinite Love refuse to sacrifice 
 itself — yea, even as to as immense a humility as its 
 greatness is immeasurable? Shall we deny those 
 merciful attributes to God which we acknowledge in 
 His creature, Man? O my Soul, rejoice that thou hast 
 pierced the veil of the Beyond ; that thou hast seen and 
 known the Truth ; that to thee is made clear the Reason 
 of Life, and the Recompense of Death : yet while rejoic- 
 ing, grieve that thou art not fated to draw more than a 
 few souls to the comfort thou hast thyself attained ! " 
 
 30
 
 THREE VISIONS 
 
 Fascinated by the speaker's voice and countenance I 
 listen, straining my ears to catch every word that falls 
 from his lips. He rises; he stands erect; he stretches 
 out his hands as though in solemn entreaty, 
 
 " Azul ! " he exclaims. " Messenger of my fate ! — thou 
 who art a guiding spirit of the elements, thou who ridest 
 the storm-cloud and sittest throned on the edge of the 
 lightning ! By that electric spark within me, of which 
 thou art the Twin Flame, I ask of thee to send me this one 
 more poor human soul ; let me change its unrestfulness 
 into repose, its hesitation to certainty, its weakness to 
 strength, its weary imprisonment to the light of liberty ! 
 Azul 1 " 
 
 His voice ceases, his extended hands fall slowly, and 
 gradually, gradually he turns his whole figure towards 
 Me. He faces me — his intense eyes burn through me — 
 his strange yet tender smile absorbs me. Yet I am full 
 of unreasoning terror ; I tremble — I strive to turn away 
 from that searching and magnetic gaze. His deep, 
 melodious tones again ring softly on the silence. He 
 addresses me. 
 
 " Fearest thou me, my child? Am I not thy friend? 
 Knowest thou not the name of Heliobas?" 
 
 At this word I start and gasp for breath ; I would 
 shriek, but cannot, for a heavy hand seems to close my 
 mouth, and an immense weight presses me down. 
 I struggle violently with this unseen Power — little by 
 little I gain the advantage. One effort more ! I win 
 the victory — I wake ! 
 
 " Sakes alive ! " says a familiar voice ; " you have had a 
 spell of sleep ! I got home about two, nearly starving, 
 and I found you here curled up ' in a rosy infant slumber,' 
 as the song' says So I hunted up the Colonel and had 
 
 31
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 lunch, for it seemed a sin to disturb you. It's just 
 struck four. Shall we have some tea up here?" 
 
 I looked at Mrs. Everard, and smiled assent. So I 
 had been sleeping for two hours and a half, and I had 
 evidently been dreaming all the time ; but my dreams 
 had been as vivid as realities. I felt still rather drowsy, 
 but I was thoroughly rested and in a state of delicious 
 tranquillity. My friend rang the bell for the tea, and 
 then turned round and surveyed me with a sort of wonder. 
 
 "What have you done to yourself, child?" she said 
 at last, approaching the bed where I lay, and staring 
 fixedly at me. 
 
 " \A'hat do you mean ? " 
 
 " Why, you look a different creature. When I left 
 you this morning you were pale and haggard, a sort of 
 die-away delicate invalid ; now your eyes are bright, 
 and your cheeks have quite a lovely colour in them ; 
 your lips, too, are the right tint. But perhaps," and 
 here she looked alarmed — " perhaps you've got the 
 fever ? " 
 
 " I don't think so," I said amusedly, and I stretched 
 out my hand for her to feel. 
 
 " No, you haven't," she continued, evidently re- 
 assured ; "your palm is moist and cool, and your pulse 
 is regular. Well, you look spry, anyhow. I shouldn't 
 wonder if you made up }-our mind to have a dance 
 to-night." 
 
 " Dance ? " I queried. " What dance, and where ? " 
 
 " Well, Madame Didier, that jolly little furbelowed 
 Frenchwoman with whom I was driving just now, has 
 got up a regular party to-night " 
 
 " Hans Breitmann gib a barty?" I interposed, with a 
 mock solemn air of inquiry. 
 
 Amy laughed. 
 
 "Well, yes, it may be that kind of thing, for all I 
 
 \2
 
 THREE VISIONS 
 
 know to the contrary. Anyhow, she's hired the band 
 and ordered a right-down elegant supper. Half the 
 folks in the hotel are going, and a lot of outsiders have 
 got invitations. She asked if we couldn't come — 
 myself, the Colonel, and you. I said I could answer 
 for myself and the Colonel, but not for you, as you were 
 an invalid. But if you keep on looking as you do at 
 present, no one will believe that there's anything the 
 matter with you. Tea, Alphonse ! " 
 
 This to a polite waiter, who was our special attendant, 
 and who just then knocked at the door to know 
 " madame's " orders. 
 
 Utterly disbelieving what my friend said in regard to 
 my improved appearance, I rose from the bed and went 
 to the dressing-table to look in the mirror and judge for 
 myself. I almost recoiled from my own reflection, so 
 great was my surprise. The heavy marks under my 
 eyes, — the lines of pain that had been for months deepen- 
 ing in my forehead, — the plaintive droop of the mouth 
 that had given me such an air of ill-health and anxiety 
 — ail were gone as if by magic. I saw a rose-tinted 
 complexion, a pair of laughing, lustrous eyes, and, 
 altogether, such a happy, mirthful young face smiled 
 back at me, that I half doubted whether it was indeed 
 myself I saw. 
 
 " There now ! " cried Amy in triumph, watching me as 
 1 pushed my clustering hair from my brows, and 
 examined myself more intently. " Did I not tell you 
 so ? The change in you is marvellous ! I know what it 
 is. You have been getting better unconsciously to 
 yourself in this lovely air and scene, and the long 
 afternoon sleep you've just had has completed the 
 cure." 
 
 I smiled at her enthusiasm, but was forced to admit 
 that she was right as far as my actual looks went. No 
 
 33
 
 A llOMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 one would believe that I was, or ever had been, ill. In 
 silence I loosened my hair and began to brush it and 
 put it in order before the mirror, and as I did so my 
 thoughts were very busy. I remembered distinctly all 
 that had happened in the studio of Raffaello Cellini, and 
 still more distinctly was I able to recall every detail of 
 the three dreams that had visited me in my slumber. 
 The Name, too, that had been the key-note of them all 
 I also remembered, but some instinct forbade me to 
 utter it aloud. Once I thought, " Shall I take a pencil 
 and write it down lest I forget it ? " and the same instinct 
 said " No." Amy's voluble chatter ran on like the 
 sound of a rippling brook all the time I thus meditated 
 over the occurrences of the day. 
 
 " Say, child ! " she exclaimed ; " will you go to the 
 dance ? " 
 
 " Certainly I will, with pleasure," I answered, and 
 indeed I felt as if I should thoroughly enjoy it. 
 
 " Brava I It will be real fun. There are no end of 
 foreign titles coming, I believe. The Colonel's a bit 
 grumpy about it, — he always is when he has to wear his 
 dress suit. He just hates it. That man hasn't a particle 
 of vanity. He looks handsomer in his evening clothes 
 than in anything else, and yet he doesn't see it. But 
 tell me," and her pretty face became serious with a true 
 feminine anxiety, "what ever will you wear? You've 
 brought no ball fixings, have you?" 
 
 I finished twisting up the last coil of my hair, and 
 turned and kissed her affectionately. She was the most 
 sweet-tempered and generous of women, and she would 
 have placed any one of her elaborate costumes at my 
 disposal had I expressed the least desire in that 
 direction. I answered : 
 
 " No, dear ; I certainly have no regular ball * fixings,' 
 for 1 never expected to dance here, or anywhere for 
 
 34
 
 THREE VISIONS 
 
 that matter. I did not bring the big trunks full of 
 Parisian toilettes that you indulge in, you spoilt bride ! 
 Still I have something that may do. In fact it will 
 have to do." 
 
 " What is it ? Have I seen it ? Do show ! " and her 
 curiosity was unappeasable. 
 
 The discreet Alphonse tapped at the door again just 
 at this moment. 
 
 " Entrez ! " I answered ; and our tea, prepared with 
 
 the tempting nicety peculiar to the Hotel de L , 
 
 appeared. Alphonse set the tray down with his usual 
 artistic flourish, and produced a small note from his 
 vest-pocket. 
 
 " For mademoiselle," he said with a bow ; and as he 
 handed it to me, his eyes opened wide in surprise. He, 
 too, perceived the change in my appearance. But he 
 was dignity itself, and instantly suppressed his astonish- 
 ment into the polite impassiveness of a truly accom- 
 plished waiter, and gliding from the room on the points 
 of his toes, as was his usual custom, he disappeared. 
 The note was from Cellini, and ran as follows : 
 
 " If mademoiselle will be so good as to refrain from 
 choosing any flozvers for her toilette this evening, she will 
 confer afavoi:r on her humble friend and servant, 
 
 " Raffaello Cellini." 
 
 I handed it to Amy, who was evidently burning with 
 inquisitiveness to know its contents. 
 
 "Didn't I say he was a queer young man?" she 
 exclaimed, as she perused the missive attentively. 
 " This is only his way of saying that he means to send 
 you some flowers himself. But what puzzles me is to 
 think how he could possibly know you were going to 
 make any special 'toilette' this evening. It is really 
 
 35
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 very mysterious when I come to think of it, for 
 Madame Didier said plainly that she would not ask 
 Cellini to the dance till she saw him at the table d'hote 
 to-night." 
 
 " Perhaps Alphonse has told him all about it," I 
 suggested. 
 
 My friend's countenance brightened, 
 
 "Of course! That is it; and Mr. Cellini takes it for 
 granted that a girl of your age would not be likely to 
 refuse a dance. Still there is something odd about it, 
 too. By-the-bye, I forgot to ask you how the picture 
 got on ? " 
 
 " Oh, very well, I believe," • I replied evasively. 
 " Signor Cellini only made a slight outline sketch as a 
 beginning." 
 
 " And was it like you? — a really good resemblance?" 
 
 " I really did not examine it closely enough to be able 
 to judge." 
 
 " What a demure young person you are ! " laughed 
 Mrs. Everard. " Now, / should have rushed straight 
 up to the easel and examined every line of what he was 
 doing. You are a model of discretion, really ! I shan't 
 be anxious about leaving you alone any more. But 
 about >'our dress for to-night. Let me see it, there's a 
 good girl." 
 
 I opened my trunk and took out a robe of ivory-tinted 
 crepe. It was made with almost severe simplicity, and 
 was unadorned, save by a soft ruffle of old Mechlin 
 lace round the neck and sleeves. Amy examined it 
 critically. 
 
 " Now, you would have looked perfectly ghastly in 
 this last night, when you were as pale and hollow-eyed 
 as a sick nun ; but to-night," and she raised her c}-cs to 
 my face, " I believe you will do. Don't you want the 
 bodice cut lower ? " 
 
 36
 
 THREE VISIONS 
 
 " No, thanks ! " I said, smiling. " I will leave that to 
 the portly dowagers — they will expose neck enough for 
 half-a-dozen other women." 
 
 My friend laughed. 
 
 " Do as you like," she returned ; " only I see your 
 gown has short sleeves, and I thought you might like a 
 square neck instead of that little simple Greek round. 
 But perhaps it's better as it is. The stuff is lovely ; 
 where did you get it ? " 
 
 "At one of the London emporiums of Eastern 
 art," I answered. " My dear, your tea is getting 
 cold," 
 
 She laid the dress on the bed, and in doing so, per- 
 ceived the antique-looking book with the silver clasps 
 which I had left there. 
 
 " What's this ? " she asked, turning it round to discover 
 its name. "Letters of a Dead Musician!" What a 
 shivery title ! Is it morbid reading ? " 
 
 " Not at all," I replied, as I leaned comfortably back 
 in an easy-chair and sipped my tea. " It is a very 
 scholarly, poetical, and picturesque work. Signor 
 Cellini lent it to me ; the author was a friend of 
 his." 
 
 Amy looked at me with a knowing and half-serious 
 expression. 
 
 " Say now — take care, take care ! Aren't you and 
 Cellini getting to be rather particular friends — something 
 a little beyond the Platonic, eh ? " 
 
 This notion struck me as so absurd that I laughed 
 heartily. Then, without pausing for one instant to 
 think what I was saying, I answered with amazing 
 readiness and frankness, considering that I really knew 
 nothing about it : 
 
 " Why, my dear, Raffaello Cellini is betrothed, and 
 he is a most devoted lover." 
 
 E 17
 
 A ROMANCE OF 'nVO WORLDS 
 
 A moment after I had uttered this assertion I \va3 
 surprised at myself. What authority had I for saying 
 that Cellini was betrothed ? What did I know about 
 it? Confused, I endeavoured to find some means of 
 retracting this unfounded and rash remark, but no words 
 of explanation would come to my lips that had been so 
 ready and primed to deliver what might be, for all I 
 knew, a falsehood. Amy did not perceive my em- 
 barrassment. She was pleased and interested at the 
 idea of Cellini's being in love. 
 
 " Really ! " she exclaimed, " it makes him a more 
 romantic character than ever ! Fancy his telling you 
 that he was betrothed ! How delightful ! I must ask 
 him all about his chosen fair one. But I'm positively 
 thankful it isn't you, for I'm sure he's just a little bit off 
 his head. Even this book he has lent you looks like a 
 wizard's property ; " and she fluttered the leaves of the 
 "Dead Musician's" volume, turning them rapidly over 
 in search of something attractive. Suddenly she paused 
 and cried out : " WHiy, this is right-down awful ! He 
 must have been a regular madman ! Just listen ! " and 
 she read aloud : 
 
 "* How mighty are the Kingdoms of the Air ! How 
 vast they are — how densely populated — how glorious are 
 their destinies — how all-powerful and wise are their 
 inhabitants ! They possess everlasting health and 
 beauty — their movements are music — their glances are 
 light — they cannot err in their laws or judgments, for 
 their existence is love. Thrones, principalities, and 
 powers are among them, yet all are equal. Each one 
 has a different duty to perform, yet all their labours are 
 lofty. But what a fate is ours on this low earth ! For, 
 from the cradle to the grave, we are watched by these 
 spiritual spectators — watched with unflinching interest, 
 unhesitating regard. O Angelic Spirits, what is there 
 
 38
 
 THREE VISIONS 
 
 in the poor and shablby spectacle of human life to attract 
 your mighty Intelligences ? Sorrow, sin, pride, shame, 
 ambition, failure, obstinacy, ignorance, selfishness, 
 forgetfulness — enough to make ye veil your radiant 
 faces in unpierceable clouds to hide for ever the sight of 
 so much crime and misery. Yet if there be the faintest, 
 feeblest effort in our souls to answer to the call of your 
 voices, to rise above the earth by force of the same will 
 that pervades your destinies, how the sound of great 
 rejoicing permeates those wide continents ye inhabit, 
 like a wave of thunderous music ; and ye are glad. 
 Blessed Spirits ! — glad with a gladness beyond that of 
 your own lives, to feel and to know that some vestige, 
 however fragile, is spared from the general wreck of 
 selrish and unbelieving Humanity. Truly we work under 
 the shadow of a " cloud of witnesses." Disperse, disperse, 
 O dense yet brilliant multitudes ! turn away from me 
 your burning, truthful, immutable eyes, filled with that 
 look of divine, perpetual regret and pity ! Lo, how 
 unworthy ami I to behold your glory ! and yet I must 
 see and know and love you all, while the mad blind 
 world rushes on to its own destruction, and none can 
 avert its doom,' " 
 
 Here Amy threw down the book with a sort of 
 contempt, and said to me : 
 
 " If you are going to muddle your mind with the 
 ravings of a lunatic, you are not what I took you for. 
 Why, it's regular spiritualism ! Kingdoms of the air 
 indeed ! And his cloud of witnesses ! Rubbish ! " 
 
 "He quotes the cloud of witnesses from St. Paul," I 
 remarked. 
 
 " More shame for him ! " replied my friend, with the 
 usual inconsistent indignation that good Protestants 
 invariably display when their pet corn, the Bible, is 
 accidentally trodden on. " It has been very well said that 
 
 39
 
 A ROINIANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 the devil can quote Scripture, and this musician (a good 
 job he is dead, I'm sure) is perfectly blasphemous to 
 quote the Testament in support of his ridiculous ideas ! 
 St. Paul did not mean by a ' cloud of witnesses ' a lot of 
 'air multitudes' and 'burning immutable eyes,' and all 
 that nonsense." 
 
 " Well, what did he mean ? " I gently persisted. 
 
 " Ob> he meant — why, you know very well what he 
 meant," said Amy, in a tone of reproachful solemnity. 
 " And I wonder at your asking me such a ques- 
 tion ! Surely you know your Bible, and you must be 
 aware that St. Paul could never have approved of 
 spiritualism." 
 
 "' And there are bodies celestial and bodies terrestrial, 
 butane is the glory of tJu celestiall" I quoted with a 
 slight smile. 
 
 Mrs. Ev^erard looked shocked and almost angry. 
 
 " My dear, I am ashamed of you 1 You arc a believer 
 in spirits, I do declare ! Why, I thought Maskelyne 
 and Cooke had cured everybody of such notions ; and 
 now here's this horrid book going to make you more 
 nervous than ever. I shall have you getting up one 
 night and shrieking about burning immutable eyes 
 looking at you." 
 
 I laughed merrily as I rose to pick up the discarded 
 volume from the floor. 
 
 " Don't be afraid," I said ; " I'll give back the book to 
 Signor Cellini to-morrow, and I will tell him that you 
 do not like the idea of my reading it, and that I am 
 going to study the Bible instead. Come now, dear, 
 don't look cross ! " and I embraced her warmly, for I 
 liked her far too well to wish to offend her. " Let us 
 concentrate our attention on our finery for to-night, 
 when a ' dense and brilliant multitude,' not of air, but of 
 the ' earth earthy,' will pass us under critical survey. I 
 
 40
 
 THREE VISIONS 
 
 assure you I mean to make the best of my improved 
 looks, as I don't believe they will last. I dare say I 
 shall be the ' sick nun ' that you termed me again 
 to-morrow." 
 
 " I hope not, dearest," said my friend kindly, returning 
 my caress and forgetting her momentary ill-humour. 
 "A jolly dance will do you good if you are careful to 
 avoid over-exertion. But you are quite right, we must 
 really fix our things ready for the evening, else we shall 
 be all in a flurry at the last moment, and nothing riles the 
 Colonel so much as to see women in a fuss. I shall 
 wear my lace dress ; but it wants seeing to. Will you 
 help me ? " 
 
 Readily assenting, we were soon deep in the arrange- 
 ment of the numberless little mysteries that make up a 
 woman's toilette ; and nothing but the most frivolous 
 conversation ensued. But as I assisted in the sorting 
 of laces, jewels, and other dainty appendages of evening 
 costume, I was deep in earnest meditation. Reviewing 
 in my own mind the various sensations I had experienced 
 since I had tasted that Eastern wine in Cellini's studio, 
 I came to the conclusion that he must have tried an 
 experiment on me with some foreign drug, of which he 
 alone knew the properties. Why he should do this I 
 could not determine ; but that he had done it I was 
 certain. Besides this, I felt sure that he personally 
 exerted some influence upon me — a soothing and 
 calming influence I was forced to admit — still, it could 
 hardly be allowed to continue. To be under the control, 
 however slight, of one who was almost a stranger to me, 
 was, at the least, unnatural and unpleasant. I was 
 bound to ask him a few plain questions. And, supposing 
 Mrs. Everard were to speak to him about his being 
 betrothed, and he were to deny it, and afterwards were 
 to turn round upon me and ask what authority I had for 
 
 41
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 making such a statement, what should I say? Convict 
 myself of falseliood ? However, it was no use to puzzle 
 over the solution of this difficulty till it positively pre- 
 sented itself. At any rate, I determined I would ask 
 him frankly, face to face, for some explanation of the 
 strange emotions I had felt ever since meeting him ; 
 and thus resolved, I waited patiently for the evening.
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 A DANCE AND A PROMISE 
 
 Our little French friend, Madame Didier, was not a 
 woman to do things by halves. She was one of those 
 rare exceptions among Parisian ladies — a perfectly 
 happy wife ; nay, more, she was in love with her own 
 husband, a fact which, considering the present state 
 of society both in France and England, rendered 
 her almost contemptible in the eyes of all advanced 
 thinkers. She was plump and jolly in appearance ; 
 round-eyed and brisk as a lively robin. Her husband, 
 a large, mild-faced placid man — " mon petit inari" as she 
 called him — permitted her to hav^e her own way in 
 everything, and considered all she did as perfectly well 
 done. Therefore, when she had proposed this informal 
 
 dance at the Hotel de L , he made no objection, 
 
 but entered into her plans with spirit ; and, what was 
 far more important, opened his purse readily to her 
 demands for the necessary expenses. So nothing was 
 stinted ; the beautiful ballroom attached to the hotel 
 was thrown open, and lavishly decorated with flowers, 
 fountains, and twinkling lights ; an awning extended 
 from its windows right down the avenue of dark ilex- 
 trees, which were ornamented with Chinese lanterns ; an 
 elegant supper was laid out in the large dining-room, 
 and the whole establishment was en fete. The delicious 
 strains of a Viennese band floated to our ears as Colonel 
 
 43
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 Everard, his wife, and myself descended the staircase on 
 our way to the scene of revelry ; and suggestions of 
 fair>'land were presented to us in the graceful girlish 
 forms, clad in light diaphanous attire, that flitted here 
 and there, or occasionally passed us. Colonel Everard 
 marched proudly along with the military bearing that 
 always distinguished him, now and then glancing 
 admiringly at his wife, who, indeed, looked her very best. 
 Her dress was of the finest Brussels lace, looped over a 
 skirt of the palest shell-pink satin ; deep crimson velvet 
 roses clustered on her breast, and nestled in her rich 
 hair ; a necklace of magnificent rubies clasped her 
 neck, and the same jewels glittered on her round white 
 arms. Her eyes shone with pleasurable excitement, 
 and the prettiest colour imaginable tinted her delicate 
 cheeks. 
 
 " When an American woman is lovely, she is very 
 lovely," I said. " You will be the belle of the room to- 
 might, Amy ! " 
 
 " Nonsense ! " she replied, well pleased, though, at my 
 remark. " You must remember I have a rival in 
 yourself." 
 
 I shrugged my shoulders incredulously. 
 
 " It is not like you to be sarcastic," I said. " You 
 know \x:ry well I have the air of a resuscitated corpse." 
 
 The Colonel wheeled round suddenly, and brought 
 us all up to a standstill before a great mirror. 
 
 ''\i you are like a resuscitated corpse, I'll throw a 
 hundred dollars into the next mud-pond," he observed. 
 " Look at yourself." 
 
 I looked, at first indifferently, and then with searching 
 scrutiny. I saw a small slender girl, clad in white, with 
 a mass of gold hair twisted loosely up from her neck, 
 and fastened with a single star of diamonds. A superb 
 garniture of natural lilies of the valley was fastened on 
 
 44
 
 A DANCE AND A PROMISE 
 
 this girl's shoulder ; and, falling loosely across her 
 breast, lost itself in the trailing folds of her gown. She 
 held a palm-leaf fan, entirely covered with lilies of the 
 valley, and a girdle of the same flowers encircled her 
 waist. Her face was serious, but contented ; her eyes 
 were bright, but with an intense and thoughtful lustre ; 
 and her cheeks were softly coloured as though a west 
 wind had blown freshly against them. There was 
 nothing either attractive or repulsive about her that I 
 could see ; and yet — I turned away from the mirror 
 hastily with a faint smile. 
 
 " The lilies form the best part of my toilette," I said. 
 
 " That they do," asserted Amy, with emphasis. " They 
 are the finest specimens I ever saw. It was real elegant 
 of Mr. Cellini to send them all fixed up ready like that, 
 fan and all. You must be a favourite of his ! " 
 
 "Come, let us proceed," I answered with some 
 abruptness. " We are losing time." 
 
 In a few seconds more we entered the ballroom, and 
 were met at once by Madame Didier, who, resplendent 
 in black lace and diamonds, gave us hearty greeting. 
 She stared at me with unaffected amazement. 
 
 "MonDieu!" she exclaimed — her conversation with us 
 was always a mixture of French and broken English, — 
 " I should not 'ave know zis young lady again ! She 
 'ave si bonne mine. You veel dance, sans doiite ? " 
 
 We readily assented, and the usual assortment of 
 dancing-men of all ages and sizes was brought forward 
 for our inspection ; while the Colonel, being introduced 
 to a beaming English girl of some seventeen summers, 
 whirled her at once into the merry maze of dancers, who 
 w^ere spinning easily round to the lively melody of one 
 of Strauss's most fascinating waltzes. Presently I also 
 found myself circling the room with an amiable young 
 German, who ambled round with a certain amount of 
 
 45
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 cleverness, considering that he was evidently ignorant 
 of the actual waltz step; and I caught a glimpse now 
 and then of Amy's rubies as they flashed past me in the 
 dance — she was footing it merrily with a handsome 
 Austrian Hussar. The room was pleasantly full — not 
 too crowded for the movements of the dancers ; and the 
 whole scene was exceedingly pretty and animated. I 
 had no lack of partners, and I was surprised to find 
 myself so keenly alive to enjoyment, and so completely 
 free from my usual preoccupied condition of nervous 
 misery. I looked everywhere for Raffaello Cellini, but 
 he was not to be seen. The lilies that I wore, which he 
 had sent me, seemed quite unaffected by the heat and 
 glare of the gaslight — not a leaf drooped, not a petal 
 withered ; and their remarkable whiteness and fragrance 
 elicited many admiring remarks from those with whom I 
 conv^ersed. It was growing very late ; there were only 
 two more waltzes before the final cotillon. I was stand- 
 ing near the large open window of the ballroom, con- 
 versing with one of my recent partners, when a sudden 
 inexplicable thrill shot through me from head to foot. 
 Instinctively I turned, and saw Cellini approaching. 
 He looked remarkably handsome, though his face was 
 pale and somewhat wearied in expression. He was 
 laughing and conversing gaily with two ladies, one of 
 whom was Mrs. Everard ; and as he came towards me 
 he bowed courteously, saying : 
 
 " I am too much honoured by the kindness made- 
 moiselle has shown in not discarding my poor flowers." 
 
 "They are lovely," I replied simply; "and I am 
 very much obliged to you, signor, for sending them 
 to me." 
 
 "And how fresh they keep!" said Amy, burying her 
 little nose in the fragrance of my fan; "yet they have 
 been in the heat of the room all the evening." 
 
 46
 
 A DANCE AND A PROMISE 
 
 " They cannot perish while mademoiselle wears them," 
 said Cellini gallantly. " Her breath is their life." 
 
 " Bravo ! " cried Amy, clapping her hands. " That is 
 very prettily said, isn't it?" 
 
 I was silent. I never could endure compliments. 
 They are seldom sincere, and it gives me no pleasure 
 to be told lies, however prettily they may be worded. 
 Signor Cellini appeared to divine my thoughts, for he 
 said in a lower tone : 
 
 " Pardon me, mademoiselle ; I see my observation 
 displeased you ; but there is more truth in it than you 
 perhaps know." 
 
 " Oh, say ! " interrupted Mrs. Everard at this juncture ; 
 " I am so interested, signor, to hear you are engaged ! I 
 suppose she is a dream of beauty? " 
 
 The hot colour rushed to my cheeks, and I bit my 
 lips in confusion and inquietude. What would he 
 answer? My anxiety was not of long duration. Cellini 
 smiled, and seemed in no way surprised. He said 
 quietly : 
 
 " Who told you, madame, that I am engaged ? " 
 
 " Why, she did, of course ! " went on my friend, 
 nodding towards me, regardless of an imploring 
 look I cast at her. " And said you were perfectly 
 devoted ! " 
 
 " She is quite right," replied Cellini, with another of 
 those rare sweet smiles of his ; " and you also are right, 
 madame, in your supposition : my betrothed is a Dream 
 of Beauty." 
 
 I was infinitely relieved. I had not, then, been guilty 
 of a falsehood. But the mystery remained : how had I 
 discovered the truth of the matter at all? While I 
 puzzled my mind over this question, the other lady who 
 had accompanied Mrs. Everard spoke. She was an 
 Austrian of brilliant position and attainments. 
 
 47
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 "You quite interest mc, signer," she said. " Is your 
 ivi\x fiancL^e here to-night?" 
 
 " No, madamc," rcpHed Cellini ; " she is not in this 
 country," 
 
 "What a pity!" exclaimed Amy. "I want to see 
 her real bad. Don't you ? " she asked, turning to me. 
 
 I raised my eyes and met the dark clear ones of the 
 artist fixed full upon me. 
 
 " Yes," I said hesitatingly ; " I should like to meet 
 her. Perhaps the chance will occur at some future 
 time," 
 
 " There is not the slightest doubt about that," said 
 Cellini. "And now, mademoiselle, will you give me 
 the pleasure of this waltz with you ? or are you pro- 
 mised to another partner ? " 
 
 I was not engaged, and I at once accepted his prof- 
 fered arm. Two gentlemen came hurriedly up to 
 claim Amy and her Austrian friend ; and for one brief 
 moment Signor Cellini and I stood alone in a compara- 
 tively quiet corner of the ballroom, waiting for the 
 music to begin. I opened my lips to ask him a ques- 
 tion, when he stopped me by a slight gesture of his 
 hand. 
 
 " Patience ! " he said in a low and earnest tone. " In 
 a few moments you shall have the opportunity you 
 seek." 
 
 The band burst forth just then in the voluptuous 
 strains of a waltz by Gung'l, and together we floated 
 away to its exquisite gliding measure. I use the word 
 floated advisedly, for no other term could express the 
 delightful sensation I enjoyed. Cellini was a superb 
 dancer. It seemed to me that our feet scarcely touched 
 the floor, so swiftly, so easily and lightly we sped along. 
 A few rapid turns, and I noticed we were nearing the 
 open PVench windows, and, before I well realized it, we 
 
 48
 
 A DANCE AND A PROMISE 
 
 had stopped dancing and were pacing quietly side by- 
 side down the ilex avenue, where the little lanterns 
 twinkled like red fireflies and green glow-worms among 
 the dark and leafy branches. 
 
 We walked along in silence till we reached the end of 
 the path. There, before us, lay the open garden, with 
 its broad green lawn, bathed in the lovely light of the 
 full moon, sailing aloft in a cloudless sky. The night 
 was very warm, but, regardless of this fact, Cellini 
 wrapped carefully round me a large fieecy white burnous 
 that he had taken from a chair where it was lying, on 
 his way through the avenue. 
 
 " I am not cold," I said, smiling. 
 
 " No ; but you will be, perhaps. It is not wise to run 
 any useless risks." 
 
 I was again silent. A low breeze rustled in the 
 tree-tops near us ; the music of the ballroom reached 
 us only in faint and far echoes ; the scent of roses 
 and myrtle was wafted delicately on the balmy air ; 
 the radiance of the moon softened the outlines of 
 the landscape into a dreamy suggestiveness of its 
 reality. 
 
 " Oh moon ! the oldest shades 'mong oldest trees 
 Feel palpitations when thou lookest in ; 
 Oh moon ! old boughs lisp forth a holier din 
 The while they feel thine airy fellowship ; 
 Thou dost bless ever)'thing, with silver lip 
 Kissing dead things to life I'' 
 
 quoted Cellini in earnest tones. 
 
 " You admire Keats ? " I asked eagerly. 
 
 " More than any other poet that has lived," he replied. 
 " His was the most ethereal and delicate muse that ever 
 consented to be tied down to earth. But, mademoiselle, 
 you do not wish to examine me as to my taste in poetry, 
 
 49
 
 •A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 You have some other questions to put to me, have you 
 not?" 
 
 For one instant I hesitated. Then I spoke out 
 frankly, and answered — 
 
 " Yes, signer. What was there in that wine you gave 
 me this morning?" 
 
 He met my searching gaze unflinchingly. 
 
 "A medicine," he said. "An excellent and perfectly 
 simple remedy made of the juice of plants, and absolutely 
 harmless." 
 
 "But why," I demanded, "why did you give me this 
 medicine ? Was it not wrong to take so much responsi- 
 bility upon yourself?" 
 
 He smiled. 
 
 " I think not. If you are injured or offended, then I 
 was wrong ; but if, on the contrary, your health and 
 spirits are ever so little improved, as I see they are, I 
 deserve your thanks, mademoiselle." 
 
 And he waited with an air of satisfaction and ex- 
 pectancy. I was puzzled and half-angry, yet I could 
 not help acknowledging to myself that I felt better and 
 more cheerful than I had done for many months. I 
 looked up at the artist's dark, intelligent face, and said 
 almost humbly — 
 
 " I do thank you, signor. But surely you will tell me 
 your reasons for constituting yourself my physician 
 without even asking my leave." 
 
 He laughed, and his eyes looked very friendly. 
 
 " Mademoiselle, I am one of those strangely con- 
 stituted beings who cannot bear to see any innocent 
 thing suffer. It matters not whether it be a worm in 
 the dust, a butterfly in the air, a bird, a flower, or a 
 human creature. The first time I saw you I knew that 
 your state of health precluded you from the enjoyment 
 of life natural to your sex and age, I also perceived 
 
 SO
 
 A DANCE AND A PROMISE 
 
 that the physicians had been at work upon you trying 
 to probe into the causes of your ailment, and that they 
 had signally failed. Physicians, mademoiselle, are very 
 clever and estimable men, and there are a few things 
 which come within the limit of their treatment ; but 
 there are also other things which baffle their utmost 
 profundity of knowledge. One of these is that wondrous 
 piece of human machinery, the nervous system ; that 
 intricate and delicate network of fine threads — electric 
 wires on which run the messages of thought, impulse, 
 affection, emotion. If these threads or wires become, 
 from any subtle cause, entangled, the skill of the mere 
 medical practitioner is of no avail to undo the injurious 
 knot, or to unravel the confused skein. The drugs 
 generally used in such cases are, for the most part, 
 repellent to the human blood and natural instinct, 
 therefore they are always dangerous, and often deadly. 
 I knew, by studying your face, mademoiselle, that you 
 were suffering as acutely as I, too, suffered some five 
 years ago, and I ventured to try upon you a simple 
 vegetable essence, merely to see if you were capable of 
 benefiting by it. The experiment has been so far 
 successful; but " 
 
 He paused, and his face became graver and more 
 abstracted, 
 
 " But what ? " I queried eagerly. 
 
 " I was about to say," he continued, " that the effect 
 is only transitory. Within forty-eight hours you must 
 naturally relapse into your former prostrate conditioHj 
 and I, unfortunately, am powerless to prevent it.'' 
 
 I sighed wearily, and a feeling of disappointment 
 oppressed me. Was it possible that I must again be 
 the victim of miserable dejection, pain, and stupor? 
 
 " You can give me another dose of your remedy," I 
 said. 
 
 51
 
 A ROMANCE OK TWO WORLDS 
 
 " That I cannot, mademoiselle," he answered regret- 
 fully ; " I dare not, without further advice and guidance." 
 
 " Advice and guidance from whom ? " I inquired. 
 
 " From the friend who cured me of my long and 
 almost hopeless illness," said Cellini. " He alone can 
 tell me whether I am right in my theories respecting 
 your nature and constitution." 
 
 "And what are those theories?" I asked, becoming 
 deeply interested in the conversation. 
 
 Cellini was silent for a minute or so ; he seemed 
 absorbed in a sort of inward communion with himself. 
 Then he spoke with impressiveness and gravity. 
 
 " In this world, mademoiseiij', there are no two 
 natures alike, yet all are born with a small portion of 
 Divinity within them, which we call the Soul. It is a 
 mere spark smouldering in the centre of the weight of 
 clay with which we are encumbered, yet it is there. 
 Now this particular germ or seed can be cultivated if 
 we WILL — that is, if we desire and insist on its growth. 
 As a child's taste for art or learning can be educated 
 into high capabilities for the future, so can the human 
 Soul be educated into so high, so supreme an attain- 
 ment, that no merely mortal standard of measurement 
 can reach its magnificence. With much more than half 
 the inhabitants of the globe, this germ of immortality 
 remains always a germ, never sprouting, overlaid and 
 weighted down by the lymphatic laziness and material- 
 istic propensities of its shell or husk — the body. But I 
 must put aside the forlorn prospect of the multitudes in 
 whom the Divine Essence attains to no larger quantity 
 than that proportioned out to a dog or bird — I have 
 only to speak of the rare few with whom the soul is 
 everything — those who, perceiving and admitting its 
 existence within them, devote all their powers to fanning 
 up their spark of light till it becomes a radiant, burning, 
 
 52
 
 A DANCE AND A PROMISE 
 
 inextinguishable flame. The mistake made by these 
 examples of beatified Humanity is that they too often 
 sacrifice the body to the demands of the spirit. It is 
 difficult to find the medium path, but it can be found ; 
 and the claims of both body and soul can be satisfied 
 without sacrificing the one to the other. I beg your 
 earnest attention, mademoiselle, for what I say con- 
 cerning the rare few with ivhom the Soul is everything. 
 You are one of those few, unless I am greatly in error. 
 And you have sacrificed your body so utterly to your 
 spirit that the flesh rebels and suffers. This will not do. 
 You have work before you in the world, and you cannot 
 perform it unless you have bodily health as well as 
 spiritual desire. And why ? Because you are a prisoner 
 here on earth, and you must obey the laws of the prison, 
 however unpleasant they may be to you. Were you 
 free as you have been in ages past and as you will be 
 in ages to come, things would be different ; but at 
 present you must comply with the orders of your gaolers 
 — the Lords of Life and Death." 
 
 I heard him, half awed, half fascinated. His words 
 were full of mysterious suggestions. 
 
 " How do you know I am of the temperament yoti 
 describe ? " I asked in a low voice. 
 
 " I do not know, mademoiselle ; I can only guess. 
 There is but one person who can perhaps judge of you 
 correctly — a man older than myself by many years — 
 whose life is the very acme of spiritual perfection — 
 whose learning is vast and unprejudiced. I must see 
 and speak to him before I try any more of my, or rather 
 his, remedies. But we have lingered long enough out 
 here, and unless you have something more to say to me, 
 we will return to the ballroom. You will otherwise miss 
 the cotillon ; " and he turned to retrace the way through 
 the illuminated grove. 
 
 F 53
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 But a sudden thought had struck me, and I resolved 
 to utter it aloud. Laying my hand on his arm and 
 looking him full in the face, I said slowly and dis- 
 tinctly: 
 
 " I'his friend of yours that you speak of— is not his 
 name Heliobas?" 
 
 Cellini started violently ; the blood rushed up to his 
 brows and as quickly receded, leaving him paler than 
 before. His dark eyes glowed with suppressed excite- 
 ment — his hand trembled. Recovering himself slowly, 
 •le met my gaze fixedly ; his glance softened, and he 
 bent his head with an air of respect and reverence. 
 
 " Mademoiselle, I see that you must know all. It is 
 your fate. You are greatly to be envied. Come to me 
 to-morrow, and I will tell you everything that is to be 
 told. Afterwards your destiny rests in your own hands. 
 Ask nothing more of me just now." 
 
 Me escorted me without further words back to the 
 ballroom, where the merriment of the cotillon was then 
 at its height. Whispering to Mrs. Everard as I passed 
 her that I was tired and was going to bed, I reached 
 the outside passage, and there, turning to Cellini, I said 
 
 gently: 
 
 "Good -night, signor. To-morrow at noon I will 
 
 come." 
 
 He replied : 
 
 " Good-night, mademoiselle 1 To-morrow at noon you 
 will find me ready." 
 
 With that he saluted me courteously and turned 
 away. I hurried up to my own room, and on arriving 
 there I could not help observing the remarkable fresh- 
 ness of the lilies I wore. They looked as if they had 
 just been gathered. I unfastened them all from my 
 dress, and placed them carefully in water ; then quickly 
 disrobing, I was soon in bed. 1 meditated for a few 
 
 5^
 
 A DANCE AND A PROMISE 
 
 minutes on the various odd occurrences of the day; 
 but my thoughts soon grew misty and confused, and I 
 travelled quickly off into the Land of Nod, and thence 
 into the region of sleep, where I remained undisturbed 
 by so much as the shadow of a dream. 
 
 ss
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 Cellini's story 
 
 The following morning at the appointed hour, I went 
 to Cellini's studio^ and was received by him with a sort 
 of gentle courtesy and kindliness that became him very 
 well. I was already beginning to experience an in- 
 creasing languor and weariness, the sure forerunner of 
 what the artist had prophesied — namely, a return of all 
 my old sufferings. Amy, tired out by the dancing of 
 the previous night, was still in bedj as were many of 
 those who had enjoyed Madame Didier's fete ; and the 
 hotel was unusually quiet, almost seeming as though 
 half the visitors had departed during the night. It 
 was a lovely morning, sunny and calm ; and Cellini, 
 observing that I looked listless and fatigued, placed a 
 comfortable easy-chair for me near the window, from 
 whence I could see one of the prettiest parterres of the 
 garden, gay with flowers of every colour and perfume. 
 He himself remained standing, one hand resting lightly 
 on his writing-table, which was strewn with a confusion 
 of letters and newspapers, 
 
 " Where is Leo ? " I asked, as I glanced round the 
 room in search of that noble animal. 
 
 "Leo left for Paris last night," replied Cellini; "he 
 carried an important despatch for me, which I feared to 
 trust to the post-office." 
 
 "Is it safer in Leo's charge?" I inquired, smiling, 
 
 56
 
 CELLINI'S STORY 
 
 for the sagacity of the dog amused as well as interested 
 me. 
 
 " Much safer ! Leo carries on his collar a small tin 
 case, just large enough to contain several folded sheets 
 of paper. When he knows he has that box to guard 
 during his journeys, he is simply unapproachable. He 
 would fight anyone who attempted to touch it with the 
 ferocity of a hungry tiger, and there is no edible dainty 
 yet invented that could tempt his appetite or coax him 
 into any momentary oblivion of his duty. There is no 
 more trustworthy or faithful messenger." 
 
 " I suppose you have sent him to your friend — his 
 master," I said. 
 
 " Yes. He has gone straight home to — Heliobas." 
 
 This name now awakened in me no surprise or even 
 curiosity. It simply sounded homelike and familiar. I 
 gazed abstractedly out of the window at the brilliant 
 blossoms in the garden, that nodded their heads at me 
 like so many little elves with coloured caps on, but I 
 said nothing. I felt that Cellini watched me keenly 
 and closely. Presently he continued — 
 
 " Shall I tell you everything now, mademoiselle ? " 
 
 I turned towards him eagerly. 
 
 " If you please," I answered. 
 
 " May I ask you one question ?" 
 
 " Certainly." 
 
 " How and where did you hear the name of Heliobas ? " 
 
 I looked up hesitatingly. 
 
 " In a dream, signor, strange to say ; or rather in three 
 dreams. I will relate them to you." 
 
 And I described the visions I had seen, being careful 
 to omit no detail, for, indeed, I remembered everything 
 with curious distinctness. 
 
 The artist listened with grave and fixed attentioa 
 When I had concluded he said: 
 
 57
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 " The elixir I gave you acted more potently than 
 even I imagined it would. You are more sensitive 
 than I thought. Do not fatigue yourself any more, 
 mademoiselle, by talking. With )'our permission I will 
 sit down here opposite to you and tell you my story. 
 Afterwards you must decide for yourself whether you 
 will adopt the method of treatment to which I owe 
 my life, and something more than my life — my 
 reason." 
 
 He turned his own library-chair towards mc, and 
 seated himself. A few moments passed in silence ; his 
 expression was very earnest and absorbed, and he 
 regarded my face with a sympathetic interest which 
 touched me profoundly. Though I felt myself becoming 
 more and more enervated and apathetic as the time 
 went on, and though I knew I M-as gradually sinking 
 down again into my old Slough of Despond, yet I felt 
 instinctively that I was somichow actively concerned 
 in what was about to be said, therefore I forced myself 
 to attend closely to every word uttered. Cellini began 
 to speak in low and quiet tones as follows : 
 
 " You must be aware, mademoiselle, that those who 
 adopt any art as a means of livelihood begin the world 
 heavily handicapped — weighted down, as it were, in the 
 race for fortune. The following of art is a very different 
 thing to the following of trade or mercantile business. 
 In buying or selling, in undertaking the work of import 
 or export, a good head for figures, and an average 
 quantity of shrewd common sense, are all that is necessary 
 in order to win a fair share of success. But in the finer 
 occupations, whose results are found in sculpture, paint- 
 ing, music and poetry, demands are made upon the 
 imagination, the emotions, the entire spiritual suscepti- 
 bility of man. The most delicate fibres of the brain are 
 taxed ; the subtle inner workings of thought are brought 
 
 58
 
 CELLINI'S STORY 
 
 into active play ; ana the temperament becomes daily 
 and hourly more finely strung, more sensitive, more 
 keenly alive to every passing sensation. Of course 
 there are many so-called * artists,' who are mere shams 
 of the real thing ; persons who, having a little surface- 
 education in one or the other branch of the arts, play 
 idly with the paint-brush, or dabble carelessly in the 
 deep waters of literature, — or borrow a few crotchets and 
 quavers from other composers, and putting them together 
 in haste, call it original composition. Among these are 
 to be found the self-called ' professors ' of painting ; the 
 sculptors who allow the work of their ' ghosts ' to be 
 admired as their own ; the magazine-scribblers ; the 
 * smart ' young leader-writers and critics ; the half- 
 hearted performers on piano or violin who object to any 
 innovation, and prefer to grind on in the unemotional, 
 coldly correct manner which they are pleased to term 
 ' the classical ' — such persons exist, and will exist, so 
 long as good and evil are leading forces of life. They 
 are the aphides on the rose of art. But the men and 
 women I speak of as ' artists,' are those who work day and 
 night to attain even a small degree of perfection, and 
 who are never satisfied with their own best efforts. I 
 was one of these some years ago, and I humbly assert 
 myself still to be of the same disposition ; only the 
 difference between myself then, and myself now is, that 
 tJien I struggled blindly and despairingly, and nozv I 
 labour patiently and with calmness, knowing positively 
 that I shall obtain what I seek at the duly appointed 
 hour. I was educated as a painter, mademoiselle, by 
 my father, — a good, simple-hearted man, whose little 
 landscapes looked like bits cut out of the actual field 
 and woodland, so fresh and pure were they. But I was 
 not content to follow in the plain path he first taught 
 me to tread. Merely correct drawing, merely correct 
 
 59
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 colouring, were not sufficient for my ambition. I had 
 dazzled my eyes with the loveliness of Correggio's 
 ' Madonna,' and had marvelled at the wondrous blue of 
 her robe — a blue so deep and intense that I used to 
 think one might scrape away the paint till a hole was 
 bored in the canvas, and }et not reach the end of that 
 fathomless azure tint ; I had studied the warm hues of 
 Titian ; I had felt ready to float away in the air with the 
 marvellous ' Angel of the Annunciation ' — and with all 
 these thoughts in me, how could I content myself with 
 the ordinary aspiration of modern artists ? I grew 
 absorbed in one subject — Colour. I noted how lifeless 
 and pale the colouring of to-day appeared beside that of 
 the old masters, and I meditated deeply on the problem 
 thus presented to me. What was the secret of Correggio 
 — of Fra Angelico — of Raphael ? I tried various 
 experiments ; I bought the most expensive and highly 
 guaranteed pigments. In vain, for they were all adul- 
 terated by the dealers 1 Then I obtained colours in the 
 rough, and ground and mixed them myself ; still, though 
 a little better result was obtained, I found trade adultera- 
 tion still at work with the oils, the varnishes, the 
 mediums — in fact, with everything that painters use to 
 gain effect in their works. I could nowhere escape 
 from vicious dealers, who, to gain a miserable percent- 
 age on every article sold, are content to be among the 
 most dishonest men in this dishonest age. 
 
 " I assure you, mademoiselle, that not one of the 
 pictures which are now being painted for the salons of 
 Paris and London can possibly last a hundred years. 
 I recently visited that Palace of Art, the South 
 Kensington Museum, in London, and saw there a large 
 fresco by Sir Frederick Leighton. It was already fading! 
 Within a few years it will be a blur of indistir.ct out- 
 lines. I compared its condition with the cartoons of 
 
 60
 
 CELLINI'S STORY 
 
 Raphael, and a superb Giorgione in the same building ; 
 these were as warm and bright as though recently 
 painted. It is not Leighton's fault that his works are 
 doomed to perish as completely off the canvas as though 
 he had never traced them ; it is his dire misfortune, and 
 that of every other nineteenth-century painter, thanks 
 to the magnificent institution of free trade, which has 
 resulted in a vulgar competition of all countries and all 
 classes to see which can most quickly jostle the other 
 out of existence. But I am wearying you, mademoiselle 
 — pardon me ! To resume my own story. As I told 
 you, I could think of nothing but the one subject of 
 Colour ; it haunted me incessantly. I saw in my 
 dreams visions of exquisite forms and faces that I 
 longed to transfer to my canvas, but I could never 
 succeed in the attempt. My hand seemed to have lost 
 all skill. About this time my father died, and I, having 
 no other relation in the world, and no ties of home to 
 cling to, lived in utter solitude, and tortured my brain 
 more and more with the one question that baffled and 
 perplexed me. I became moody and irritable ; I 
 avoided intercourse with everyone, and at last sleep 
 forsook my eyes. Then came a terrible season of 
 feverish trouble, nervous dejection and despair. At 
 times I would sit silently brooding ; at others I started 
 up and walked rapidly for hours, in the hope to calm 
 the wild unrest that took possession of my brain. I was 
 then living in Rome, in the studio that had been my 
 father's. One evening — how well I remember it ! — I 
 was attacked by one of those fierce impulses that 
 forbade me to rest or think or sleep, and, as usual, I 
 hurried out for one of those long aimless excursions I 
 had latterly grown accustomed to. At the open street- 
 door stood the proprietress of the house, a stout, good- 
 natured contadina with her youngest child Pippa hold- 
 
 6i
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 ing to her skirt. As she saw me approaching, she 
 started back with an exclamation of alarm, and catching 
 the little girl up in her arms, she made the sign of the 
 cross rapidly. Astonished at this, I paused in my hasty 
 walk, and said with as much calmness as I could 
 muster: 
 
 '" What do you mean by that? Have I the evil-eye, 
 think you ?' 
 
 " Curly-haired Pippa stretched out her arms to me — 
 I had often caressed the little one, and given her sweet- 
 meats and toys — but her mother held her back with a 
 sort of smothered scream, and muttered : 
 
 '"Holy Virgin! Pippa must not touch him he is 
 mad.' 
 
 ' Mad ? I looked at the woman and child in scornful 
 amazement. Then without further words I turned, and 
 went swiftly away down the street out of their sight. 
 Mad ! Was I indeed losing my reason ? Was this the 
 terrific meaning of my sleepless nights, my troubled 
 thoughts, my strange inquietude ? Fiercely I strode 
 along, heedless whither I was going, till I found myself 
 suddenly on the borders of the desolate Campagna. A 
 young moon gleamed aloft, looking like a slender sickle 
 thrust into the heavens to reap an over-abundant 
 harvest of stars. I paused irresolutely. There was a 
 deep silence everywhere. I felt faint and giddy ; 
 curious flashes of light danced past my eyes, and my 
 limbs shook like those of a palsied old man. I sank 
 upon a stone to rest, to try and arrange my scattered 
 ideas into some sort of connection and order. Mad ! 
 I clasped my aching head between my hands, and 
 brooded on the fearful prospect looming before me, 
 and in the words of poor King Lear, I prayed in my 
 heart : 
 
 "'O let me not be mad, not mad, sweet heavens 1' 
 
 62
 
 CELLINI'S STOR7 
 
 " Prayer ! There was another thought. How could 
 / pray ? For I was a sceptic. My father had educated 
 me with broadly materialistic views ; he himself was a 
 follower of Voltaire, and with his finite rod he took the 
 measure of Divinity, greatly to his own satisfaction. 
 He was a good man, too, and he died with exemplary 
 calmness in the absolute certainty of there being nothing 
 in his composition but dust, to which he was bound to 
 return. He had not a shred of belief in anything but 
 what he called the Universal Law of Necessity ; perhaps 
 this was why all his pictures lacked inspiration. I 
 accepted his theories without thinking much about 
 them, and I had managed to live respectably without 
 any religious belief. But now — now with the horrible 
 phantom of madness rising before me — my firm nerves 
 quailed. I tried, I longed to pray. Yet to whom ? To 
 what? To the Universal Law of Necessity? In that 
 there could be no hearing or answering of human 
 petitions. I meditated on this with a kind of sombre 
 ferocity. Who portioned out this Law of Necessity? 
 What brutal Code compels us to be born, to live, to 
 suffer, and to die without recompense or reason ? Why 
 should this Universe be an ever-circling Wheel of 
 Torture? Then a fresh impetus came to me. I rose 
 from my recumbent posture and stood erect ; I trembled 
 no more. A curious sensation of defiant amusement 
 possessed me so violently that I laughed aloud. Such 
 a laugh, too ! I recoiled from the sound, as from a 
 blow, with a shudder. It was the laugh of — a madman ! 
 I thought no more; I was resolved. I would fulfil the 
 grim Law of Necessity to its letter. If Necessity caused 
 my birth, it also demanded my death. Necessity could 
 not force me to live against my will. Better eternal 
 nothingness than madness. Slowly and deliberately I 
 took from my vest a Milanese dagger of thin sharp 
 
 63
 
 A ROMiVNCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 steel — one that I always carried with me as a means of 
 self-defence — I drew it from its sheath, and looked at 
 the fine edge glittering coldly in the pallid moon-rays. 
 I kissed it joyously ; it was my final remedy ! I poised 
 it aloft with firm fingers — another instant and it would 
 have been buried deep in my heart, when I felt a 
 powerful grasp on my wrist, and a strong arm struggling 
 with mine forced the dagger from my hand. Savagely 
 angry at being thus foiled in my desperate intent, I 
 staggered back a few paces and sullenly stared at my 
 rescuer. He was a tall man, clad in a dark overcoat 
 bordered with fur ; he looked like a wealthy Englishman 
 or American travelling for pleasure. His features were 
 fine and commanding ; his eyes gleamed with a gentle 
 disdain as he coolly met my resentful gaze.' When he 
 spoke his voice was rich and mellifluous,' though his 
 accents had a touch in them of grave scorn. 
 
 '" So you are tired of your life, young man ! All the 
 more reason have you to live. Anyone can die.' A 
 murderer has moral force enough to jeer at his hangman. 
 It is veiy easy to draw the last breath. It can be 
 accomplished successfully by a child or a warrior. One 
 pang of far less anguish than the toothache, and all is 
 over. There is nothing heroic about it, I assure you ! 
 It is as common as going to bed ; it is almost prosy. 
 Life is heroism, if you like ; but death is a mere cessa- 
 tion of business. And to make a rapid and rude exit 
 off the stage before the prompter gives the sign is always, 
 to say the least of it, ungraceful. Act the part out, no 
 matter how bad the play ! What say you ? ' 
 
 " And, balancing the dagger lightly on one finger, as 
 though it were a paper-knife, he smiled at me with so 
 much frank kindliness that it was impossible to resist 
 him. I advanced and held out my hand. 
 
 "'\\'hoever you are,' I said, ' you speak like a true 
 
 64
 
 CELLINI'S STORY 
 
 man. But you are ignorant of the causes which com- 
 pelled me to ' and a hard sob choked my utterance. 
 
 My new acquaintance pressed my proffered hand 
 cordially, but the gravity of his tone did not vary as 
 he replied : 
 
 " * There is no cause, my friend, which compels us to 
 take violent leave of existence, unless it be madness or 
 cowardice.' 
 
 " * Aye ! and what if it were madness ? ' I asked him 
 eagerlyc He scanned me attentively, and laying his 
 fingers lightly on my wrist, felt my pulse. 
 
 " ' Pooh, my dear sir ! ' he said ; ' you are no more 
 mad than I am. You are a little overwrought and 
 excited — that I admit. You have some mental worry 
 that consumes you. You shall tell me all about it. I 
 have no doubt I can cure you in a few days.' 
 
 " Cure me ? I looked at him in wonderment and 
 doubt. 
 
 " * Are you a physician ? ' I asked. 
 
 " He laughed. ' Not I ! I should be sorry to belong 
 to the profession. Yet I administer medicines and give 
 advice in certain cases. I am simply a remedial agent 
 — not a doctor. But why do we stand here in this 
 bleak place, which must be peopled by the ghosts of 
 olden heroes ? Come with me, will you ? I am going 
 to the Hotel Costanza, and we can talk there. As for 
 this pretty toy, permit me to return it to you. You will 
 not force it again to the unpleasant task of despatching 
 its owner.' 
 
 " And he handed the dagger back to me with a slight 
 bow. I sheathed it at once, feeling somewhat like a 
 chidden child, as I met the slightly satirical gleam of 
 the clear blue eyes that watched me. 
 
 "'Will you give me your name, signor?' I asked, as 
 we turned from the Campagna towards the city. 
 
 65
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 " ' With pleasure. I am called lieliobas. A strange 
 name? Oh, not at all! It is pure Chaldee. My 
 mother — as lovely an Eastern houri as Murillo's 
 Madonna, and as devout as Santa Teresa — gave me 
 the Christian saint's name of Casimir also, but lieliobas 
 pur et simple suits me best, and by it I am generally 
 known.' 
 
 " ' You are a Chaldean ? ' I inquired. 
 
 " • Exactly so. I am descended directly from one of 
 those " wise men of the East " (and, by the way, there 
 were more than three, and they were not all kings), who, 
 being wide awake, happened to notice the birth-star of 
 Christ on the horizon before the rest of the world's in- 
 habitants had so much as rubbed their sleepy eyes. 
 The Chaldeans have been always quick of observation 
 from time immemorial. But in return for my name, 
 you will favour me with yours?' 
 
 " I gave it readily, and we walked on together. I 
 felt wonderfully calmed and cheered — as soothed, 
 mademoiselle, as I have noticed you yourself have felt 
 when in my company." 
 
 Here Cellini paused, and looked at me as though 
 expecting a question ; but I preferred to remain silent 
 till I had heard all he had to say. He therefore 
 resumed : 
 
 "We reached the Hotel Costanza, where Heliobas 
 was evidently well known. The waiters addressed him 
 as Monsieur le Comte ; but he gave me no information 
 as to this title. He had a superb suite of rooms in the 
 hotel, furnished with every modern luxury; and as soon 
 as we entered a light supper was served. He invited 
 me to partake, and within the space of half an hour I 
 had told him all my history — my ambition — my 
 strivings after the perfection of colour — my disappoint- 
 ment, dejection, and despair — and, finally, the fearful 
 
 66
 
 CELLINI'S STORY 
 
 dread of coming madness that had driven me to 
 attempt my own life. He listened patiently and with 
 unbroken attention. When I had finished, he laid one 
 hand on my shoulder, and said gently : 
 
 " ' Young man, pardon me if I say that up to the 
 present your career has been an inactive, useless, selfish 
 " kicking against the pricks," as St. Paul says. You set 
 before yourself a task of noble effort, namely, to dis- 
 cover the secret of colouring as known to the old 
 masters ; and because you meet with the petty difficulty 
 of modern trade adulteration in your materials, you think 
 that there is no chance — that all is lost. Fie ! Do you 
 think Nature is overcome by a few dishonest traders ? 
 She can still give you in abundance the unspoilt colours 
 she gave to Raphael and Titian ; but not in haste — not 
 if you vulgarly scramble for her gifts in a mood that is 
 impatient of obstacle and delay. " OJine hast, ohne 
 rast" is the motto of the stars. Learn it well. You 
 have injured your bodily health by useless fretfulness 
 and peevish discontent, and with that we have first to 
 deal. In a week's time, I will make a sound, sane man 
 of you ; and then I will teach you how to get the colours 
 you seek — yes ! ' he added, smiling, * even to the com- 
 passing of Correggio's blue.' 
 
 " I could not speak for joy and gratitude ; I grasped 
 my friend and preserver by the hand. We stood 
 thus together for a brief interval, when suddenly 
 Heliobas drew himself up to the full stateliness of 
 his height and bent his calm eyes deliberately upon 
 me. A strange thrill ran through me ; I still held his 
 hand. 
 
 " * Rest ! ' he said in slow and emphatic tones. 
 'Weary and overwrought frame, take thy full and 
 needful measure of repose ! Struggling and deeply 
 injured spirit, be free of thy narrow prison ! By that 
 
 67
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 Force which I acknowledge within me and thee and in 
 all created things, I command thee, — Rest ! ' 
 
 " Fascinated, awed, ov^ercome by his manner, I gazed 
 at him and would have spoken, but my tongue refused 
 its office — my senses swam — my eyes closed — my limbs 
 gave way — I fell senseless." 
 
 Cellini again paused and looked at me. Intent on 
 his words, I would not interrupt him. He went on : 
 
 " When I say senseless, mademoiselle, I allude of 
 course to my body. But I, myself — that is, my soul 
 — was conscious ; I lived, I moved, I heard, I saw. Of 
 that experience I am forbidden to speak. When I 
 returned to mortal existence I found myself l}"ing on 
 a couch in the same room where I had supped with 
 Heliobas, and Heliobas himself sat near me reading. 
 It was broad noonday. A delicious sense of tran- 
 quillity and youthful buoyancy was upon me, and 
 without speaking I sprang up from my recumbent 
 position and touched him on the arm. He looked up. 
 
 "'Well?' he asked, and his eyes smiled. 
 
 " I seized his hand, and pressed it reverently to 
 my lips. 
 
 " * My best friend ! ' I exclaimed. ' What wonders 
 have I not seen — what truths have I not learned — what 
 mysteries ! ' 
 
 "'On all these things be silent,' replied Heliobas. 
 ' They must not be lightly spoken of. And of the 
 questions you naturally desire to ask me, you shall have 
 the answers in due time. What has happened to you 
 is not extraordinary ; you have simply been acted upon 
 by scientific means. But your cure is not yet complete. 
 A few days more passed with me will restore you 
 thoroughly. Will you consent to remain so long in my 
 company? ' 
 
 " Gladly and gratefully I consented, and we spent the 
 
 6?
 
 CELLINI'S STORY 
 
 next ten days together, during which Heliobas adminis- 
 tered to me certain remedies, external and internal, 
 which had a marvellous effect in renovating and in- 
 vigorating my system. By the expiration of that time 
 I was strong and well — a sound and sane man, as my 
 rescuer had promised I should be — my brain was fresh 
 and eager for work, and my mind was filled with new 
 and grand ideas of art. And I had gained through 
 Heliobas two inestimable things — a full comprehension 
 of the truth of religion, and the secret of human destiny ; 
 and I had won a Love so exquisite ! " 
 
 Here Cellini paused, and his eyes were uplifted in a 
 sort of wondering rapture. He continued after a pause : 
 
 " Yes, mademoiselle, I discovered that I was loved, and 
 watched over and guided by One so divinely beautiful, 
 so gloriously faithful, that mortal language fails before 
 the description of such perfection ! " 
 
 He paused again, and again continued : 
 
 " When he found me perfectly healthy again in mind 
 and body, Heliobas showed me his art of mixing 
 colours. From that hour all my works were successful. 
 You know that my pictures are eagerly purchased as 
 soon as completed, and that the colour I obtain in them 
 is to the world a mystery almost magical. Yet there is 
 not one among the humblest of artists who could not, 
 if he chose, make use of the same means as I have done 
 to gain the nearly imperishable hues that still glow on 
 the canvases of Raphael. But of this there is no need 
 to speak just now. I have told you my story, made- 
 moiselle, and it now rests with me to apply its meaning^ 
 to yourself. You are attending? " 
 
 " Perfectly," I replied ; and, indeed, my mterest at 
 this point was so strong, that I could almost hear the 
 expectant beating of my heart. Cellini resumed : 
 
 " Electricity, mademoiselle, is, as you are aware, the 
 
 G 69
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 wonder of our age. No end can be foreseen to the 
 marvels it is capable of accomplishing. But one of the 
 most important branches of this great science is 
 ignorantly derided just now by the larger portion of 
 society — I mean the use of human electricity; that 
 force which is in each one of us — in you and in me — 
 and, to a very large extent, in Heliobas. He has culti- 
 vated the electricity in his own system to such an 
 extent that his mere touch, his lightest glance, have 
 healing in them, or the reverse, as he chooses to exert 
 his power — I may say it is never the reverse, for he is 
 full of kindness, sympathy, and pity for all humanity. 
 His influence is so great that he can, without speaking, 
 by his mere presence suggest his own thoughts to other 
 people who are perfect strangers, and cause them to 
 design and carry out certain actions in accordance with 
 his plans. You are incredulous? Mademoiselle, this 
 power is in every one of us ; only we do not cultivate it, 
 because our education is yet so imperfect. To prove 
 the truth of what I say, /, though I have only advanced 
 a little way in the cultivation of my own electric force, 
 even / have influenced you. You cannot deny it. By 
 my thought, impelled to you, you saw clearly my 
 picture that was actually veiled. By viy force, you 
 replied correctly to a question I asked you concerning 
 that same picture. By my desire, you gave me, without 
 being aware of it, a message from one I love when you 
 said, ' Dieu vous garde!' You remember? And the 
 elixir I gave you, which is one of the simplest remedies 
 discovered by Heliobas, had the effect of making you 
 learn what he intended you to learn — his name." 
 
 " He ! " I exclaimed. " Why, he does not know me — • 
 he can have no intentions towards me ! " 
 
 "Mademoiselle," replied Cellini gravely, "if you will 
 think again of the last of your three dreams, you will
 
 CELLINI'S STORY 
 
 not doubt that he has intentions towards you. As I 
 told you, he is 2. physical electrician. By that is meant a 
 great deal. He knows by instinct whether he is or will 
 be needed sooner or later. Let me finish what I have 
 to say. You are ill, mademoiselle — ill from over-work. 
 You are Siniinprovisatrice — that is, you have the emotional 
 genius of music, a spiritual thing unfettered by rules, 
 and utterly misunderstood by the world. You cultivate 
 this faculty, regardless of cost ; you suffer, and you will 
 suffer more. In proportion as your powers in music 
 grow, so will your health decline. Go to Heliobas ; he 
 will do for you what he did for me. Surely you will 
 not hesitate? Between years of weak invalidism and 
 perfect health in less than a fortnight, there can be no 
 question of choice." 
 
 I rose from my seat slowly. 
 
 " Where is this Heliobas ? " I asked. " In Paris ? " 
 
 "Yes, in Paris. If you decide to go there, take my 
 advice, and go alone. You can easily make some 
 excuse to your friends. I will give }'ou the address of 
 a ladies' Pension, where you will be made at home and 
 comfortable. IVIay I do this ? " 
 
 " If you please," I answered. 
 
 He wrote rapidly in pencil on a card of his own : 
 
 "Madame Denise, 
 
 " 36, Avenue du Midi, 
 
 " Paris," 
 
 and handed it to me. I stood still where I had risen, 
 thinking deeply. I had been impressed and somewhat 
 startled by Cellini's story ; but I was in no way alarmed 
 at the idea of trusting myself to the hands of a physical 
 electrician such as Heliobas professed to be. I knew 
 that there were many cases of serious illnesses being 
 
 71
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 cured by means of electricity — that electric baths and 
 electric appliances of all dn.-.criptions were in ordinary 
 use ; and I saw no reason io be surprised at the fact of a 
 man being in existence who had cultivated electric force 
 within himself to such an extent that he was able to use 
 it as a healing power. There seemed to me to be really 
 nothing extraordinary in it. The only part of Cellini's 
 narration I did not credit was the soul-transmigration 
 he professed to have experienced ; and I put that down 
 to the over-excitement of his imagination at the time 
 of his first interview with Heliobas. But I kept this 
 thought to myself. In any case, I resolved to go to 
 Paris. The great desire of my life was to be in 
 perfect health, and I determined to omit no means of 
 obtaining this inestimable blessing. Cellini watched 
 me as I remained standing before him in silent abstrac- 
 tion. 
 
 " Will you go ? " he inquired at last. 
 
 " Yes ; I will go," I replied. ' But will you give me a 
 letter to your friend ? " 
 
 " Leo has taken it and all necessary explanations 
 already," said Cellini, smiling ; " I knew you would go. 
 Heliobas expects you the day after to-morrow. His 
 residence is Hotel Mars, Champs Elysees. You are 
 not angry with me, mademoiselle? I could not help 
 knowing that )-ou would go ! " 
 
 I smiled faintly. 
 
 " Electricity again, I suppose 1 No, I am not angry. 
 Why should I be ? I thank you very much, signor, and 
 I shall thank you more if Heliobas indeed effects my 
 cure." 
 
 " Oh, that is certain, positively certain," answered 
 Cellini; "you can indulge that hope as much as you 
 like, mademoiselle, for it is one that cannot be disap- 
 pointed. Before you leave me, you will look at your 
 
 72
 
 CELLINI'S STORY 
 
 own picture, will you not ? " and, advancing to his easel, 
 he uncovered it. 
 
 I was greatly surprised. I thought he had but traced 
 the outline of my features, whereas the head was almost 
 completed. I looked at it as I would look at the 
 portrait of a stranger. It was a wistful, sad-eyed, 
 plaintive face, and on the pale gold of the hair rested a 
 coronal of lilies. 
 
 ' It will soon be finished," said Cellini, covering the 
 easel again ; " I shall not need another sitting, which is 
 fortunate, as it is so necessary for you to go away. 
 And now will you look at the ' Life and Death ' once 
 more ? " 
 
 I raised my eyes to the grand picture, unveiled that 
 day in all its beauty. 
 
 " The face of the Life-Angel there," went on Cellini 
 quietly, " is a poor and feeble resemblance of the One I 
 love. You knew I was betrothed, mademoiselle ? " 
 
 I felt confused, and was endeavouring to find an 
 answer to this when he continued : 
 
 " Do not trouble to explain, for / know how you 
 knew. But no more of this. Will you leave Cannes 
 to-morrow ? " 
 
 " Yes. In the morning." 
 
 " Then good-bye, mademoiselle. Should I never see 
 you again " 
 
 " Never see me again ! " I interrupted. " Why, what 
 do you mean ? " 
 
 '- 1 do not allude to your destinies, but to mine," he 
 said, with a kindly look. " My business may call me 
 away from here before you come back — our paths may 
 lie apart — many circumstances may occur to prevent 
 our meeting — so that, I repeat, should I never see you 
 again, you will, I hope, bear me in your friendly re- 
 membrance as one who was sorry to see you suffer, 
 
 73
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 and who was the humble means of guiding you to re- 
 newed health and happiness." 
 
 I held out my hand, and my eyes filled with tears. 
 There was something so gentle and chivalrous about 
 him, and withal so warm and sympathetic, that I felt 
 indeed as if I were bidding adieu to one of the truest 
 friends I should ever have in my life. 
 
 " I hope nothing will cause you to leave Cannes till I 
 return to it," I said with real earnestness. " I should 
 like you to judge of my restoration to health." 
 
 "There will be no need for that," he replied ; " I shall 
 know when you are quite recovered through Heliobas." 
 
 He pressed my hand warmly. 
 
 " I brought back the book you lent me," I went on ; 
 "but I should like a copy of it for myself. Can I get 
 it anywhere ? " 
 
 " Heliobas will give you one with pleasure," replied 
 Cellini; "you have only to make the request. The 
 book is not on sale. It was printed for private circula- 
 tion only. And now, mademoiselle, we part. I con- 
 gratulate you on the comfort and joy awaiting )'ou in 
 Paris. Do not forget the address — Hotel Mars, Champs 
 £lysdes. Farewell ! " 
 
 And again shaking my hand cordially, he stood at 
 his door watching me as I passed out and began to 
 ascend the stairs leading to my room. On the landing 
 I paused, and, looking round, saw him still there. I 
 smiled and waved my hand. He did the same in re- 
 sponse, once — twice; then turning abruptly, disappeared. 
 
 That afternoon I explained to Colonel and Mrs. 
 Everard that I had resolved to consult a celebrated 
 physician in Paris (whose name, however, I did not 
 mention), and should go there alone for a few days. 
 On hearing that I knew of a well-recommended ladies' 
 Pension, they made no objection to my arrangements, 
 
 74
 
 CELLINI'S STORY 
 
 and they agreed to remain at the Hotel de L till I 
 
 returned. I gave them no details of my plans, and of 
 course never mentioned Raffaello Cellini in connection 
 with the matter. A nervous and wretchedly agitated 
 night made me more than ever determined to try the 
 means of cure proposed to me. At ten o'clock the 
 following morning I left Cannes by express train for 
 Paris. Just before starting I noticed that the lilies of 
 the valley Cellini had given me for the dance had, in 
 spite of my care, entirely withered, and were already 
 black with decay — so black that they looked as though 
 they had been scorched by a flash of lightning. 
 
 ?5
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 THE hStEL mars AND ITS OWNER 
 
 It was between three and four oclock in the afternoon 
 of the day succeeding the night of my arrival in Paris, 
 when I found myself standing at the door of the Hotel 
 Mars, Champs Elysces. I had proved the Pcnsioji kept 
 by Madame Denise to be everything that could be 
 desired ; and on my presentation of Raffaello Cellini's 
 card of introduction., I had been welcomed by the 
 maitrcsse de la viaison with a cordial effusiveness that 
 amounted almost to enthusiasm. 
 
 " Ce cher Cellini!" the cheery and pleasant little 
 woman had exclaimed, as she set before me a deliciously 
 prepared breakfast. " Je I'aime tant! II a si bon coeur! 
 et ses beaux yeux ! Mon Dieu ! — comme un ange ! " 
 
 As soon as I had settled the various little details 
 respecting my room and attendance, and had changed 
 my travelling-dress for a quiet visiting toilette, I started 
 for the abode of Heliobas. 
 
 The weather was very cold ; I had left the summer 
 behind me at Cannes, to find winter reigning supreme 
 in Paris. A bitter east wind blew, and a few flakes of 
 snow fell now and then from the frowning sky. The 
 house to which I betook myself was situated at a com- 
 manding corner of a road facing the Champs filys^es. 
 It was a noble- looking building; the broad steps 
 leading to the entrance were guarded on cither side by 
 
 76
 
 THE HOTEL MARS AND ITS OWNEIl 
 
 a sculptured Sphinx, each of whom held, in its massive 
 stone paws, a plain shield, inscribed with the old Roman 
 greeting to strangers, " Salve!" and over the portico was 
 desi^jned a scroll which bore the name "Hotel Mars" 
 in clearly cut capitals, and the monogram " C. H." 
 
 I ascended the steps with some hesitation, and twice 
 I extended my hand towards the bell, desiring yet fear- 
 ing to awaken its summons. I noticed it was an electric 
 bell, not needing to be pulled but pressed ; and at last, 
 after many doubts and anxious suppositions, I very 
 gently laid my fingers on the little button which formed 
 its handle. Scarcely had I done this than the great 
 door slid open rapidly without the least noise. I looked 
 for the servant in attendance — there was none. I 
 paused an instant; the door remained invitingly open, 
 and through it I caught a glimpse of flowers. Resolv- 
 ing to be bold, and to hesitate no longer, I entered. As 
 I crossed the threshold, the door closed behind me 
 instantly with its previous swiftness and silence. 
 
 I found myself in a spacious hall, light and lofty, 
 surrounded with fluted pillars of white marble. In the 
 centre a fountain bubbled melodiously, and tossed up 
 every now and then a high jet of sparkling spray, while 
 round its basin grew the rarest ferns and exotics, which 
 emitted a subtle and delicate perfume. No cold air 
 penetrated here; it was as warm and balmy as a spring 
 day in Southern Italy. Light Indian bamboo chairs 
 provided with luxurious velvet cushions were placed in 
 various corners between the marble columns, and on 
 one of these I seated myself to rest a minute, wonder- 
 ing what I should do next, and whether anyone would 
 come to ask me the cause of my intrusion. My medi- 
 tations were soon put to flight by the appearance of a 
 young lad, who crossed the hall from the left-hand side 
 and approached me. He was a handsome boy of about 
 
 77
 
 A ROiNIANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 twelve or thirteen years of age, and he was attired in a 
 simple Greek costume of white linen, relieved with a broad 
 crimson silk sash. A small flat crimson cap rested on 
 his thick black curls ; this he lifted with deferential 
 grace, and, saluting me, said respectfully : 
 
 " My master is ready to receive you, mademoiselle." 
 I rose without a word and followed him, scarcely per- 
 mitting myself to speculate as to how his master knew 
 I was there at all. 
 
 The hall was soon traversed, and the lad paused 
 before a magnificent curtain of deep crimson velvet, 
 heavily bordered with gold. Pulling a twisted cord 
 that hung beside it, the heavy, regal folds parted in 
 twain with noiseless regularity, and displayed an 
 octagon room, so exquisitely designed and ornamented 
 that I gazed upon it as upon some rare and beautiful 
 picture. It was unoccupied, and my young escort 
 placed a chair for me near the central window, inform- 
 ing me as he did so that " Monsieur le Comte" would be 
 with me instantly ; whereupon he departed. 
 
 Left alone, I gazed in bewilderment at the loveliness 
 around me. The walls and ceiling were painted in 
 fresco. I could not make out the subjects, but I could 
 see faces of surpassing beauty smiling from clouds, and 
 peering between stars and crescents. The furniture 
 appeared to be of very ancient Arabian design ; each 
 chair was a perfect masterpiece of wood-carving, picked 
 out and inlaid with gold. The sight of a semi-grand 
 piano, which stood open, brought me back to the 
 realization that I was living in modern times, and not 
 in a dream of the Arabian Nights ; while the Paris 
 Figaro and the London Times — both of that day's issue 
 — lying on a side-table, demonstrated the nineteenth 
 century to me with every possible clearness. There 
 were flowers everywhere in this apartment — in graceful 
 
 78
 
 THE HOTEL MARS AND ITS OWNER 
 
 vases and in gilded osier baskets — and a queer lop-sided 
 Oriental jar stood quite near me, filled almost to over- 
 flowing with Neapolitan violets. Yet it was winter in 
 Paris, and flowers were rare and costly. 
 
 Looking about me, I perceived an excellent cabinet 
 photograph of Rafiaello Cellini, framed in antique 
 silver ; and I rose to examine it more closely, as being 
 the face of a friend. While I looked at it, I heard the 
 sound of an organ in the distance playing softly an old 
 familiar church chant. I listened. Suddenly I be- 
 thought myself of the three dreams that had visited me, 
 and a kind of nervous dread came upon me. This 
 Heliobas, — was I right after all in coming to consult 
 him ? Was he not perhaps a mere charlatan f and 
 might not his experiments upon me prove fruitless, and 
 possibly fatal ? An idea seized me that I would escape 
 while there was yet time. Yes ! . . . I would not see 
 him to-day, at anyrate ; I would write and explain. 
 These and other disjointed thoughts crossed my mind ; 
 and yielding to the unreasoning impulse of fear that 
 possessed me, I actually turned to leave the room, when 
 I saw the crimson velvet portiere dividing again in 
 its regular and graceful folds, and Heliobas himself 
 entered. 
 
 I stood mute and motionless. I knew him well ; he 
 was the very man I had seen in my third and last 
 dream ; the same noble, calm features ; the same com- 
 manding presence ; the same keen, clear eyes ; the same 
 compelling smile. There was nothing extraordinary 
 about his appearance except his stately bearing and 
 handsome countenance ; his dress was that of any well- 
 to-do gentleman of the present day, and there was no 
 affectation of mystery in his manner. He advanced 
 and bowed courteously ; then, with a friendly look, held 
 out his hand. I gave him. mine at once. 
 
 79
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS " 
 
 " So }'ou are the young musician ? " he said, in those 
 warm mellifluous accents that I had heard before and 
 that I so well remembered. " My friend Raffaello 
 Cellini has written to me about you. I hear you have 
 been suffering from physical depression ? " 
 
 He spoke as any physician might do who inquired 
 after a patient's health. I was surprised and relieved. 
 I had prepared myself for something darkly mystical, 
 almost cabalistic ; but there was nothing unusual in the 
 demeanour of this pleasant and good-looking gentleman 
 who, bidding me be seated, took a chair himself 
 opposite to me, and observed me with that sympathetic 
 and kindly interest which any well-bred doctor would 
 esteem it his duty to exhibit. I became quite at ease, 
 and answered all his questions fully and frankly. He 
 felt my pulse in the customary way, and studied my 
 face attentively. I described all my symptoms, and he 
 listened with the utmost patience. When I had con- 
 cluded he leaned back in his chair and appeared to 
 ponder deeply for some moments. Then he spoke : 
 
 " You know, of course, that I am not a doctor ? " 
 
 " I know," I said ; " Signor Cellini explained to me." 
 
 "Ah!" and Heliobas smiled. "Raffaello explained 
 as much as he might, but not everything. I must tell 
 you I have a simple pharmacopoeia of my own — it 
 contains twelve remedies, and only twelve. In fact 
 there are no more that are of any use to the human 
 mechanism. All are made of the juice of plants, and 
 six of them are electric. Raffaello tried you with one 
 of them, did he not ? " 
 
 As he put this question, I was aware of a keenly 
 inquiring look sent from the eyes of my interrogator 
 into mine. 
 
 " Yes," I answered frankly, " and it made me dream ; 
 and I dreamt o{ you." 
 
 So
 
 THE HOTEL MARS AND ITS OWNER 
 
 Heliobas laughed lightly. 
 
 " So ! — that is well. Now I am going in the first 
 place to give you what I am sure will be satisfactory 
 information. If you agree to trust yourself to my care, 
 you will be in perfect health in a little less than a 
 fortnight — but you must follow my rules exactly." 
 
 I started up from my seat. 
 
 "Of course!" I exclaimed eagerly, forgetting all my 
 previous fear of him ; " I will do all you advise, even 
 if you wish to magnetize me as you magnetized Signer 
 Cellini!" 
 
 " I never magnetized Raffaello," he said gravely ; " he 
 was on the verge of madness, and he had no faith 
 whereby to save himself I simply set him free for a 
 time, knowing that his was a genius which would find 
 out things for itself or perish in the effort. I let him 
 go on a voyage of discovery, and he came back per- 
 fectly satisfied. That is all. You do not need his 
 experience." 
 
 " How do you know?" I asked. 
 
 " You are a woman — your desire is to be well and 
 strong, health being beauty — to love and to be beloved 
 — to wear pretty toilettes, and to be admired ; and you 
 have a creed which satisfies you, and which you believe 
 in without proofs." 
 
 There was the slightest possible tinge of mockery 
 in his voice as he said these words. A tumultuous 
 rush of feelings overcame me. My high dreams of 
 ambition, my innate scorn of the trite and common- 
 place, my deep love of art, my desires of fame — all 
 these things bore down upon my heart and overcame 
 it, and a pride too deep for tears arose in me and 
 found utterance. 
 
 " You think I am so slight and weak a thing ! *' I 
 exclaimed. "You, who profess to understand the 
 
 8i
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 secrets of electricity — you have no better instinctive 
 knowledge of me than that ! Do you deem women all 
 alike — all on one common level, fit for nothins^ but to 
 be the toys or drudges of men? Can you not realize 
 that there are some among them who despise the 
 inanities of everyday life — who care nothing for the 
 routine of society, and whose hearts are filled with 
 cravings that no mere human love or life can satisfy? 
 Yes — even weak women are capable of greatness ; and 
 if we do sometimes dream of what we cannot accom- 
 plish through lack of the physical force necessary for 
 large achievements, that is not our fault but our mis- 
 fortune. We did not create ourselves. We did not 
 ask to be born with the over-sensitiveness, the fatal 
 delicacy, the highly-strung nervousness of the feminine 
 nature. Monsieur Hcliobas, you are a learned and 
 far-seeing man, I have no doubt ; but you do not read 
 me aright if you judge me as a mere woman who is 
 perfectly contented with the petty commonplaces of 
 ordinary living. And as for my creed, what is it to you 
 whether I kneel in the silence of my own room or in 
 the glory of a lighted cathedral to pour out my very 
 soul to One whom I know exists, and whom I am 
 satisfied to believe in, as you say, without proofs, save 
 such proofs as I obtain from my own inner conscious- 
 ness ? I tell you, though in your opinion it is evident 
 my sex is against me, I would rather die than sink into 
 the miserable nonentity of such lives as are lived by the 
 majority of women ! " 
 
 I paused, overcome by my own feelings. Heliobas 
 smiled. 
 
 "Sol You are stung !" he said quietly; "stung into 
 action. That is as it should be. Resume your scat, 
 mademoiselle, and do not be angry with mc. I am 
 studying you for your own good. In the meantime 
 
 82
 
 THE HOTEL MARS AND H^S OWNER 
 
 permit me to analyze your words a little. You are 
 young and inexperienced. You speak of the ' over- 
 sensitiveness, the fatal delicacy, the highly - strung 
 nervousness of the feminine nature.' My dear lady, if 
 you had lived as long as I have, you would know that 
 these are mere stock phrases — for the most part meaning- 
 less. As a rule, women are less sensitive than men. 
 There are many of your sex who are nothing but lumps 
 of lymph and fatty matter — women with less instinct 
 than the dumb beasts, and with more brutality. There 
 are others who — adding the low cunning of the monkey 
 to the vanity of the peacock — seek no other object but 
 the furtherance of their own designs, which are always 
 petty even when not absolutely mean. There are obese 
 women whose existence is a doze between dinner and 
 tea. There are women with thin lips and pointed noses, 
 who only live to squabble over domestic grievances, 
 and interfere in their neighbours' business. There are 
 your murderous women with large almond eyes, fair 
 white hands, and voluptuous red lips, who, deprived 
 of the dagger or the poison-bowl, will slay a reputation 
 in a few lazily enunciated words, delivered with a per- 
 fectly high-bred accent. There are the miserly women 
 who look after cheese-parings and candle-ends, and 
 lock up the soap. There are the spiteful women, whose 
 very breath is acidity and venom. There are the 
 frivolous women, whose chitter-chatter and senseless 
 giggle are as empty as the rattling of dry peas on a 
 drum. In fact, the delicacy of women is extremely 
 overrated — their coarseness is never done full justice 
 to. I have heard them recite in public, selections of a 
 kind that no man would dare to undertake — such as 
 Tennyson's ' Rizpah,' for instance. I know a woman 
 who utters every line of it, with all its questionable 
 allusions, boldly before any and everybody, without so 
 
 83
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 much as an attempt at blushing. I assure you men 
 are far more deHcate than women — far more chivalrous 
 — far larger in their views, and more generous in their 
 sentiments. But I will not deny the existence of about 
 four women in every two hundred and fifty, who may 
 be, and possibly are, examples of what the female sex 
 was originally intended to be — pure-hearted, self- 
 denying, gentle and truthful — filled with tenderness 
 and inspiration. Heaven knows my own mother was 
 
 all this and more! And my sister is But let me 
 
 speak to you of yourself. You love music, I under- 
 stand — you are a professional artist ? " 
 
 " I was," I answered, " till my state of health stopped 
 me from working." 
 
 Heliobas bent his eyes upon me in Iriendly sympathy. 
 "You were, and you will be again, an improvisatrice" 
 he went on. " Do you not find it difficult to make your 
 audiences understand your aims?" 
 
 I smiled as the remembrance of some of my experi- 
 ences in public came to my mind. 
 
 "Yes," I said, half laughing. " In England, at least, 
 people do not know what is meant by improvising. 
 They think it is to take a little theme and compose 
 variations on it — the mere A B C of the art. But to 
 sit down to the piano and plan a whole sonata or 
 symphony in your head, and play it while planning it, 
 is a thing they do not and will not understand. They 
 come to hear, and they wonder and go away, and the 
 critics declare it to be clap-trap." 
 
 "Exactly!" replied Heliobas. "But you are to be 
 congratulated on having attained this verdict. Every- 
 thing that people cannot quite understand is called 
 clap-trap in England ; as for instance the matchless 
 violin-playing of Sarasate ; the tempestuous splendour 
 of Rubinstein ;— this is, according to the London 
 
 84
 
 THE HOTEL MARS AND ITS OWNER 
 
 press, clap-trap ; while the coldly correct performances 
 of Joachim and the ' icily-null ' renderings of such 
 men as Charles Halle was, are voted ' magnificent ' and 
 ' full of colour.' But to return to yourself. Will you 
 play to me ? " 
 
 " I have not touched the instrument for two months," 
 I said ; " I am afraid I am out of practice." 
 
 " Then you shall not exert yourself to-day," returned 
 Heliobas kindly. " But I believe I can help you with 
 your improvisations. You compose the music as you 
 play, you tell me. Well, have you any idea how the 
 melodies or the harmonies form themselves in your 
 brain ? " 
 
 " Not the least in the world," I replied. 
 
 " Is the act of thinking them out an effort to you ? " 
 he asked. 
 
 " Not at all. They come as though some one else 
 were planning them for me." 
 
 "Well, well ! I think I can certainly be of use to you 
 in this matter as in others. I understand your tempera- 
 ment thoroughly. And now let me give you my first 
 prescription." 
 
 He went to a corner of the room and lifted from the 
 floor an ebony casket, curiously carved and ornamented 
 with silver. This he unlocked. It contained twelve 
 flasks of cut glass, stoppered with gold and numbered 
 in order. He next pulled out a side drawer in this 
 casket, and in it I saw several little thin empty glass 
 tubes, about the size of a cigarette-holder. Taking two 
 of these he filled them from two of the larger flasks, 
 corked them tightly, and then turning to me, said : 
 
 " To-night, on going to bed, have a warm bath, empty 
 the contents of the tube marked No. i into it, and then 
 immerse yourself thoroughly for about five minutes. 
 After the bath, put the fluid in this other tube marked 2, 
 
 H 85
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 into a tumbler of fresh spring water, and drink it off. 
 Then go straight to bed." 
 
 "Shall I have any dreams? " I inquired with a little 
 anxietw 
 
 " Certainly not," replied Heliobas, smiling. ' I wish 
 you to sleep as soundly as a year-old child. Dreams 
 are not for you to-night. Can you come to me to- 
 morrow afternoon at five o'clock? If you can arrange 
 to stay to dinner, my sister will be pleased to meet you ; 
 but perhaps you are otherwise engaged ? " 
 
 I told him I was not, and explained where I had 
 taken rooms, adding that I had come to Paris expressly 
 to put myself under his treatment. 
 
 " You shall have no cause to regret the journey," 
 he said earnestly. " I can cure you thoroughly, 
 and I will. 1 forget your nationality — you are not 
 English ? " 
 
 " No, not entirely. I am half Italian." 
 
 " Ah, yes ! I remember now. But you have been 
 educated in England ? " 
 
 " Partly." 
 
 " I am glad it is only partly," remarked Heliobas. 
 " If it had been entirely, your improvisations would 
 have had no chance. In fact you never would have 
 improvised. You would have played the piano like 
 poor mechanical Arabella Goddard. As it is, there is 
 some hope of originality in you — you need not be one 
 of the rank and file unless you choose." 
 
 " I do not choose," I said. 
 
 " Well, but you must take the consequences, and they 
 are bitter. A woman who does not go with her time is 
 voted eccentric ; a woman who prefers music to tea and 
 scandal is an undesirable acquaintance ; and a woman 
 who prefers Byron to little Alfred Austin is — in fact, 
 no measure can gauge her general impossibility!" 
 
 86
 
 THE HOTEL MARS AND ITS OWNER 
 
 I laughed gaily. " I will take all the consequences as 
 willingly as I will take your medicines," I said, stretch- 
 ing out my hand for the little vases which he gave me 
 wrapped in paper. " And I thank you very much, 
 monsieur. And" — here I hesitated. Ought I not to 
 ask him his fee ? Surely the medicines ought to be paid 
 for? 
 
 Heliobas appeared to read my thoughts, for he said, 
 as though answering my unuttered question : 
 
 " I do not accept fees, mademoiselle. To relieve your 
 mind from any responsibility of gratitude to me, I will 
 tell you at once that I never promise to effect a cure 
 unless I see that the person who comes to be cured has 
 a certain connection with myself. If the connection 
 exists I am bound by fixed laws to serve him or her. 
 Of course I am able also to cure those who are not by 
 nature connected with me ; but then I have to establish 
 a connection, and this takes time, and is sometimes 
 very difficult to accomplish, almost as tremendous a 
 task as the laying down of the Atlantic cable. But 
 in your case I am actually compelled to do my best for 
 you, so you need be under no sense of obligation," 
 
 Here was a strange speech — the first really inexplic- 
 able one I had heard from his lips. 
 
 " / am connected with you ? " I asked, surprised. 
 *' How ? In what way ? " 
 
 " It would take too long to explain to you just now," 
 said Heliobas gently ; " but I can prove to you in a 
 moment that a connection does exist between your inner 
 self and my inner self, if you wish it." 
 
 " I do wish it very much," I answ^ered. 
 
 " Then take my hand," continued Heliobas, stretching 
 it out, " and look steadily at me." 
 
 I obeyed, half trembling. As I gazed, a veil appeared 
 to fall from my eyes. A sense of security, of comfort, 
 
 87
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 and of absolute confidence came upon me, and I saw 
 what might be termed the image of another face looking 
 at me through or behind the actual form and face of 
 Heliobas. And that other face was his, and yet not his ; 
 but whatever it appeared to be, it was the face of a friend 
 to nie, one that I was certain I had known long, long 
 ago, and moreover one that I must have loved in some 
 distant time, for my whole soul seemed to yearn towards 
 that indistinct haze where smiled the fully recognised 
 yet unfamiliar countenance. This strange sensation 
 lasted but a few seconds, for Heliobas suddenly dropped 
 my hand. The room swam round me ; the walls 
 seemed to rock ; then everything steadied and came 
 right again, and all was as usual, only I was amazed 
 and bewildered. 
 
 "What does it mean?" I murmured. 
 " It means the simplest thing in nature," replied 
 Heliobas quietly, "namely, that your soul and mine 
 are for some reason or other placed on the same 
 circle of electricity. Nothing more nor less. There- 
 fore we must serve each other. Whatever I do for 
 you, you have it in your power to repay me amply for 
 hereafter." 
 
 I met the steady glance of his keen eyes, and a sense 
 of some indestructible force within me gave me a sudden 
 courage. 
 
 " Decide for me as you please," I answered fearlessly. 
 " I trust you completely, though I do not know why I 
 do so." 
 
 " You will know before long. You are satisfied of the 
 fact that my touch can influence you?" 
 " Yes ; most thoroughly." 
 
 " Very well. All other explanations, it you desire 
 them, shall be given you in due time. In the power I 
 possess over you and some others, there is neither 
 
 88
 
 THE HOTEL MARS AND ITS OWNER 
 
 mesmerism nor magnetism — nothing but a purely 
 scientific fact which can be clearly and reasonably 
 proved and demonstrated. But till you are thoroughly 
 restored to health, we will defer all discussion. And 
 now, mademoiselle, permit me to escort you to the door. 
 I shall expect you to-morrow," 
 
 Together we left the beautiful room in which this 
 interview had taken place, and crossed the hall. As we 
 approached the entrance, Heliobas turned towards me 
 and said with a smile : 
 
 " Did not the manoeuvres of my street door astonish 
 you ? " 
 
 " A little," I confessed. 
 
 " It is very simple. The button you touch outside is 
 electric ; it opens the door and at the same time rings 
 the bell in my study, thus informing me of a visitor. 
 When the visitor steps across the threshold he treads, 
 whether he will or no, on another apparatus, which 
 closes the door behind him and rings another bell in my 
 page's room, who immediately comes to me for orders. 
 You see how easy ? and from within it is managed in 
 almost the same manner." 
 
 And he touched a handle similar to the one outside, 
 and the door opened instantly. Heliobas held out his 
 hand — that hand which a few minutes previously had 
 exercised such strange authority over me. 
 
 " Good-bye mademoiselle. You are not afraid of me 
 now ? " 
 
 I laughed. " I do not think I was ever really afraid 
 of yoUj" I said. " If I was, I am not so any longer. 
 You have promised me health, and that promise is 
 sufficient to give me entire courage." 
 
 " That is well," said Heliobas. " Courage and hope in 
 themselves are the precursors of physical and mental 
 energy. Remember to-morrow at five, and do not keep 
 
 89
 
 A ROINIANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 late hours to-night. I should advise you to be in bed 
 by ten at the latest." 
 
 I agreed to this, and we shook hands and parted. I 
 walked blithely along, back to the Avenue du Midi, 
 where, on my arrival indoors, I found a letter from ]\Irs. 
 Everard. She wrote *' in haste " to give me the names 
 of some friends of hers whom she had discovered, through 
 the "American Register," to be staying at the Grand 
 Hotel. She begged me to call upon them, and enclosed 
 two letters of introduction for the purpose. She con- 
 cluded her epistle by saying : 
 
 " Raffaello Celimi has been invisible ever sifice your 
 departure y but our inimitable waiter ^ Alp/ionse, says he is 
 very busy finishing a picture for the Salon — something 
 that we have never seen. I shall intrude myself into his 
 studio soon on some pretence or other, and will then let you 
 knoiv all about it. In the meantime, believe me, 
 
 " Your ever devoted friend, 
 
 "Amy." 
 
 I answered this letter, and then spent a pleasant 
 evening at the Pensiojt, chatting sociably with Madame 
 Denise and another cheery little Frenchwoman, a day 
 governess, who boarded there, and who had no end of 
 droll experiences to relate, her enviable temperament 
 being to always see the humorous side of life. 
 I thoroughly enjoyed her sparkling chatter and her 
 expressive gesticulations, and we all three made our- 
 selves merry till bed-time. Acting on the advice of 
 Heliobas, I retired early to my room, where a warm 
 bath had been prepared in compliance with my orders. 
 I uncorked the glass tube No. i, and poured the colour- 
 less fluid it contained into the water, which immediately 
 bubbled gently as though beginning to boil. After 
 
 90
 
 THE HOTEL MARS AND ITS OWNER 
 
 watching it for a minute or two, and observing that this 
 seething movement steadily continued, I undressed 
 quickly and stepped in. Never shall I forget the 
 exquisite sensation I experienced ! I can only describe 
 it as the poor little doll's dressmaker in " Our Mutual 
 Friend " described her angel visitants, her " blessed 
 children^' who used to come and " take her up and make 
 Iter light." If my body had been composed of no 
 grosser matter than fire and air, I could not have felt 
 more weightless, more buoyant, more thoroughly ex- 
 hilarated than when, at the end of the prescribed five 
 minutes, I got out of that marvellous bath of healing ! 
 As I prepared for bed, I noticed that the bubbling of 
 the water had entirely ceased ; but this was easy of 
 comprehension, for if it had contained electricit}', as I 
 supposed, my body had absorbed it by contact, which 
 would account for the movement being stilled. I now 
 took the second little phial, and prepared it as I had 
 been told. This time the fluid was motionless. I noticed 
 it was ver>^ faintly tinged with amber. I drank it off — it 
 was perfectly tasteless. Once in bed, I seemed to have 
 no power to think any more — my e}'es closed readily — 
 the slumber of a year-old child, as Heliobas had said, 
 came upon me with resistless and sudden force, and L 
 remembered no more. 
 
 9t
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 ZARA AND PRINCE IVAN 
 
 The sun poured brilliantly into my room when I awoke 
 the next morning. I was free from all my customary 
 aches and pains, and a delightful sense of vigour and 
 elasticity pervaded my frame. I rose at once, and, 
 looking at my watch, found to my amazement that it 
 was twelve o'clock in the day ! Hastily throwing on 
 my dressing-gown, I rang the bell, and the servant 
 appeared. 
 
 "Is it actually mid-day?" I asked her. "Why did 
 you not call me?" 
 
 The girl smiled apologetically. 
 
 " 1 did knock at mademoiselle's door, but she gave 
 me no answer. Madame Denise came up also, and 
 entered the room ; but seeing mademoiselle in so sound 
 a sleep, she said it was a pity to disturb mademoiselle." 
 
 Which statement good Madame Denise, toiling up- 
 stairs just then with difficulty, she being stout and short 
 of breath, confirmed with many smiling nods of her 
 head. 
 
 "Breakfast shall be served at the instant," she said, 
 rubbing her fat hands together ; " but to disturb you 
 when you slept — ah. Heaven ! the sleep of an infant — I 
 could not do it ! I should have been wicked ! " 
 
 I thanked her for her care of me ; I could have kissed 
 her, she looked so motherly, and kind, and altogether 
 
 92
 
 ZARA AND PRINCE IVAN 
 
 Movable. And I felt so merry and well ! She and the 
 servant retired to prepare my coffee, and I proceeded to 
 make my toilette. As I brushed out my hair I heard the 
 sound of a violin. Some one was playing next door. 
 I listened, and recognised a famous Beethoven Concerto. 
 The unseen musician played brilliantly and withal 
 tenderly, both touch and tone reminding me of some 
 beautiful verses in a book of poems I had recently read, 
 called " Love-Letters by a Violinist," in which the poet^ 
 talks of his " loved Amati," and says : 
 
 " I pray'd my prayer. I wove into my song 
 
 Fervour, and joy, and mystery, and the bleak, 
 The wan despair that words could never speak 
 I pray'd as if my spirit did belong 
 To some old master who was wise and strong, 
 Because he loved and suffer'd. and was weak. 
 
 " I trill'd the notes, and curb'd them to a sigh, 
 
 And when they falter'd most, I made them leap 
 Fierce from my bow, as from a summer sleep 
 
 A young she-devil. I was fired thereby 
 
 To bolder efforts — and a muffled cry 
 
 Came from the strings as if a saint did weep. 
 
 " i changed the theme. I dallied with the bow 
 Jusl time enough to fit it to a mesh 
 Of merry tones, and drew it back afresh, 
 To talk of truth, and constancy, and woe, 
 And life, and love, and madness, and the glow 
 Of mine own soul which burns into my flesh." 
 
 All my love for music welled freshly up in my heart; 
 I, who had felt disinclined to touch the piano for months, 
 now longed to try my strength again upon the familiar 
 and responsive key-board. For a piano has never been 
 a mere piano to me ; it is a friend who answers to my 
 
 ^ Eric Mackay. 
 
 93
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 thought, and whose notes meet my fingers with 
 caressing readiness and obedience. 
 
 Breakfast came, and I took it with great relish. 
 Then, to pass the day, I went out and called on Mrs. 
 Everard's friends, Mr. and Mrs. Challoncr and their 
 daughters. I found them very agreeable, with that easy 
 bonhomie and lack of stiffness that distinguishes the best 
 Americans. Finding out through Mrs. Everard's letter 
 that I was an " artiste" they at once concluded I must 
 need support and patronage, and with impulsive large- 
 heartedness were beginning to plan as to the best 
 means of organizing a concert for me. I was taken by 
 surprise at this, for I had generally found the exact 
 reverse of this sympath)' among English patrons of art, 
 who were never tired of murmuring the usual platitudes 
 about there being " so many musicians," " music was 
 overdone," " improvising was not understood or cared 
 for," etc., etc. 
 
 But these agreeable Americans, as soon as they 
 discovered that I had not come for any professional 
 reason to Paris, but only to consult a physician about 
 my health, were actually disappointed, 
 
 " Oh, we shall persuade you to give a recital some 
 time!" persisted the handsome smiling mother of the 
 family. " I know lots of people in Paris. We'll get it 
 up for you ! " 
 
 I protested, half laughing, that I had no idea of the 
 kind, but they were incorrigibly generous. 
 
 "Nonsense!" said Mrs. Challoner, arranging her 
 diamond rings on her pretty white hand with pardon- 
 able pride. " Brains don't go for nothing in our country. 
 As soon as you are fixed up in health, we'll give you a 
 grand soin'e in Paris, and we'll work up all our folks in 
 the place. Don't tell me you are not as glad of dollars 
 Hs any one of us." 
 
 94
 
 ZARA AND PRINCE IVAN 
 
 " Dollars are very good," I admitted, " but real 
 appreciation is far better." 
 
 "Well, you shall have both from us," said Mrs. 
 Challoner. " And now, will you stop to luncheon ? ' 
 
 I accepted this invitation, given as it was with the 
 most friendly affability, and enjoyed myself very much. 
 
 "You don't look ill," said the eldest Miss Challoner to 
 me, later on. " I don't see that you want a physician." 
 
 " Oh, I am getting much better now," I replied ; " and 
 I hope soon to be quite well." 
 
 "Who's your doctor?" 
 
 I hesitated. Somehow the name of Heliobas would 
 not come to my lips. Fortunately Mrs. Challoner 
 diverted her daughter's attention at this moment by the 
 announcement that a dressmaker was waiting to see 
 her ; and in the face of such an important visit, no one 
 remembered to ask me again the name of my medical 
 adviser. 
 
 I left the Grand Hotel in good time to prepare for 
 my second visit to Heliobas. As I was going there to 
 dinner I made a slightly dressy toilette, if a black silk 
 robe relieved with a cluster of pale pink roses can be 
 called dressy. This time I drove to the Hotel Mars, 
 dismissing the coachman, however, before ascending the 
 steps. The door opened and closed as usual, and the 
 first person I saw in the hall was Heliobas himself, 
 seated in one of the easy-chairs, reading a volume of 
 Plato. He rose and greeted me cordially. Before I 
 could speak a word, he said : 
 
 " You need not tell me that you slept well. I see it 
 in your eyes and face. You feel better ? " 
 
 My gratitude to him was so great that I found it 
 difficult to express my thanks. Tears rushed to my 
 eyes, yet I tried to smile, though I could not speak. 
 He saw my emotion, and continued kindly: 
 
 95
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 " I am as thankful as you can be for the cure which 
 I see has begun, and will soon be effected. My sister is 
 waiting to see you. Will you come to her room ? " 
 
 We ascended a flight of stairs thickly carpeted, and 
 bordered on each side by tropical ferns and flowers, 
 placed in exquisitely painted china pots and vases. I 
 heard the distant singing of many birds mingled with 
 the ripple and plash of waters. We reached a landing 
 where the after-glow of the set sun streamed through a 
 high oriel window of richly stained glass. Turning 
 towards the left, Heliobas drew aside the folds of some 
 azure satin hangings, and calling in a low voice " Zara ! " 
 motioned me to enter. I stepped into a spacious and 
 lofty apartment where the light seemed to soften and 
 merge into many shades of opaline radiance and delicacy 
 — a room the beauty of which would at any other time 
 have astonished and delighted me, but which now 
 appeared as nothing beside the surpassing loveliness of 
 the woman who occupied it. Never shall 1 behold again 
 any face or form so divinely beautiful ! She was about 
 the medium height of women, but her small finely-shaped 
 head was set upon so slender and proud a throat that 
 she appeared taller than she actually was. Her figure 
 was most exquisitely rounded and proportioned, and 
 she came across the room to give me greeting with a 
 sort of gliding graceful movement, like that of a stately 
 swan floating on calm sunlit water. Her complexion 
 was transparently clear — most purely white, most 
 delicately rosy. Her eyes — large, luminous and dark as 
 night, fringed with long silky black lashes — looked like 
 
 " Fairy lakes, where tender thoughts 
 Swam softly to and fro." 
 
 Her rich black hair was arranged a la Marg^ierite, and 
 hung down in one long loose thick braid that nearly 
 
 96
 
 ZARA AND PRINCE IVAN 
 
 reached the end of her dress ; and she was attired in a 
 robe of deep old gold Indian silk as soft as cashmere, 
 which was gathered in round her waist by an antique 
 belt of curious jewel- work, in which rubies and turquoises 
 seemed to be thickly studded On her bosom shone a 
 strange gem, the colour and form of which I could not 
 determine. It was never the same for two minutes 
 together. It glowed with many various hues — now 
 bright crimson, now lightning-blue, sometimes deepen- 
 ing into a rich purple or tawny orange. Its lustre was 
 intense, almost dazzling to the eye. Its beautiful wearer 
 gave me welcome with a radiant smile and a few cordial 
 words, and drawing me by the hand to the low couch 
 she had just vacated, made me sit down beside her. 
 Heliobas had disappeared. 
 
 " And so," said Zara — how soft and full of music was 
 her voice ! — " so you are one of Casimir's patients ? I 
 cannot help considering that you are fortunate in this, 
 for I know my brother's power. If he says he will cure 
 you, you may be sure he means it. And you are already 
 better, are you not ? " 
 
 " Much better," I said, looking earnestly into the lovely 
 star-like eyes that regarded me with such interest and 
 friendliness. " Indeed, to-day I have felt so well, that I 
 cannot realize ever having been ill." 
 
 " I am very glad," said Zara. " I know you are a 
 musician, and I think there can be no bitterer fate than 
 for one belonging to your art to be incapacitated from 
 performance of work by some physical obstacle. Poor 
 grand old Beethoven 1 Can anything be more pitiful to 
 think of than his deafness ? Yet how splendidly he bore 
 up against it ! And Chopin, too — so delicate in health 
 that he was too often morbid even in his music. Strength 
 is needed to accomplish great things — the double strength 
 of body and soul." 
 
 97
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 " Are )'ou, too, a musician ? " I inquired. 
 
 " No. I love music passionately, and I play a little 
 on the organ in our private chapel ; but I follow a 
 different art altogether. I am a mere imitator of noble 
 form — I am a sculptress." 
 
 " You ? " I said in some wonder, looking at the very 
 small beautifully formed white hand that lay passively 
 on the edge of the couch beside me. " You make 
 statues in marble like Michael Angelo?" 
 
 " Like Angelo ? " murmured Zara ; and she lowered 
 her brilliant eyes with a reverential gravity. "No one 
 in these modern days can approach the immortal 
 splendour of that great master. He must have known 
 heroes and talked with gods to be able to hew out of 
 the rocks such perfection of shape and attitude as his 
 ' David.' Alas ! my strength of brain and hand is mere 
 child's play compared to what has been done in 
 sculpture, and what will yet be done ; still, I love the 
 work for its own sake, and I am always trying to render 
 a resemblance of " 
 
 Here she broke off abrupt!)', and a deep blush suffused 
 her cheeks. Then, looking up suddenly, she took my 
 hand impulsively, and pressed it. 
 
 " Be my friend," she said, with a caressing inflection 
 in her rich voice. " I have no friends of my own sex, 
 and I wish to love you. My brother has always had so 
 much distrust of the companionship of women for me. 
 You know his theories ; and he has always asserted that 
 the sphere of thought in which I have lived all my life 
 is so widely apart from those in which other women 
 exist — that nothing but unhappiness for me could come 
 out of associating us together. When he told me 
 yesterday that you were coming to see me to-day, I 
 knew he must have discovered something in your nature 
 that was not antipathetic to mine; otherwise he would 
 
 98
 
 ZARA AND PRINCE IVAN 
 
 not have brought you to me. Do you think you can 
 Hke me ? — perhaps love me after a little while ? " 
 
 It would have been a cold heart indeed that would 
 not have responded to such a speech as this, uttered 
 with the pleading prettiness of a loving child. Besides, 
 I had warmed to her from the first moment I had 
 touched her hand ; and I was overjoyed to think that 
 she was willing to elect me as a friend. I therefore 
 replied to her words by putting my arm affectionately 
 round her waist and kissing her. My beautiful, tender 
 Zara ! How innocently happy she seemed to be thus 
 embraced ! and how gently her fragrant lips met mine 
 in that sisterly caress ! She leaned her dark head for 
 a moment on my shoulder, and the mysterious jewel on 
 her breast flashed into a weird red hue like the light of 
 a stormy sunset. 
 
 " And now we have drawn up, signed, and sealed 
 our compact of friendship," she said gaily, " will you 
 come and see my studio? There is nothing in it that 
 deserves to last, I think ; still, one has patience with a 
 child when he builds his brick houses, and you must 
 have equal patience with me. Come ! " 
 
 And she led the way through her lovely room, which 
 I now noticed was full of delicate statuary, fine paintings, 
 and exquisite embroidery, while flowers were everywhere 
 in abundance. Lifting the hangings at the farther end 
 of the apartment, she passed, I following, into a lofty 
 studio, filled with all the appurtenances of the sculptor's 
 art. Here and there were the usual spectral effects 
 which are always suggested to the mind by unfinished 
 plaster models — an arm in one place, a head in another ; 
 a torso, or a single hand, protruding ghost-like from a 
 fold of dark drapery. At the very end of the room 
 stood a large erect figure, the outlines of which could 
 but dimly be seen through its linen coverings ; and to 
 
 99
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 this work, whatever it was, Zara did not appear desirous 
 of attracting my attention. She led me to one parti- 
 cular corner; and, throwing aside a small crimson velvet 
 curtain, said : 
 
 " This is the last thing I have finished in marble, I 
 call it 'Approaching Evening.'" 
 
 I stood silently before the statue, lost in admiration, 
 I could not conceive it possible that the fragile little 
 hand of the woman who stood beside me could have 
 executed such a perfect work. She had depicted 
 "Evening" as a beautiful nude female figure in the 
 act of stepping forward on tip-toe ; the eyes were half 
 closed, and the sweet mouth slightly parted in a 
 dreamily serious smile. The right forefinger was laid 
 lightly on the lips, as though suggesting silence ; and 
 in the left hand was loosely clasped a bunch of 
 poppies. That was all. But the poetry and force of 
 the whole conception as carried out in the statue was 
 marvellous. 
 
 " Do you like it ? " asked Zara, half timidly. 
 
 "Like it!" I exclaimed. "It is lovely — wonderful! 
 It is worthy to rank with the finest Italian master- 
 pieces." 
 
 " Oh no ! " remonstrated Zara; "no, indeed! When 
 the great Italian sculptors lived and worked — ah ! one 
 may say with the Scriptures, ' There were giants in 
 those days.' Giants — veritable ones; and we modernists 
 are the pigmies. We can only see Art now through the 
 eyes of others who came before us. We cannot create 
 anything new. We look at painting through Raphael ; 
 sculpture through Angclo; poetry through Shakespeare; 
 philosophy through Plato. It is all done for us ; we 
 are copyists. The world is getting old — how glorious 
 to have lived when it was young ! But nowadays the 
 very children are blastf." 
 
 lOO
 
 ZARA AND PRINCE IVAN 
 
 * And you — are not you blase to talk like that, with 
 your genius and all the world before you ? " I asked 
 laughingly, slipping my arm through hers. " Come, 
 confess ! " 
 
 Zara looked at me gravely. 
 
 " I sincerely hope the world is not all before me," 
 she said ; " I should be very sorry if I thought so. To 
 have the world all before you in the general acceptation 
 of that term means to live long, to barter whatever 
 genius you have for gold, to hear the fulsome and 
 unmeaning flatteries of the ignorant, who are as ready 
 with condemnation as praise — to be envied and maligned 
 by those less lucky than you are. Heaven defend me 
 from such a fate ! " 
 
 She spoke with earnestness and solemnity; then, 
 dropping the curtain before her statue, turned away. 
 I was admiring the vine-wreathed head of a young 
 Bacchante that stood on a pedestal near me, and was 
 about to ask Zara what subject she had chosen for 
 the large veiled figure at the farthest end of her studio, 
 when we were interrupted by the entrance of the little 
 Greek page whom I had seen on my first visit to the 
 house. He saluted us both, and addressing himself to 
 Zara, said — 
 
 " Monsieur le Comte desires me to tell you, madame, 
 that Prince Ivan will be present at dinner." 
 
 Zara looked somewhat vexed ; but the shade of 
 annoyance flitted away from her fair face like a passing 
 shadow, as she replied quietly — 
 
 " Tell Monsieur le Comte, my brother, that I shall be 
 happy to receive Prince Ivan." 
 
 The page bowed deferentially and departed. Zara 
 turned round, and I saw the jewel on her breast flash- 
 ing with a steely glitter like the blade of a sharp 
 sword. 
 
 I lOI
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 " I do not like Prince Ivan myself," she said ; " but he 
 is a singularly brave and resolute man, and Casimir has 
 some reason for admitting him to our companionship. 
 
 Though I greatly doubt if " Plere a flood of music 
 
 broke upon our ears like the sound of a distant orchestra. 
 Zara looked at me and smiled. " Dinner is ready ! " 
 she announced ; " but you must not imagine that we 
 keep a band to play us to our table in triumph. It is 
 simply a musical instrument worked by electricity that 
 imitates the orchestra ; both Casimir and I prefer it to 
 a gong ! " 
 
 And slipping her arm affectionately through mine, 
 she drew me from the studio into the passage, and 
 together we went down the staircase into a large dining- 
 room, rich with oil-paintings and carved oak, where 
 Heliobas awaited us. Close by him stood another 
 gentleman, who was introduced to me as Prince Ivan 
 Pctroffsky. He was a fine-looking, handsome-featured 
 young man, of about thirty, tall and broad-shouldered, 
 though beside the commanding stature of Heliobas, his 
 figure did not show to so much advantage as it might 
 have done beside a less imposing contrast. He bowed 
 to me with easy and courteous grace ; but his deeply 
 reverential salute to Zara had something in it of that 
 humility which a slave might render to a queen. She 
 bent her head slightly in answer, and still holding me 
 by the hand, moved to her seat at the bottom of the 
 table, while her brother took the head. My seat was 
 at the right hand of Heliobas, Prince Ivan's at the left, 
 so that we directly faced each other. 
 
 There were two men-servants in attendance, dressed 
 in dark livery, who waited upon us with noiseless alacrity. 
 The dinner was exceedingly choice; there was nothing 
 coarse or vulgar in the dishes — no great heavy joints 
 swimming in thin gravy a I'An^/aise] no tureens of 
 
 I02
 
 ZARA AND PRINCE IVAN 
 
 unpalatable sauce ; no clumsy decanters filled with 
 burning sherry or drowsy port. The table itself was 
 laid out in the most perfect taste with the finest 
 Venetian glass and old Dresden ware, in which tempt- 
 ing fruits gleamed amid clusters of glossy dark leaves. 
 Flowers in tall vases bloomed wherever they could be 
 placed effectively ; and in the centre of the board a 
 small fountain played, tinkling as it rose and fell like a 
 very faintly echoing fairy chime. The wines that were 
 served to us were most delicious, though their flavour 
 was quite unknown to me — one in especial, of a pale 
 pink colour, that sparkled slightly as it was poured into 
 my glass, seemed to me a kind of nectar of the gods, 
 so soft it was to the palate. The conversation, at first 
 somewhat desultory, grew more concentrated as the 
 time went on, though Zara spoke little and seemed 
 absorbed in her own thoughts more than once. The 
 Prince, warmed with the wine and the general good 
 cheer, became witty and amusing in his conversation ; 
 he was a man who had evidently seen a good deal of 
 the world, and who was accustomed to take everything 
 in life a la bagatelle. He told us gay stories of his life 
 in St. Petersburg; of the pranks he had played in the 
 Florentine Carnival ; of his journey to the American 
 States, and his narrow escape from the matrimonial 
 clutches of a Boston heiress. 
 
 Heliobas listened to him with a sort of indulgent 
 kindness, only smiling now and then at the preposterous 
 puns the young man would insist on making at every 
 opportunity that presented itself. 
 
 " You are a lucky fellow, Ivan," he said at last. * You 
 like the good things of life, and you have got them all 
 without any trouble on your own part. You are one 
 of those men who have absolutely nothing to wish 
 for." 
 
 103
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 Trincc Ivan frowned and pulled his dark moustache 
 with no very satisfied air. 
 
 " I am not so sure about that," he returned. " No one 
 is contented in this world, I believe There is always 
 something left to desire, and the last thing longed for 
 always seems the most necessary to happiness." 
 
 " The truest philosophy," said Heliobas, " is not 
 to long for anything in particular, but to accept every- 
 thing as it comes, and find out the reason of its 
 coming." 
 
 "What do you mean by ''the reason of its coming'?" 
 questioned Prince Ivan. " Do you know, Casimir, I 
 find you sometimes as puzzling as Socrates." 
 
 " Socrates ? — Socrates was as clear as a drop of morn- 
 ing dew, my dear fellow," replied Heliobas. " There 
 was nothing puzzling about him. His remarks were all 
 true and trenchant — hitting smartly home to the heart 
 like daggers plunged down to the hilt. That was the 
 worst of him — he was too clear — too honest — too dis- 
 dainful of opinions. Society does not love such men. 
 What do I mean, you ask, by accepting everything as it 
 comes, and trying to find out the reason of its coming? 
 Why, I mean what I say. Each circumstance that 
 happens to each one of us brings its own special lesson 
 and meaning — forms a link or part of a link in the 
 chain of our existence. It seems nothing to you that 
 you walk down a particular street at a particular hour, 
 and yet that slight action of yours may lead to a result 
 you wot not of. * Accept the hint of each neiv experience^ 
 says the American imitator of Plato — Emerson. If 
 this advice is faithfully followed, we all have enough to 
 occupy us busily from the cradle to the grave." 
 
 Prince Ivan looked at Zara, who sat quietly thought- 
 ful, only lifting her bright eyes now and then to glance 
 at her brother as he spoke. 
 
 104
 
 ZARA AND PRINCE IVAN 
 
 " I tell you," lie said, with sudden moroseness, " there 
 are some hints that we cannot accept — some circum- 
 stances that we must not yield to. Why should a man, 
 for instance, be subjected to an undeserved and bitter 
 disappointment? " 
 
 " Because," said Zara, joining in the conversation for 
 the first time, " he has most likely desired what he is 
 not fated to obtain." 
 
 The Prince bit his lips, and gave a forced laugh. 
 
 " I know, madame, you are against me in all our 
 arguments," he observed, with some bitterness in his 
 tone. " As Casimir suggests, I am a bad philosopher. 
 I do not pretend to more than the ordinary attributes 
 of an ordinary man ; it is fortunate, if I may be 
 permitted to say so, that the rest of the world's inhabit- 
 ants are very like me, for if everyone reached to the 
 sublime heights of science and knowledge that you and 
 your brother have attained " 
 
 " The course of human destiny would run out, and 
 Paradise would be an established fact," laughed Heliobas. 
 " Come, Ivan ! You are a true epicurean. Have some 
 more wine, and a truce to discussions for the present." 
 And, beckoning to one of the servants, he ordered the 
 Prince's glass to be refilled. 
 
 Dessert was now served, and luscious fruits in 
 profusion, including peaches, bananas, plantains, green 
 figs, melons, pine-apples, and magnificent grapes, were 
 offered for our choice. As I made a selection for my 
 own plate, I became aware of something soft rubbing 
 itself gently against my dress ; and looking down, I 
 saw the noble head and dark intelligent eyes of my old 
 acquaintance Leo, whom I had last met at Cannes. 
 I gave an exclamation of pleasure, and the dog, 
 encouraged, stood up and laid a caressing paw on 
 my arm. 
 
 105
 
 A ROINIANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 "You know Leo, of course," said Ileliobas, turning to 
 me. "lie went to see Raffaello while you were at 
 Cannes. He is a wonderful animal — more valuable to 
 me than his weight in gold." 
 
 Prince Ivan, whose transient moodiness had passed 
 away like a bad devil exorcised by the power of good 
 wine, joined heartily in the praise bestowed on this four- 
 footed friend of the family. 
 
 " It was really through Leo," he said, "that you were 
 induced to follow out your experiments in human 
 electricity, Casimir, was it not ? " 
 
 " Yes," replied I Icliobas, calling the dog, who went to 
 him immediately to be fondled. " I should never have 
 been much encouraged in my researches, had he not 
 been at hand. I feared to experimentalize much on my 
 sister, she being young at the time — and women are 
 always frail of construction — but Leo was willing and 
 ready to be a victim to science, if necessary. Instead 
 of a martyr he is a living triumph — are you not, old 
 boy?" he continued, stroking the silky coat of the 
 animal, who responded with a short low bark of 
 satisfaction. 
 
 My curiosity was much excited by these remarks, 
 and I said eagerly : 
 
 " Will you tell me in what way Leo has been useful 
 to you ? I have a great affection for dogs, and I 
 never tire of hearing stories of their wonderful in- 
 telligence." 
 
 "I will certainly tell }'ou," replied Heliobas. "To 
 some people the story might appear improbable, but it 
 is perfectly true and at the same time simple of com- 
 prehension. When I was a very young man, younger 
 than Prince Ivan, I absorbed m)-sclf in the study of 
 electricity — its wonderful powers, and its various 
 capabilities. From the consideration of electricity in 
 
 1 06
 
 ZARA AND PRINCE IVAN 
 
 the different forms by which it is known to civilized 
 Europe, I began to look back through history, to what 
 are ignorantly called ' the dark ages,' but which might 
 more justly be termed the enlightened youth of the 
 world. I found that the force of electricity was well 
 understood by the ancients — better understood by them, 
 m fact, than it is by the scientists of our day. The 
 •Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin' that glittered in 
 unearthly characters on the wall at Belshazzar's feast, 
 was written by electricity ; and the Chaldean kings and 
 priests understood a great many secrets of another 
 form of electric force which the world to-day scoffs at 
 and almost ignores — I mean human electricity, which 
 we all possess, but which we do not all cultivate within 
 us. When once I realized the existence of the fact of 
 human electric force, I applied the discovery to myself, 
 and spared no pains to foster and educate whatever 
 germ of this power lay within me. I succeeded \^ ith 
 more ease and celerity than I had imagined possible. 
 At the time I pursued these studies, Leo here was quite 
 a young dog, full of the clumsy playfulness and 
 untrained ignorance of a Newfoundland puppy. One 
 day I was very busy reading an interesting Sanskrit 
 scroll which treated of ancient medicines and remedies, 
 and Leo was gambolling in his awkward way about the 
 room, playing with an old slipper and worrying it with 
 his teeth. The noise he made irritated and disturbed 
 me, and I rose in my chair and called him by name, 
 somewhat angrily. He paused in his game and looked 
 up — his eyes met mine exactly. His head drooped; 
 he shivered uneasily, whined, and lay down motionless. 
 He never stirred once from the position he had taken, 
 till I gave him permission — and remember, he was 
 untrained. This strange behaviour led me to try other 
 experiments with him, and all succeeded. I gradually 
 
 107
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 led him up to the point I desired — that is, / forced him 
 to receive my ihoug/ii and act upoti it, as far as his canine 
 capabilities could do, and he has never once failed. It 
 is sufficient for me to strongly will him to do a certain 
 thing, and I can convey that command of mine to 
 his brain without uttering a single word, and he will 
 obey me." 
 
 I suppose I showed surprise and incredulity in my 
 face, for Heliobas smiled at me and continued : 
 
 " I will put him to the proof at any time you like. If 
 you wish him to fetch anything that he is physically 
 able to carry, and will write the name of whatever it is 
 on a slip of paper, just for me to know what you require, 
 I guarantee Leo's obedience." 
 
 I looked at Zara, and she laughed. 
 
 " It seems like magic to you, does it not ? " she said ; 
 " but I assure you it is quite true." 
 
 "I am bound to admit," said Prince Ivan, "that I 
 once doubted both Leo and his master, but I am quite 
 converted. Here, mademoiselle," he continued, handing 
 me a leaf from his pocket-book and a pencil — "write 
 down something that you want ; only don't send the 
 dog to Italy on an errand just now, as we want him 
 back before we adjourn to the drawing-room." 
 
 I remembered that I had left an embroidered hand- 
 kerchief on the couch in Zara's room, and I wrote this 
 down on the paper, which I passed to Heliobas. He 
 glanced at it and tore it up. Leo was indulging him- 
 self with a bone under the table, but came instantly to 
 his master's call. Heliobas took the dog's head between 
 his two hands, and gazed steadily into the grave brown 
 eyes that regarded him with equal steadiness. This 
 interchange of looks lasted but a few seconds. Leo left 
 the room, walking with an unruffled and dignified pace, 
 while we awaited his return — Heliobas and Zara with 
 
 1 08
 
 ZARA AND PRINCE IVAN 
 
 indifference, Prince Ivan with amusement, and I with 
 interest and expectancy. Two or three minutes elapsed, 
 and the dog returned with the same majestic demeanour, 
 carrying between his teeth my handkerchief. He came 
 straight to me and placed it in my hand ; shook himself, 
 wagged his tail, and conveying a perfectly human ex- 
 pression of satisfaction into his face, went under the 
 table again to his bone. I was utterly amazed, but at 
 the same time convinced. I had not seen the dog since 
 my arrival in Paris, and it was impossible for him to 
 have known where to find my handkerchief, or to 
 recognise it as being mine, unless through the means 
 Heliobas had explained. 
 
 " Can you command human beings so ? " I asked, 
 with a slight tremor of nervousness. 
 
 " Not all," returned Heliobas quietly. " In fact, I may 
 say, very few. Those who are on my own circle of 
 power I can, naturally, draw to or repel from me ; but 
 those who are not, have to be treated by different 
 means. Sometimes cases occur in which persons, at 
 first not on my circle, are irresistibly attracted to it 
 by a force not mine. Sometimes, in order to per- 
 form a cure, I establish a communication between 
 myself and a totally alien sphere of thought ; and 
 to do this is a long and laborious effort. But it can 
 be done." 
 
 " Then, if it can be done," said Prince Ivan, " why do 
 you not accomplish it for me ? " 
 
 " Because you are being forcibly drawn towards me 
 without any effort on my part," replied Heliobas, with 
 one of his steady, keen looks. " For what motive I 
 cannot at present determine ; but I shall know as soon 
 as you touch the extreme edge of my circle. You are a 
 long way off it yet, but you are coming in spite of your- 
 self, Ivan." 
 
 109
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 The Prince fidgeted restlessly in his chair, and toyed 
 with the fruit on his plate in a nervous manner. 
 
 " If I did not know you to be an absolutely truthful 
 and honourable man, Casimir," he said, " I should think 
 you were trying to deceive me. But I have seen what 
 you can do, therefore I must believe you. Still I 
 confess I do not follow you in your circle theory." 
 
 " To begin with," returned Ileliobas, " the universe is 
 a circle. Everything is circular, from the motion of 
 planets down to the human eye, or the cup of a flower, 
 or a drop of dew. Jl/y ' circle theory,' as you call it, 
 applied to human electric force, is very simple ; but I 
 have proved it to be mathematically correct. Every 
 human being is provided internally and externally with 
 a certain amount of electricity, which is as necessary to 
 existence as the life-blood to the heart or fresh air to 
 the lungs. Internally it is the germ of a soul or spirit, 
 and is placed there to be either cultivated or neglected 
 as suits the ivill of man. It is indestructible ; yet, if 
 neglected, it remains always a germ ; and, at the death 
 of the body it inhabits, goes elsewhere to seek another 
 chance of development. If, on the contrary, its growth 
 is fostered by a persevering, resolute WILL, it becomes a 
 spiritual creature, glorious and supremely powerful, for 
 which a new, brilliant, and endless existence com- 
 mences when its clay chrysalis perishes. So much for 
 the internal electrical force. The external binds us all 
 by fixed laws, with which our wills have nothing what- 
 ever to do. Each one of us walks the earth encom- 
 passed by an invisible electric ring — wide or narrow 
 according to our capabilities. Sometimes our rings 
 meet and form one, as in the case of two absolutely 
 sympathetic souls, who labour and love together with 
 perfect faith in each other. Sometimes they clash, and 
 storm ensues, as when a strong antipathy between 
 
 no
 
 ZARA AND PRINCE IVAN 
 
 persons causes them almost to loathe each other's 
 presence. All these human electric rings are capable 
 of attraction and repulsion. If a man, during his court- 
 ship of a woman, experiences once or twice a sudden 
 instinctive feeling that there is something in her nature 
 not altogether what he expected or desired, let him take 
 warning and break off the attachment ; for the electric 
 circles do not combine, and nothing but unhappiness 
 would come from forcing a union. I would say the 
 same thing to a woman. If my advice were followed, 
 how many unhappy marriages would be avoided ! But 
 you have tempted me to talk too much, Ivan, I see the 
 ladies wish to adjourn. Shall we go to the smoking- 
 room for a little, and join them in the drawing-room 
 afterwards ? " 
 
 We all rose. 
 
 •* Well," said the Prince gaily, as he prepared to follow 
 his host, " I realize one thing which gives me pleasure, 
 Casimir. If in truth I am being attracted towards your 
 electric circle, I hope I shall reach it soon, as I shall 
 then. I suppose, be more e?i rapport with madame, your 
 sister." 
 
 Zara's luminous eyes surveyed him with a sort of 
 queenly pity and forbearance. 
 
 " By the time you arrive at that goal, Prince," she 
 said calmly, " it is most probable that / shall have 
 departed." 
 
 And with one arm thrown round my waist, she 
 saluted him gravely, and left the room with me beside 
 her. 
 
 " Would you like to see the chapel on your way to 
 the drawing-room ? " she asked, as we crossed the hall. 
 
 I gladly accepted this proposition, and Zara took me 
 down a flight of marble steps, which terminated in a 
 handsomely - carved oaken door. Pushing this softly 
 
 III
 
 A ROMANCK OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 open, she made the sign of the cross and sank on her 
 knees. I did the same, and then looked with reverential 
 wonder at the lov-eliness and serenity of the place. It 
 was small, but lofty, and the painted dome-shaped roof 
 was supported by eight light marble columns, wreathed 
 with minutely-carved garlands of vine-leaves. The 
 chapel was fitted up in accordance with the rites of the 
 Catholic religion, and before the High Altar and 
 Tabernacle burned seven roseate lamps, which were 
 suspended from the roof by slender gilt chains. A large 
 crucifix, bearing a most sorrowful and pathetic figure of 
 Christ, was hung on one of the side walls ; and from 
 a corner altar, shining with soft blue and silver, an 
 exquisite statue of the Madonna and Child was dimly 
 seen from where we knelt. A few minutes passed, and 
 Zara rose. Looking towards the Tabernacle, her lips 
 moved as though murmuring a prayer, and then, taking 
 me by the hand, she led me gently out. The heavy 
 oaken door swung softly behind us as we ascended the 
 chapel steps, and re-entered the great hall. 
 
 " You are a Catholic, are you not ? " then said Zara 
 to me. 
 
 " Yes," I answered ; " but ' 
 
 " But you have doubts sometimes, you would say ! 
 Of course. One alwa\'s doubts when one sees the 
 dissensions, the hypocrisies, the false pretences and 
 wickedness of many professing Christians. But Christ 
 and His religion are living facts, in spite of the suicide 
 of souls He would gladly save. You must ask Casimir 
 some day about these things ; he will clear up all the 
 knotty points for you. Here we are at the drawing- 
 room door." 
 
 It was the same room into which I had first been 
 shown. Zara seated herself, and made me occupy a 
 low chair beside her. 
 
 1 12
 
 ZARA AND PRINCE IVAN 
 
 " Tell me," she said, " can you not come here and 
 stay with me while you are under Casimir's treatment ? " 
 
 I thought of Madame Denise and her Pejision. 
 
 " I wish I could," I said ; " but I fear my friends 
 would want to know where I am staying, and explana- 
 tions would have to be given, which I do not feel disposed 
 to enter upon." 
 
 " Why," went on Zara quietly, " you have only to say 
 that you are being attended by a Dr. Casimir, who 
 wishes to have you under his own supervision, and that 
 you are therefore staying in his house under the 
 chaperonage of his sister." 
 
 I laughed at the idea of Zara playing the chaperone, 
 and told her she was far too young and beautiful to 
 enact that character. 
 
 " Do you know how old I am ? " she asked, with a 
 slight smile. 
 
 I guessed seventeen, or at any rate not more than 
 twenty. 
 
 " I am thirty-eight," said Zara. 
 
 Thirty-eight! Impossible! I would not believe it. 
 I could not. I laughed scornfully at such an absurdity, 
 looking at her as she sat there a perfect model of youth- 
 ful grace and loveliness, with her lustrous eyes and 
 rose-tinted complexion. 
 
 " You may doubt me if you choose," she said, still 
 smiling ; " but I have told you the truth. I am thirty- 
 eight years of age according to the world's counting. 
 What I am, measured by another standard of time, 
 matters not just now. You see I look young, and, what 
 is more, I am young. I enjoy my youth. I hear that 
 women of society at thirty-eight are often faded and 
 blase'e — what a pity it is that they do not understand the 
 first laws of self-preservation ! But to resume what I 
 was saying, you know now that I am quite old enough 
 
 113
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 in the eyes of the world to chaperon )'ou or anybody. 
 You had better arrange to stay here. Casimir asked me 
 to settle the matter with you." 
 
 As she spoke, Heliobas and Prince Ivan entered. 
 The latter looked flushed and excited — Heliobas was 
 calm and stately as usual. He addressed himself to me 
 at once. 
 
 " I have ordered my carriage, mademoiselle, to take 
 you back this evening to the A\enue du Midi. If you 
 will do as Zara tells you, and explain to your friends 
 the necessity there is for your being under the personal 
 supervision of your doctor, you will find everything will 
 arrange itself very naturally. And the sooner you come 
 here the better — in fact, Zara will expect you heie to- 
 morrow early in the afternoon. I may rely upon you ? " 
 
 He spoke with a certain air of command, evidently 
 expecting no resistance on my part. Indeed, why 
 should I resist ? Already I loved Zara, and wished to 
 be more in her company ; and then, most probably, my 
 complete restoration to health would be more success- 
 fully and quickly accomplished if I were actually in the 
 house of the man who had promised to cure me. There- 
 fore I replied : 
 
 " I will do as you wish, monsieur. Having placed 
 myself in your hands, I must obey. In this particular 
 case," I added, looking at Zara, " obedience is very 
 agreeable to me." 
 
 Heliobas smiled and seemed satisfied. He then 
 took a small goblet from a side-table, and left the room. 
 Returning, however, almost immediately with the cup 
 filled to the brim, he said, handing it to me : 
 
 " Drink this — it is your dose for to-night ; and then 
 you will go home, and straight to bed." 
 
 I drank it off at once. It was delicious in flavour — 
 like very fine Chianti. 
 
 114
 
 ZARA AND PRINCE IVAN 
 
 " Have you no soothing draught for me ? " said Prince 
 Ivan, who had been turning over a volume of photo- 
 graphs in a sullenly abstracted sort of way. 
 
 " No," replied Heliobas, with a keen glance at him ; 
 " the draught fitted for your present condition might 
 soothe you too thoroughly." 
 
 The Prince looked at Zara, but she was mute. She 
 had taken a piece of silk embroidery from a work- 
 basket near her, and was busily employed with it. 
 Heliobas advanced and laid his hand on the young 
 man's arm. 
 
 " Sing to us, Ivan," he said, in a kind tone. " Sing us 
 one of your wild Russian airs — Zara loves them, and this 
 young lady would like to hear your voice before she goes." 
 
 The Prince hesitated, and then, with another glance 
 at Zara's bent head, went to the piano. He had a 
 brilliant touch, and accompanied himself with great 
 taste and delicacy ; but his voice was truly magnificent 
 — a baritone of deep and mellow quality, sonorous, and 
 at the same time tender. He sang a French rendering 
 of a Sclavonic love-song, which, as nearly as I can 
 translate it into English, ran as follows : 
 
 "As the billows fling shells on the shore, 
 As the sun poureth light on the sea. 
 As a lark on the wing scatters song to the spring, 
 So rushes my love to thee. 
 
 "As the ivy clings close to the tower. 
 As the dew lieth deep in a flower. 
 As the shadow to light, as the day unto night, 
 So clings my wild soul to thee ! 
 
 "As the moon glitters coldly alone. 
 Above earth on her cloud-woven throne, 
 As the rocky-bound cave repulses a wave, 
 So thy anger repulseth me.
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 "As the bitter black frost of a night 
 Slays the roses with pitiless might, 
 As a sharp dagger-thrust hurls a king to the dust, 
 So thy cruelty murdereth me. 
 
 "Yet in spite of thy queenly disdain, 
 Thou art seared by my passion and pain ; 
 Thou shalt hear me repeat, till I die for it, sweet I 
 ' I love thee ! I dare to love ihce \ ' " 
 
 He ended abruptly and with passion, and rose from 
 the piano directly. 
 
 I was enthusiastic in my admiration of the song, and 
 of the splendid voice which had given it utterance, 
 and the Prince seemed almost grateful for the praise 
 accorded him both by Heliobas and myself. 
 
 The page entered to announce that " the carriage was 
 waiting for mademoiselle," and I prepared to leave. 
 Zara kissed me affectionately, and whispering, " Come 
 early to-morrow," made a graceful salute to Prince 
 Ivan, and left the room immediately. 
 
 Heliobas then offered me his arm to take me to the 
 carriage. Prince Ivan accompanied us. As the hall- 
 door opened in its usual noiseless manner, I perceived 
 an elegant light brougham drawn by a pair of black 
 horses, who were giving the coachman a great deal of 
 trouble by the fretting and spirited maimer in which 
 they pawed the stones and pranced. Before descending 
 the steps I shook hands with Heliobas, and thanked him 
 for the pleasant evening I had passed. 
 
 " We will try to make all your time with us pass 
 as pleasantly," he returned. " Good-night ! What, Ivan," 
 as he perceived the Prince attiring himself in his great- 
 coat and hat, "are you also going?" 
 
 " Yes, I am off," he replied, with a kind of forced 
 gaietv ; " I am bad company for anyone to-night, and I
 
 ZARA AND PRINCE IVAN 
 
 won't inflict myself upon you, Casimir. Au revoir ! I 
 will put mademoiselle into the carriage if she will permit 
 me. 
 
 We went down the steps together, Heliobas watching 
 us from the open door. As the Prince assisted me into 
 the brougham, he whispered : 
 
 " Are you one of them ? " 
 
 I looked at him in bewilderment. 
 
 " One of them ! " I repeated. " What do you mean ? " 
 
 " Never mind," he muttered impatiently, as he made 
 a pretence of covering me with the fur rugs inside the 
 carriage ; " if you are not now, you will be, or Zara would 
 not have kissed you. If you ever have the chance, ask 
 her to think ot me at my best. Good-night ! " 
 
 I was touched and a little sorry for him. I held out 
 my hand in silence. He pressed it hard, and calling to 
 the coachman, " 36, Avenue du Midi," stood on the 
 pavement bareheaded, looking singularly pale and grave 
 in the starlight, as the carriage rolled swiftly away, and 
 the door of the Hotel Mars closed 
 
 K 117
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 A SYMPHONY IN THE AIR 
 
 Within a very short time I became a temporary 
 resident in the house of Heliobas, and felt myself to be 
 perfectly at home there. I had explained to Madame 
 Denise the cause of my leaving her comfortable Pension^ 
 and she had fully approved of my being under a 
 physician's personal care in order to ensure rapid 
 recovery ; but when she heard the name of that physician, 
 which I gave (in accordance with Zara's instructions) as 
 Dr. Casimir, she held up her fat hands in dismay. 
 
 "Oh, mademoiselle," she exclaimed, "have you not 
 dread of that terrible man ? Is it not he that is reported 
 to be a cruel mesmerist who sacrifices everybody — yes, 
 even his own sister, to his medical experiments ? Ah, 
 mon Dieu ! it makes me to shudder ! " 
 
 And she shuddered directly, as a proof of her veracity. 
 I was amused. I saw in her an example of the common 
 multitude, who are more ready to believe in vulgar 
 spirit - rapping and mesmerism than to accept an 
 established scientific fact. 
 
 "Do you know Dr. Casimir and his sister?" I 
 asked her. 
 
 " I have seen them, mademoiselle ; perhaps once — 
 twice — three times 1 It is true madame is lovely as 
 an angel ; but they say " — here she lowered her voice 
 mysteriously — "that she is wedded to a devil! It is 
 
 Ii8
 
 A SYMPHONY IN THE AIR 
 
 true, mademoiselle — all people say so. And Suzanne 
 Michot — a very respectable young person, mademoiselle, 
 from Auteuil — she was employed at one time as under- 
 housemaid at Dr. Casimir's, and she had things to say — 
 ah, to make the blood like ice 1 " 
 
 "What did she say?" I asked with a half-smile. 
 
 " Well," and Madame Denise came close to me and 
 looked confidential, " Suzanne — I assure you a most 
 respectable girl — said that one evening she was crossing 
 the passage near Madame Casimir's boudoir, and she 
 saw a light like fire coming through the curtains of the 
 portiere. And she stopped to listen, and she heard a 
 strange music like the sound of harps. She ventured to 
 go nearer — Suzanne is a brave girl, mademoiselle, and 
 most virtuous — and to raise the curtain the smallest 
 portion just to permit the glance of an eye. And — 
 imagine what she saw ! " 
 
 " Well 1 " I exclaimed impatiently. " What did she 
 see ? " 
 
 "Ah, mademoiselle, you will not believe me — but 
 Suzanne Michot has respectable parents, and would 
 not tell a lie — well, Suzanne saw her mistress, Madame 
 Casimir, standing up near her couch with both arms 
 extended as to embrace the air. Round her there was 
 — believe it or not, mademoiselle, as you please — a ring 
 of light like a red fire, which seemed to grow larger and 
 redder always. All suddenly, madame grew pale and 
 more pale, and then fell on her couch as one dead, and 
 all the red fire went out. Suzanne had fear, and she 
 tried to call out — but now see what happened to 
 Suzanne ! She was pushed from the spot, mademoiselle, 
 pushed along as though by some strong personage ; yet 
 she saw no one till she reached her own door, and in 
 her room she fainted from alarm. The very next morn- 
 ing Dr. Casimir dismissed her, with her full wages and 
 
 119
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 a handsome present besides ; but he looked at her, 
 Suzanne said, in a manner to make her tremble from 
 head to foot. Now, mademoiselle, judge yourself 
 whether it is fit for one who is suffering with nerves 
 to go to so strange a house ! " 
 
 I laughed. Her story had not the least effect upon 
 me. In fact, I made up my mind that the so respect- 
 able and virtuous Suzanne Michot had been drinking 
 some of her master's wine. I said : 
 
 " Your words only make me more desirous to go, 
 Madame Denise. Besides, Dr. Casimir has already 
 done me a great deal of good. You must have heard 
 things of him that are not altogether bad, surely?" 
 
 The little woman reflected seriously, and then said, as 
 with some reluctance: 
 
 " It is certainly true, mademoiselle, that in the quarter 
 of the poor he is much beloved. Jean Duclos — he is a 
 chiffonnier — had his one child dying of typhoid fever, 
 and he was watching it struggling for breath ; it was at 
 the point to die. Monsieur le Comte Casimir, or Dr. 
 Casimir — for he is called both — came in all suddenly, 
 and in half an hour had saved the little one's life. I 
 do not deny that he may have some good in him, and 
 that he understands medicine ; but there is something 
 
 wrong " And Madame Denise shook her head 
 
 forlornly a great number of times. 
 
 None of her statements deterred me from my inten- 
 tion, and I was delighted when I found myself fairly 
 installed at the Hotel Mars. Zara gave me a beautiful 
 room next to her own ; she had taken pains to fit it up 
 herself with everything that was in accordance with my 
 particular tastes, such as a choice selection of books ; 
 music, including many of the fascinating scores of 
 Schubert and Wagner ; writing materials ; and a pretty, 
 full-toned pianette. My window looked out on a small 
 
 1 20
 
 A SYJNIPHONY IN THE AIR 
 
 courtyard, which had been covered over with glass and 
 transformed into a conservatory. I could enter it by 
 going down a few steps, and could have the satisfaction 
 of gathering roses and lilies of the valley, while outside 
 the east wind blew and the cold snowflakes fell over 
 Paris. I wrote to Mrs. Everard from my retreat, and I 
 also informed the Challoners where they could find me 
 if they wanted me. These duties done, I gave myself 
 up to enjoyment. Zara and I became inseparables ; we 
 worked together, read together, and together every 
 morning gave those finishing-touches to the ordering 
 and arrangement of the household which are essentially 
 feminine, and which not the wisest philosopher in all 
 the world has been, or ever will be, able to accomplish 
 successfully. We grew to love each other dearly, with 
 that ungrudging, sympathising, confiding friendship 
 that is very rarely found between two women. In the 
 meantime my cure went on rapidly. Every night on 
 retiring to rest Heliobas prepared a medicinal dose for 
 me, of the qualities of which I was absolutely ignorant, 
 but which I took trustingly from his hand. Every 
 morning a different little phial of liquid was placed 
 in the bathroom for me to empty into the water of my 
 daily bath, and every hour I grew better, brighter, and 
 stronger. The natural vivacity of my temperament 
 returned to me ; I suffered no pain, no anxiety, no 
 depression, and I slept as soundly as a child, unvisited 
 by a single dream. The mere fact of being alive be- 
 came a joy to me ; I felt grateful for everything — for 
 my eyesight, my speech, my hearing, my touch — because 
 all my senses seemed to be sharpened and invigorated 
 and braced up to the keenest delight. This happy 
 condition of my system did not come suddenly — sudden 
 cures mean sudden relapses ; it was a gradual, steady, 
 ever-increasing, reliable recovery. 
 
 121
 
 A RCJ.MANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 1 found the society of Hcliobas and his sister very 
 fascinating. Their conversation was both thoughtful 
 and brilliant, their manners were evenly gracious and 
 kindly, and the life they led was a model of perfect 
 household peace and harmony. There was never a fuss 
 about anything : the domestic arrangements seemed to 
 work on smoothly oiled wheels ; the different repasts 
 were served with quiet elegance and regularity ; the 
 ser\'ants were few, but admirably trained ; and we all 
 lived in an absolutely calm atmosphere, unruffled by so 
 much as a breath of worry. Nothing of a mysterious 
 nature went on, as far as I could see, 
 
 Heliobas passed the greater part of the day in his 
 study — a small, plainly furnished room, the facsimile of 
 the one I had beheld him in when I had dreamed those 
 three dreams at Cannes. Whether he received many 
 or few patients there I could not tell ; but that some 
 applied to him for advice I knew, as I often met 
 strangers crossing the hall on their way in and out. 
 He always joined us at dinner, and was invariably 
 cheerful, generally entertaining us with lively converse 
 and sparkling narrative, though now and then the 
 thoughtful tendency of his mind predominated, and 
 gave a serious tone to his remarks. 
 
 Zara was uniformly bright and even in her tempera- 
 ment. She was my very ideal of the Greek Psyche, 
 radiant yet calm, pensive yet mirthful. She was full 
 of beautiful ideas and poetical fancies, and so thoroughly 
 untouched by the world and its aims, that she seemed 
 to me just to poise on the earth like a delicate butterfly 
 on a flower ; and I should have been scarcely surprised 
 had I seen her unfold a pair of shining wings and fly 
 away to some other region. Yet in spite of this 
 spiritudle nature, she was physically stronger and more 
 robust than any other woman I ever saw. She was gay 
 
 122
 
 A SYMPHONY IN THE AIR 
 
 and active ; she was never tired, never ailing, and she 
 enjoyed life with a keen zest such as is unknown to the 
 tired multitudes who toil on hopelessly and wearily, 
 wondering, as they work, why they were born. Zara 
 evidently had no doubts or speculations of this kind ; 
 she drank in every minute of her existence as if it were 
 a drop of honey-dew prepared specially for her palate. 
 I never could believe that her age was what she had 
 declared it to be. She seemed to look younger every 
 day ; sometimes her eyes had that limpid, lustrous 
 innocence that is seen in the eyes of a very little child ; 
 and, again, they would change and glow with the earnest 
 and lofty thought of one who had lived through years 
 of study, research, and discovery. For the first few 
 days of my visit she did not work in her studio at all, 
 but appeared to prefer reading or talking with me. 
 One afternoon, however, when we had returned from a 
 short drive in the Bois de Boulogne, she said half 
 hesitatingly : 
 
 " I think I will go to work again to-morrow morning, 
 if you will not think me unsociable." 
 
 " Why, Zara dearest ! " I replied. " Of course I shall 
 not think you unsociable. I would not interfere with 
 any of your pursuits for the world." 
 
 She looked at me with a sort of wistful affection, and 
 continued : 
 
 " But you must know I like to work quite alone ; and 
 though it may look churlish, still not even you must 
 come into the studio. I never can do anything before a 
 witness ; Casimir himself knows that, and keeps away 
 from me." 
 
 " Well ! " I said, " I should be an ungrateful wretch if 
 I could not oblige you in so small a request. I promise 
 not to disturb you, Zara; and do not think for one 
 moment that I shall be dull. I have books, a piano, 
 
 123
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 flowers — what more do I want? And if I like I can go 
 out ; then I have letters to write, and all sorts of things 
 to occupy me. I shall be quite happ)', and I shall not 
 come near you till you call me." 
 
 Zara kissed me. 
 
 " You are a dear girl," she said ; " I hate to appear 
 inhospitable, but I know you are a real friend — that }ou 
 w^ill love me as much away from you as near you, and 
 that you have none of that vulgar curiosity which some 
 women give way to, when what they desire to see is 
 hidden from them. You are not inquisitive, are you ? " 
 
 I laughed. 
 
 " The affairs of other people have never appeared so 
 interesting to me that I have cared to bother myself 
 about them," I replied. " Blue-Beard's Chamber would 
 never have been unlocked had I been that worthy man's 
 wife." 
 
 "What a fine moral lesson the old fairy-tale teaches!" 
 said Zara. " I always think those wives of Blue-Beard 
 deserved their fate for not being able to obey him in his 
 one request. But in regard to your pursuits, dear, while 
 I am at work in my studio, you can use the grand piano 
 in the drawing-room when you please, as well as the 
 little one in your own room ; and you can improvise on 
 the chapel organ as much as you like." 
 
 I was delighted at this idea, and thanked her heartily. 
 She smiled thoughtfully. 
 
 " What hap{)iness it must be for you to love music so 
 thoroughly ! " she said. " It fills you with enthusiasm. I 
 used to dislike to read the biographies of musical people ; 
 they all seemed to find so much fault with one another, 
 and grudged each other every little bit of praise wrung 
 from the world's cold, death-doomed lips. It is to me 
 pathetically absurd to see gifted persons all struggling 
 along, and rudely elbowing each other out of the way 
 
 124
 
 A SYMPHONY IN THE AIR 
 
 to win — what? A few stilted commonplace words of 
 approbation or fault-finding in the newspapers of the 
 day, and a little clapping and shouting from a gather- 
 ing of ordinary minded persons, who only clap and 
 shout because it is the fashion to do so. It is really 
 ludicrous. If the music the musician offers to the public 
 be really great, it will live by itself and defy praise or 
 blame. Because Schubert died of want and sorrow, 
 that does not interfere with the life of his creations. 
 Because Wagner is voted impossible and absurd by 
 many who think themselves good judges of musical art, 
 that does not offer any obstacle to the steady spread of 
 his fame, which is destined to become as universal as 
 that of Shakespeare. Poor Joachim, the violinist, has 
 got a picture in his private house, in which Wagner 
 is painted as suffering the tortures of hell ; can any- 
 thing be more absurd, when we consider how soon the 
 learned fiddler, who has occupied his life in playing 
 other people's compositions, will be a handful of for- 
 gotten dust, while multitudes yet to come will shout 
 their admiration of * Tristran ' and ' Parsifal.' Yes, as I 
 said, I never cared for musical people much, till I met 
 a friend of my brother's — a man whose inner life was 
 an exquisite harmony." 
 
 "I know!" I interrupted her. " He wrote the 'Letters 
 of a Dead Musician.' " 
 
 " Yes," said Zara, " I suppose you saw the book at 
 Raffaello's studio. Good Raffaello Cellini! his is another 
 absolutely ungrudging and unselfish spirit. But this 
 musician that I speak of was like a child in humility 
 and reverence. Casimir told me he had never sounded 
 so perfect a nature. At one time he, too, was a little 
 anxious for recognition and praise, and Casimir saw 
 that he was likely to wreck himself on that fatal rock 
 of poor ambition. So he took him in hand, and taught 
 
 125
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 him the meaning of his work, and why it was especially 
 given to him to do; and that man's life became 'one 
 grand sweet song' But there are tears in your eyes, 
 dear ! What have I said to grieve you? " 
 
 And she caressed me tenderly. The tears were 
 indeed thick in my eyes, and a minute or two elapsed 
 before I could master them. At last I raised my head 
 and endeavoured to smile. 
 
 " They are not sad tears, Zara," I said ; " I think they 
 come from a strong desire I have to be what you are, 
 what your brother is, what that dead musician must 
 have been. Why, I have longed, and do long for fame, 
 for wealth, for the world's applause, for all the things 
 which you seem to think so petty and mean. How can 
 I help it? Is not fame power? Is not money a double 
 power, strong to assist one's self and those one loves? 
 Is not the world's favour a necessary means to gain 
 these things ? " 
 
 Zara's eyes gleamed with a soft and pitying gentle- 
 ness. 
 
 " Do you understand what you mean by power ? " she 
 asked. "World's fame? World's wealth? Will these 
 things make you enjoy life? You will perhaps say yes. 
 I tell you no. Laurels of earth's growing fade ; gold 
 of earth's getting is good for a time, but it palls quickly. 
 Suppose a man rich enough to purchase all the treasures 
 of the world — what then ? He must die and leave them. 
 Suppose a poet or musician so famous that all nations 
 know and love him : he too must die, and go where 
 nations exist no longer. And you actually would grasp 
 ashes and drink wormwood, little friend? Music, the 
 heaven-born spirit of pure sound, does not teach you 
 so 1 " 
 
 I was silent. The gleam of the strange jewel Zara 
 always wore flashed in my eyes like lightning, and anon 
 
 126
 
 A SYMPHONY IN THE AIR 
 
 changed to the similitude of a crimson star. I watched 
 it, dreamily fascinated by its unearthly glitter. 
 
 " Still," I said, " you yourself admit that such fame as 
 that of Shakespeare or Wagner becomes a universal 
 monument to their memories. That is something, 
 surely ? " 
 
 " Not to them," replied Zara ; " they have partly for- 
 gotten that they ever were imprisoned in such a narrow 
 gaol as this world. Perhaps they do not care to re- 
 member it, though memory is part of immortality." 
 
 " Ah ! " I sighed restlessly ; " your thoughts go beyond 
 me, Zara. I cannot follow your theories." 
 
 Zara smiled. 
 
 " We will not talk about them any more," she said ; 
 " you must tell Casimir — he will teach you far better 
 than I can." 
 
 " What shall I tell him ? " I asked ; " and what will he 
 teach me ? " 
 
 " You will tell him what a high opinion you have of 
 the world and its judgments," said Zara, " and he will 
 teach you that the world is no more than a grain of 
 dust, measured by the standard of your own soul. This 
 is no mere platitude — no repetition of the poetical state- 
 ment * The mind's the standard of the man ; ' it is a fact, 
 and can be proved as completely as that two and two 
 make four. Ask Casimir to set you free." 
 
 " To set me free ? " I asked, surprised. 
 
 " Yes ! " and Zara looked at me brightly. " He will 
 know if you are strong enough to travel !" And, nodding 
 her head gaily to me, she left the room to prepare for 
 the dinner-hour which was fast approaching. 
 
 I pondered over her words a good deal without arriv- 
 ing at any satisfactory conclusion as to the meaning of 
 them. I did not resume the conversation with her, nor 
 did I speak to Heliobas as yet, and the days went on 
 
 127
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 smoothly and pleasantly till I had been nearly a week 
 in residence at the Hotel Mars. I now felt perfectly 
 well and strong, though I leliobas continued to give me 
 his remedies regularly night and morning. I began an 
 energetic routine of musical practice: the beautiful 
 piano in the drawing-room answered readily to my 
 touch, and many a delightful hour slipped by as I tried 
 various new difficulties on the keyboard, or worked out 
 different combinations of harmony. I spent a great 
 deal of my time at the organ in the little chapel, the 
 bellows of which were worked by electricity, in a manner 
 that gave not the least trouble, and was perfectly simple 
 of management. 
 
 The organ itself was peculiarly sweet in tone, the 
 " vox humana " stop especially producing an entrancingly 
 rich and tender sound. The silence, warmth, and beauty 
 of the chapel, with the winter sunlight streaming through 
 its stained windows, and the unbroken solitude I enjoyed 
 there, all gave fresh impetus to the fancies of my brain, 
 and a succession of solemn and tender melodies wove 
 themselves under my fingers as a broidered carpet is 
 woven on the loom. 
 
 One particular afternoon, I was sitting at the instru- 
 ment as usual, and my thoughts began to busy themselves 
 with the sublime tragedy of Calvary. I mused, playing 
 softly all the while, on the wonderful, blameless, glorious 
 life that had ended in the shame and cruelty of the 
 Cross, when suddenly, like a cloud swooping darkly 
 across the heaven of my thoughts, came the suggestive 
 question : " Was it all true ? Was Christ indeed Divine 
 — or was it a myth, a fable — an imposture?" Uncon- 
 sciously I struck a discordant chord on the organ — a 
 faint tremor shook me, and I ceased playing. An un- 
 comfortable sensation came over me, as of some invisible 
 presence being near me and approaching softly, slowly, 
 
 128
 
 A SYMPHONY IN THE AIR 
 
 yet always more closely ; and I hurriedly rose from my 
 seat, shut the organ, and prepared to leave the chapel, 
 overcome by a strange incomprehensible terror. I was 
 glad when I found myself safely outside the door, and I 
 rushed into the hall as though I were being pursued ; 
 yet the oddest part of my feeling was, that whoever thus 
 pursued me, did so out of love, not enmity, and that I 
 was almost wrong in running away. I leaned for a 
 moment against one of the columns in the hall, trying 
 to calm the excited beating of my heart, when a deep 
 voice startled me : 
 
 " So ! You are agitated and alarmed ? Unbelief is 
 easily scared ! " 
 
 I looked up and met the calm eyes of Heliobas. He 
 appeared to be taller, statelier, more like a Chaldean 
 prophet or king than I had ever seen him before. 
 There was something in his steady scrutiny of my face 
 that put me to a sort of shame, and when he spoke again 
 it was in a tone of mild reproof. 
 
 " You have been led astray, my child, by the conflict- 
 ing and vain opinions of mankind. You, like many 
 others in the world, delight to question, to speculate, to 
 weigh this, to measure that, with little or no profit to 
 yourself or your fellow-creatures. And you have come 
 freshly from a land where, in the great Senate-house, a 
 poor perishable lump of clay calling itself a man, dares 
 to stand up boldly and deny the existence of God, while 
 his compeers, less bold than he, pretend a holy dis- 
 pleasure, yet secretly support him — all blind worms 
 denying the existence of the sun ; a land where so-called 
 Religion is split into hundreds of cold and narrow sects, 
 gatherings assembled for the practice of hypocrisy, lip- 
 service and lies — where Self, not the Creator, is the 
 prime object of worship ; a land, mighty once among 
 the mightiest, but which now, like an over-ripe pear 
 
 129
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 hangs loosely on its tree, awaiting but a touch to make 
 it fall ! A land — let me not name it ; — where the 
 wealthy, high-fed ministers of the nation slowly argue 
 away the lives of better men than themselves, with vain 
 words of colder and more cruel force than the whirliner 
 spears of untaught savages ! What have you, an ardent 
 disciple of music, to do in such a land where favouritism 
 and backstair influence win the day over even the merits 
 of a Schubert? Supposing you were a second Beet- 
 hoven, what could you do in that land without faith or 
 hope ? that land which is like a disappointed, churlish, 
 and aged man with tottering feet and purblind eyes, 
 who has long ago exhausted all enjoyment and sees 
 nothing new under the sun. The world is wide — faith 
 is yet extant — and the teachings of Christ are true, 
 ' Believe and live ; doubt and die ! ' That saying is true 
 also." 
 
 I had listened to these words in silence ; but now I 
 spoke eagerly and impatiently, remembering what Zara 
 had told me. 
 
 " Then," I said, " if I have been misguided by modern 
 opinions — if I have unconsciously absorbed the doctrines 
 of modern fashionable atheism — lead me right. Teach 
 me what you know. I am willing to learn. Let me 
 find out the reason of my life. S^t vie free !" 
 
 Heliobas regarded me with earnest solemnity. 
 
 " Set you free ! " he murmured, in a low tone. " Do 
 you know what you ask ? " 
 
 " No," I answered, with reckless fervour. * I do not 
 know what I ask ; but I feel that you have the power to 
 show me the unseen things of another world. Did you not 
 yourself tell me in our first interview that you had let 
 Raffaello Cellini 'go on a voyage of discovery, and that he 
 came back perfectly satisfied'} Besides, he told me his 
 history. From you he has gained all that gives him 
 
 130
 
 A SYIVIPHONY IN THE AIR 
 
 peace and comfort. You possess electric secrets un- 
 dreamt of by the world. Prove your powers upon me ; 
 I am not afraid." 
 
 Heliobas smiled. " Not afraid ! And you ran out of 
 the chapel just now as if you were pursued by a fiend ! 
 You must know that the only zuoman I ever tried my 
 greatest experiment upon is my sister Zara. She was 
 trained and prepared for it in the most careful manner ; 
 and it succeeded. Now" — and Heliobas looked half- 
 sad, half-triumphant — " she has passed beyond my 
 power ; she is dominated by one greater than I. But 
 she cannot use her force for others ; she can only employ 
 it to defend herself. Therefore, I am willing to try 
 you if you indeed desire it — to see if the same thing 
 will occur to you as to Zara; and I firmly believe it 
 will." 
 
 A slight tremor came over me ; but I said with an 
 attempt at indifference : 
 
 " You mean that I shall be dominated also by some 
 great force or influence ? " 
 
 " I think so," replied Heliobas musingly. " Your 
 nature is more prone to love than to command. Try 
 and follow me in the explanation I am going to give 
 you. Do you know some lines by Shelley that run — 
 
 " ' Nothing in the world is single, 
 All things by a law divine 
 In one another's being mingle- 
 Why not I with thine?'" 
 
 "Yes," I said. I know the lines well. I used to 
 think them very sentimental and pretty." 
 
 " They contain," said Heliobas, " the germ of a great 
 truth, as many of the most fanciful verses of the poets 
 do. As the * image of a voice' mentioned in the Book of 
 Job hinted at the telephone, and as Shakespeare's 'girdle 
 
 23i
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 round tJie earth ' foretold the electric telegraph, so the 
 utterances of the inspired starvelings of the world, known 
 as poets, suggest many more wonders of the universe 
 than may be at first apparent. Poets must always be 
 prophets, or their calling is in vain. Tut this standard 
 of judgment to the verse-writers of the day, and where 
 would they be ? Tennyson was no seer : he was a mere 
 relater of pretty stories. The prophets are always poor — 
 the sackcloth and ashes of the world are their portion ; 
 and their bodies moulder a hundred years or more in the 
 grave before the world finds out what they meant by 
 their ravings. But apropos of these lines of Shelley. 
 He speaks of the duality of existence. 'Nothing in the 
 xvorld is single' He might have gone further, and said 
 nothing in the universe is single. Cold and heat, storm 
 and sunshine, good and evil, joy and sorrow — all go in 
 pairs. This double life extends to all the spheres and 
 above the spheres. Do you understand ? " 
 
 " I understand what you say," I said slowly ; " but I 
 cannot see your meaning as applied to myself or yourself." 
 
 " I will teach you in a few words," went on Heliobas. 
 " You believe in the soul ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " Very well. Now realize that there is no soul on 
 this earth that is complete, alone. Like everything 
 else, it is dual. It is like half a flame, that seeks the 
 other half, and is dissatisfied and restless till it attains 
 its object. Lovers, misled by the blinding light of 
 Love, think they have reached completeness when they 
 are united to the person beloved. Now, in very, very 
 rare cases, perhaps one among a thousand, this desirable 
 result is effected ; but the majority of people are 
 content with the union of bodies only, and care little or 
 nothing about the sympathy or attachment between 
 souls. There are people, however, who do care, and
 
 A SYMPHONY IN THE AIF 
 
 who never find their Twin-Flame or companion Spirit 
 at all on earth, and never will find it. And why? 
 Because it is not imprisoned in clay ; it is else- 
 where." 
 
 " Well," I asked eagerly. 
 
 "Well, you seem to ask me by your eyes what 
 this all means. I will apply it at once to myself. By 
 my researches into human electrical science, I discovered 
 that '>ny companion, my other half of existence, though 
 not on earth, was near me, and could be commanded by 
 me ; and, on being commanded, obeyed. With Zara it 
 was different. She could not command — she obeyed ; 
 she was the weaker of the two. With you, I think it 
 will be the same thing. Men sacrifice everything to 
 ambition ; women to love. It is natural. I see there 
 is much of what I have said that appears to have 
 mystified you ; it is no good puzzling your brain any 
 more about it. No doubt you think I am talking very 
 wildly about Twin-Flames and Spiritual Affinities that 
 live for us in another sphere. You do not believe, per- 
 haps, in the existence of beings in the very air that 
 surrounds us, invisible to ordinary human eyes, yet 
 actually akin to us, with a closer relationship than any 
 tie of blood known on earth ? " 
 
 I hesitated. Heliobas saw my hesitation, and his 
 eyes darkened with a sombre wrath. 
 
 " Are you one of those also who must see in order to 
 believe? " he said, half angrily. " Where do you suppose 
 your music comes from ? Where do you suppose any 
 music comes from that is not mere imitation ? The 
 greatest composers of the world have been mere recep- 
 tacles of sound ; and the emptier they were of self-love 
 and vanity, the greater quantity of heaven-born melody 
 they neld. The German Wagner— did he not himself 
 say that he walked up and down in the avenues, trying 
 
 L 133
 
 A ROIMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 to catch the harmonies as they floated in the air^} Come 
 with me — come back to the place you left, and I will 
 see if )'ou, like Wagner, are able to catch a melody 
 flying." 
 
 He grasped my unresisting arm, and led me, half- 
 frightened, half-curious, into the little chapel, where he 
 bade me seat myself at the organ. 
 
 " Do not play a single note," he said, " till you are 
 compelled." 
 
 And standing beside me, Heliobas laid his hands on 
 my head, then pressed them on my ears, and finally 
 touched my hands, that rested passively on the keyboard. 
 
 He then raised his eyes, and uttered the name I had 
 often thought of but never mentioned — the name he had 
 called upon in my dream. 
 
 "Azul!" he said, in a low, penetrating voice, "open 
 the gateways of the Air that we may hear the sound of 
 Song ! " 
 
 A soft rushing noise of wind answered his adjuration. 
 This was followed by a burst of music, transcendently 
 lovely, but unlike any music I had ever heard. There 
 were sounds of delicate and entrancing tenderness such 
 as no instrument made by human hands could produce; 
 there was singing of clear and tender tone, and of 
 infinite purity such as no human voices could be 
 capable of. I listened, — perplexed, alarmed, yet en- 
 tranced. Suddenly I distinguished a melody running 
 through the wonderful air-symphonies — a melody like a 
 flower, fresh and perfect. Instinctively I touched the 
 organ and began to play it ; I found I could produce it 
 note for note. I for^^ot all fear in my delight, and I 
 played on and on in a sort of deepening rapture. 
 Gradually I became aware that the strange sounds 
 about me were dying slowly away ; fainter and fainter 
 they grew — softer — farther — and finally ceased. But 
 
 134
 
 A SYMPHONY IN THE AIR 
 
 the melody — that one distinct passage of notes I had 
 followed out — remained with me, and I played it again 
 and again with feverish eagerness lest it should escape 
 me. I had forgotten the presence of Heliobas. But a 
 touch on my shoulder roused me. I looked up and 
 met his eyes fixed upon me with a steady and 
 earnest regard. A shiver ran through me, and I felt 
 bewildered. 
 
 " Have I lost it ? " I asked. 
 
 " Lost what ? " he demanded. 
 
 " The tune I heard — the harmonies." 
 
 " No," he replied ; " at least I think not. But if you 
 have, no matter. You will hear others. Why do you 
 look so distressed ? " 
 
 " It is lovely," I said wistfull}-, " all that music ; but 
 it is not mine ; " and tears of regret filled my eyes. 
 " Oh, if it were only mine — my very own composition ! " 
 
 Heliobas smiled kindly. 
 
 " It is as much yours as anything belongs to anyone. 
 Yours ? Why, what can you really call your own ? 
 Every talent you have, every breath you draw, every 
 drop of blood flowing in your veins, is lent to you only ; 
 you must pay it all back. And as far as the arts go, it 
 is a bad s'gn of poet, painter, or musician, who is 
 arrogant enough to call his work his own. It never v.'as 
 his, and never will be. It is planned by a higher 
 intelligence than his, only he happens to be the hired 
 labourer chosen to carry out the conception ; a sort of 
 mechanic in whom boastfulness looks absurd ; as absurd 
 as if one of the stonemasons working at the cornice of a 
 cathedral were to vaunt himself as the designer of the 
 whole edifice. And when a work, any w^ork, is com- 
 pleted, it passes out of the labourer's hands ; it belongs 
 to the age and the people for whom it was accomplished, 
 and, if deserving, goes on belonging to future ages and 
 
 135
 
 A ROMANCE OF TT^^O WORLDS 
 
 future peoples. So far, and only so far, music 13 your 
 own. But are you convinced? or do you think you 
 have been dreaming all that you heard just now ?" 
 
 I rose from the organ, closed it gently, and, moved 
 by a sudden impulse, held out both my hands to 
 Heliobas, He took them and held them in a friendly 
 clasp, watching me intently as I spoke. 
 
 "I believe in you," I said firmly; "and I know 
 thoroughly well that I was not dreaming : I certainly 
 heard strange music, and entrancing voices. But in 
 acknowledging your powers over something unseen, I 
 must explain to you the incredulity I at first felt, 
 which I believe annoyed you. I was made sceptical 
 on one occasion, by attending a so-called spiritual stance, 
 where they tried to convince me of the truth of table- 
 turning " 
 
 Heliobas laughed softly, still holding my hands. 
 
 " Your reason will at once tell you that disembodied 
 spirits never become so undignified as to upset furniture 
 or rap on tables. Neither do they write letters in pen 
 and ink and put them under doors. Spiritual beings 
 are purely spiritual ; they cannot touch anything human, 
 much less deal in such vulgar display as the throwing 
 about of chairs, and the opening of locked sideboards. 
 You were very rightly sceptical in these matters. But 
 in what I ha\e endeavoured to prove to you, you have 
 no doubts, have you ? " 
 
 " None in the world," I said. " I only ask you to go 
 on teaching me the wonders that seem so familiar to 
 you. Let me know all I may ; and soon ! " I spoke 
 with trembling eagerness. 
 
 "You have been only eight days in the house, my 
 child," said Heliobas, loosening my hands, and signing 
 me to come out of the chapel with him ; "and I do not 
 consider you sufficiently strong as yet for the experi- 
 
 136
 
 A SYMPHONY IN THE AIR 
 
 ment you wish me to try upon you. Even now you 
 are agitated. Wait one week more, and then you shall 
 be " 
 
 " What ? " I asked impatiently. 
 
 '' Lifted up," he replied. " Lifted up above this little 
 speck called earth. But now, no more of this. Go to 
 Zara ; keep your mind well employed ; study, read, and 
 pray — pray much and often in few and simple words, 
 and with as utterly unselfish a heart as you can prepare. 
 Think that you are going to some high festival, and 
 attire your soul in readiness. I do not say to you * Have 
 faith ; ' I would not compel your belief in anything 
 against your own will. You wish to be convinced of a 
 future existence ; you seek proofs ; you shall have 
 them. In the meantime avoid all conversation with me 
 on the subject. You can confide your desires to Zara if 
 you like ; her experience may be of use to you. You 
 had best join her now. Au revoir!" and with a kind 
 parting gesture, he left me. 
 
 I watched his stately figure disappear in the shadow 
 of the passage leading to his own study, and then I 
 hastened to Zara's room. The musical episode in the 
 chapel had certainly startled me, and the words of 
 Heliobas were full of mysterious meaning ; but, strange 
 to say, I was in no way rendered anxious or alarmed 
 by the prospect I had before me of being " lifted up," as 
 my physician had expressed it. I thought of Raffaello 
 Cellini and his history, and I determined within myself 
 that no cowardly hesitation or fear should prevent me 
 from making the attempt to see what he professed 
 to have seen. I found Zara reading. She looked 
 up as I entered, and greeted me with her usual bright 
 smile. 
 
 " You have had a long practice," she began ; " I 
 thought you were never coming." 
 
 137
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 I sat down beside her," and related at once all that 
 had happened to me that afternoon. Zara listened with 
 deep and almost breathless interest. 
 
 " You are quite resolved," she said, when I had con- 
 cluded, " to let Casimir exert his force upon you? " 
 " I am quite resolved," I answered. 
 " And you have no fear ? " 
 " None that I am just now conscious of" 
 Zara's e}es became darker and deeper in the gravity 
 of her intense meditation. At last she said : 
 
 " I can help you to keep your courage firmly to the 
 point, by letting you know at once what Casimir will do 
 to you. Beyond that I cannot go. You understand 
 the nature of an electric shock ? " 
 " Yes," I replied. 
 
 " Well, there are different kinds of electric shocks — 
 some that are remedial, some that are fatal. There are 
 cures performed by a careful use of the electric battery — 
 again, people are struck dead by lightning, which is the 
 fatal result of electric force. But all this is external 
 electricity ; now what Casimir will use on you will be 
 internal electricity." 
 
 I begged her to explain more clearly. She went on : 
 " You have internally a certain amount of electricity, 
 which has been increased recently by the remedies 
 prescribed for you by Casimir. But, however much you 
 have, Casimir has more, and he will exert his force over 
 your force, the greater over the lesser. You will ex- 
 perience an internal electric shock, which, like a sword, 
 will separate in twain body and spirit. The spiritual 
 part of you will be lifted up above material forces ; the 
 bodily part will remain inert and useless, till the life, 
 which is actually you, returns to put its machinery in 
 motion once more." 
 
 "But shall I return at all?" I asked half doubtfully. 
 
 138
 
 A SYIVIPHONY IN THE AIR 
 
 "You must return, because God has fixed the limits 
 of your life on earth, and no human power can alter 
 His decree. Casimir's will can set you free for a time, 
 but only for a time. You are bound to return, be it 
 never so reluctantly. Eternal liberty is given by Death 
 alone ; and Death cannot be forced to come." 
 
 " How about suicide?" I asked. 
 
 " The suicide," replied Zara, " has no soul. He kills 
 his body, and by the very act proves that whatever 
 germ of an immortal existence he may have had once, 
 has escaped from its unworthy habitation, and has gone, 
 like a flying spark, to find a chance of growth elsewhere. 
 Surely your own reason proves this to you ? The very 
 animals have more soul than a man who commits suicide. 
 The beasts of prey slay each other for hunger or in 
 self-defence, but they do not slay themselves. That is 
 a brutality left to man alone, with its companion 
 degradation, drunkenness." 
 
 I mused awhile in silence. 
 
 " In all the wickedness and cruelty of mankind," I 
 said, " it is almost a wonder that there is any spiritual 
 existence left on earth at all. Why should God trouble 
 Himself to care for such few souls as thoroughly believe 
 in and love Him ? — they can be but a mere handful." 
 
 " Such a mere handful are worth more than the world 
 to Him," said Zara gravely. " Oh, my dear, do not 
 say such things as why should God trouble Himself? 
 Why do you trouble yourself for the safety and happi- 
 ness of anyone you love ? " 
 
 Her eyes grew soft and tender, and the jewel she 
 wore glimmered like moonlight on the sea. I felt a 
 little abashed, and, to change the subject, I said : 
 
 " Tell me, Zara, what is that stone you always wear ? 
 Is it a talisman?" 
 
 " It belonged to a king," said Zara, — " at least, it was 
 
 139
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 found in a kings coffin. It has been in our family for 
 generations. Casimir says it is an electric stone — there 
 are such still to be found in remote parts of the sea. 
 Do you like it?" 
 
 " It is very brilliant and lovely," I said. 
 
 " When I die," went on Zara slowly, " I will leave it 
 to you." 
 
 " I hope I shall have to wait a long time before I get 
 it, then," I exclaimed, embracing her affectionately. 
 " Indeed, I will pray never to receive it." 
 
 " You will pray wrongly," said Zara, smiling. " But 
 tell me, do you quite understand from my explanation 
 what Casimir will do to you?" 
 
 " I think I do." 
 
 " And you are not afraid ? " 
 
 " Not at all. Shall I suffer any pain ? " 
 
 " No actual pang. You will feel giddy for a moment, 
 and your body will become unconscious. That is all." 
 
 I meditated for a few moments, and then, looking up, 
 saw Zara's eyes watching me with a wistful inquiring 
 tenderness. I answered her look with a smile, and said, 
 half gaily : 
 
 *' L'atidace, Faudace, et toujotirs Faudace ! That must 
 be my motto, Zara. I hav^e a chance now of proving 
 how far a woman's bravery can go, and I assure you I 
 am proud of the opportunity. Your brother uttered 
 some very cutting remarks on the general inaptitude 
 of the female sex when I first made his acquaintance; 
 so, for the honour of the thing, I must follow the path 
 I have begun to tread. A plunge into the unseen world 
 is surely a bold step for a woman, and I am determined 
 to take it courageously." 
 
 "That is well," said Zara. " I do not think it possible 
 for you ever to regret it. It is growing late — shall we 
 prepare for dinner ? " 
 
 140
 
 A SYMPHONY IN THE AIR 
 
 I assented, and we separated to our different rooms. 
 Before commencing to dress I opened the pianette that 
 stood near my window, and tried very softly to play 
 the melody I had heard in the chapel. To my joy it 
 came at once to my fingers, and I was able to remember 
 every note. I did not attempt to write it down — some- 
 how I felt sure it would not escape me now. A sense 
 of profound gratitude filled my heart, and, remembering 
 the counsel given by Heliobas, I knelt reverently down 
 and thanked God for the joy and grace of music. As 
 I did so, a faint breath of sound, like a distant whisper 
 of harps played in unison, floated past my ears, — then 
 appeared to sweep round in ever-widening circles, till 
 it gradually died away. But it was sweet and entranc- 
 ing enough for me to understand how glorious and full 
 of rapture must have been the star-symphony played 
 on that winter's night long ago, when the angels chanted 
 together, " Glory to God in the highest, and on earth 
 peace and good-will to Man ! " 
 
 J4I
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 AN ELECTRIC SHOCK 
 
 Prince Ivan Petroffsky was a constant visitor at 
 the Hotel Mars, and I began to take a certain interest 
 in him, not unmingled with pity, for it was evident that 
 he was hopelessly in love with my beautiful friend Zara. 
 She received him always with courtesy and kindness ; 
 but her behaviour to him was marked by a somewhat 
 cold dignity, which, like a barrier of ice, repelled the 
 warmth of his admiration and attention. Once or twice, 
 remembering what he had said to me, I endeavoured to 
 speak to her concerning him and his devotion ; but she 
 so instantly and decisively turned the conversation that 
 I saw I should displease her if I persisted in it. Heliobas 
 appeared to be really attached to the Prince, at which 
 I secretly wondered ; the worldly and frivolous young 
 nobleman was of so entirely different a temperament to 
 that of the thoughtful and studious Chaldean philo- 
 sopher. Yet there was evidently some mj-sterious 
 attraction between them — the Prince appeared to be 
 profoundly interested in electric theories and experi- 
 ments, and Heliobas never wearied of expounding them 
 to so attentive a listener. The wonderful capabilities 
 of the dog Leo, also, were brought into constant requisi- 
 tion for Prince Ivan's benefit, and without doubt they 
 were most remarkable. This animal, commanded — or, 
 I should say, brain-electrified — by Heliobas, would fetch 
 
 142
 
 AN ELECTRIC SHOCK 
 
 anything that was named to him through his master's 
 force, providing it was Hght enough for him to carry ; 
 and he would go into the conservator^^ and pluck off 
 with his teeth any rare or common flower within his 
 reach that was described to him by the same means. 
 Spoken to or commanded by others, he was simply a 
 good-natured intelligent Newfoundland ; but under the 
 authority of Heliobas, he became more than human in 
 ready wit and quick obedience, and would have brought 
 in a golden harvest to any great circus or menagerie. 
 
 He was a never-failing source of wonder and interest 
 to me, and even more so to the Prince, who made him 
 the subject of many an abstruse and difficult discussion 
 with his friend Casimir. I noticed that Zara seemed 
 to regret the frequent companionship of Ivan Petroffsky 
 and her brother, and a shade of sorrow or vexation 
 often crossed her fair face when she saw them together 
 absorbed in conversation or argument. 
 
 One evening a strange circumstance occurred which 
 startled and deeply impressed me. Prince Ivan had 
 dined with us ; he was in extraordinarily high spirits — 
 his gaiety was almost boisterous, and his face was 
 deeply flushed, Zara glanced at him half indignantly 
 more than once when his laughter became unusually 
 uproarious, and I saw that Heliobas watched him 
 closely and half-inquiringly, as if he thought there was 
 something amiss. 
 
 The Prince, however, heedless of his host's observant 
 eye, tossed off glass after glass of wine, and talked 
 incessantly. After dinner, when we all assembled in 
 the drawing-room, he seated himself at the piano with- 
 out being asked, and sang several songs. Whether he 
 were influenced by drink or strong excitement, his voice 
 at any rate showed no sign of weakness or deterioration. 
 Never had I heard him sing so magnificently. He 
 
 14^
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 seemed possessed not by an angel but by a demon of 
 song. It was impossible not to listen to him, and while 
 listening, equally impossible not to admire him. Even 
 Zara, who was generally indifferent to his music, be- 
 came, on this particular night, fascinated into a sort of 
 dreamy attention. He perceived this, and suddenly 
 addressed himself to her in softened tones which bore 
 no trace of their previous loudness. 
 
 " Madame, you honour me to-night by listening to my 
 poor efforts. It is seldom I am thus rewarded ! " 
 
 Zara flushed deeply, and then grew very pale. 
 
 " Indeed, Prince," she answered quietly, "you mistake 
 me. I always listen with pleasure to your singing — to- 
 night, perhaps, my mood is more fitted to music than is 
 usual with me, and thus I may appear to you to be 
 more attentive. But your voice always delights me, as 
 it must delight everybody who hears it." 
 
 "While you are in a musical mood then," returned 
 Prince Ivan, " let me sing you an English song — one of 
 the loveliest ever penned. I have set it to music myself, 
 as such words are not of the kind to suit ordinary 
 composers or publishers ; they are too much in earnest, 
 too passionate, too full of real human love and sorrow. 
 The songs that suit modern drawing-rooms and concert- 
 halls, as a rule, are those that are full of sham sentiment 
 — a real, strong, throbbing heart pulsing through a song 
 is too trying for lackadaisical society. Listen !" And, 
 playing a dreamy, murmuring prelude like the sound 
 of a brook flowing through a hollow cavern, he sang 
 three verses of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's "Valedic- 
 tion," surely one of the most touching and beautiful 
 poems in the English language. 
 
 He subdued his voice to suit the melancholy sad- 
 ness of the lines, and rendered it with so much intensity 
 of pathetic expression that it was difficult to keep tears 
 
 144
 
 AN ELECTRIC SHOCK 
 
 from filling the eyes. When he came to the last verse, 
 the anguish of a life seemed to declare itself in the 
 tenderness of his low vibrating tones : 
 
 "Can I love thee, my Beloved, — can I love thee? 
 
 And is this like love, to stand 
 
 With no help in my hand 
 When strong as death I fain would watch above thee? 
 
 My love-kiss can deny 
 
 No tear that falls beneath it, — 
 
 Mine oath of love can swear thee 
 
 From no ill that comes near thee, 
 
 And thou diest while I breathe it, 
 And / — I can but die ! 
 May God love thee, my Beloved ! May God love thee ! " 
 
 The melancholy of the music and the quivering 
 pathos of the deep baritone voice were so affecting that 
 it was almost a relief when the song ceased. I had been 
 looking out of the window at the fantastic patterns of 
 the moonlight on the garden walk, but now I turned to 
 see in Zara's face her appreciation of what we had just 
 heard. To my surprise she had left the room. Heliobas 
 reclined in his easy-chair, glancing up and down the 
 columns of the Figaro ; and the Prince still sat at the 
 piano, moving his fingers idly up and down the keys 
 without playing. The little page entered with a letter 
 on a silver salver. It was for his master. Heliobas 
 read it quickly, and rose, saying : 
 
 " I must leave you to entertain yourselves for ten 
 minutes while I answer this letter. Will you excuse 
 me?" and with the ever-courteous salute to us which 
 was part of his manner, he left the room. 
 
 I still remained at the window. Prince Ivan still 
 dumbly played the piano. There were a few minutes of 
 absolute silence. Then the Prince hastily got up, shut 
 the piano, and approached me. 
 
 145
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 "Do you know where Zara is?" he demanded in a 
 low, fierce tone. 
 
 I looked at him in surprise and a little alarm — he 
 spoke with so much suppressed anger, and his eyes 
 glittered so strangely. 
 
 " No," I answered frankly. " I never saw her leave 
 the room." 
 
 " I did," he said. " She slipped out like a ghost, or a 
 witch, or an angel, while I was singing the last verse of 
 that song. Did you ever know a poet, mademoiselle? " 
 
 " No," 1 replied, wondering at his manner more and 
 more. " Not personally." 
 
 " Poet, madman, or lover — all three should be one and 
 the same thing," muttered the Prince, clenching and 
 unclenching that strong right hand of his on which 
 sparkled a diamond like a star. " I have often 
 wondered if poets feel what they write — whether 
 they, for instance, ever feel the weight of a dead cold 
 thing within them Jure" slightly touching the region of 
 his heart, " and realize that they have to drag a corpse 
 of unburicd love with them everywhere — even to the 
 grave, and beyond — O God ! — beyond the grave ! " 
 
 I touched him gently on the arm. I was full of pity 
 for him — his despair was so bitter and keen. 
 
 "Prince Ivan," I said, "}-ou are excited and over- 
 wrought. Zara meant no slight to you in leaving the 
 room before your song was finished. I am quite sure 
 of that. She is kindness itself — her nature is all sweet- 
 ness and gentleness. She would not willingly offend 
 you " 
 
 "Offend me!" he exclaimed; "she could not offend 
 me if she tried. She could tread upon me, stab me, slay 
 me, but never offend me. I see you are sorry for me — 
 and I thank you. I kiss your hand for your gentle 
 pity, mademoiselle." 
 
 146
 
 AN ELECTRIC SHOCK 
 
 And he did so, with a knightly grace that became 
 him well. I thought his momentary anger was passing, 
 but I was mistaken. Suddenly he raised his arm with 
 a fierce gesture, and exclaimed : 
 
 " By heaven ! I will wait no longer. I am a fool to 
 hesitate. I may wait a century before I draw out of 
 Casimir the secret that would enable me to measure 
 swords with my rival. Listen 1 " and he grasped my 
 shoulder roughly. " Stay here, you ! If Casimir returns, 
 tell him I have gone for a walk of half an hour. Play 
 to him — keep him occupied — be my friend in this one 
 thing — I trust you. Let him not seek for Zara, or for 
 me. I shall not be long absent." 
 
 " Stay ! " I whispered hurriedly. " What are you 
 going to do? Surely you know the power of Heliobas. 
 He is supreme here. He could find out anything he 
 chose. He could " 
 
 Prince Ivan looked at me fixedly. 
 
 " Will you swear to me that you actually do not 
 know ? " 
 
 " Know what ? " I asked, perplexed. 
 
 He laughed bitterly, sarcastically. 
 
 " Did you ever hear that line of poetry which speaks 
 of 'A zvoman wailing for her demon-lover' "? That is 
 what Zara does. Of one thing I am certain — she does 
 not wail or wait long ; he comes quickly." 
 
 " What do you mean ? " I exclaimed, utterly mysti- 
 fied. " Who comes quickly ? I am sure you do not 
 know what you are talking about." 
 
 " I do know," he replied firmly ; " and I am going to 
 prove my knowledge. Remember what I have asked 
 you." And without another word or look, he threw 
 open the velvet curtains of the po7'ticre, and disappeared 
 behind them. 
 
 Left to myself, I felt very nervous and excited. All 
 
 147
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 sorts of odd fancies came into my head, and would not 
 go away, but danced about like Will-o'-the-wisps on a 
 morass. What did Prince Ivan mean? Was he mad? 
 or had he drunk too much wine? What strange illusion 
 had he in his mind about Zara and a demon? Suddenly 
 a thought flashed upon me that made me trcm.ble from 
 head to foot. I remembered what Heliobas had said 
 about twin flames and dual affinities ; and I also reflected 
 that he had declared Zara to be dominated by a more 
 powerful force than his own. But then, I had accepted 
 it as a matter of course that, whatever the force was, it 
 must be for good, not evil, over a being so pure, so 
 lovely and so intelligent as Zara. 
 
 I knew and felt that there were good and evil forces. 
 Now, suppose Zara were commanded by some strange 
 evil thing, unguessed at, undreamt of in the wildest 
 nightmare? I shuddered as with icy cold. It could 
 not be. I resolutely refused to admit such a fearful 
 conjecture. Why, I thought to myself, with a faint 
 smile, I was no better in my imaginings than the so 
 virtuous and ever-respectable Suzanne Michot of whom 
 Madame Denise had spoken. Still, the hateful thought 
 came back again and again, and refused to go away. 
 
 I went to my old place at the window and looked out. 
 The moonlight fell in cold slanting rays ; but an arrny 
 of dark clouds were hurrying up from the horizon, 
 looking in their weird shapes like the mounted Valkyries 
 in Wagner's ' Nicbelungcn Ring,' galloping to Walhalla 
 with the bodies of dead warriors slung before them. A 
 low moaning wind had arisen, and was beginning to sob 
 round the house like the Banshee. Hark! what was 
 that? I started violently. Surely that was a faint 
 shriek? I listened intently. Nothing but the wind 
 rustling among some creaking branches. 
 
 "A womnn wailing for her demon-lover." 
 
 148
 
 AN ELECTRIC SHOCK 
 
 How that line haunted me ! And with it there slowly 
 grew up in my mind a black looming horror ; an idea, 
 vague and ghastly, that froze my blood and turned me 
 faint and giddy. Suppose, when I had consented to be 
 experimented upon by Heliobas — when my soul in the 
 electric trance was lifted up to the unseen world — 
 suppose an evil force, terrible and all-compelling, were 
 to dominate me and hold me for ever and ever ! I 
 gasped for breath ! Oh, so much the more need of 
 prayer ! 
 
 " Pray much and often, with as unselfish a heart as 
 you can prepare." 
 
 Thus Heliobas had said ; and I thought to myself, if 
 all those who were on the brink of great sin or crime 
 could only be brought to feel beforehand what I felt 
 when facing the spectral dread of unknown evil, then 
 surely sins would be fewer and crimes never committed. 
 And I murmured softly, " Lead us not into temptation, 
 but deliver us from evil." 
 
 The mere utterance of these words seemed to calm 
 and encourage me ; and as I gazed up at the sky again, 
 with its gathering clouds, one star, like a bright con- 
 soling eye, looked at me, glittering cheerfully amid the 
 surrounding darkness. 
 
 More than ten minutes had elapsed since Prince Ivan 
 had left the room, and there was no sound of returning 
 footsteps. And where was Zara? I determined to 
 seek her. I was free to go anywhere in the house, onl^'^ 
 avoiding her studio during her hours of work ; and she 
 never worked at night. I would go to her and confide 
 all my strange thoughts and terrors to her friendly 
 sympathy. I hurried through the hall and up the 
 staircase quickly, and should have gone straight into 
 Zara's boudoir had I not heard a sound of voices which 
 caused me to stop precipitately outside the door. Zara 
 
 M . 149
 
 A ROMiVNCE OF T\VO WORLDS 
 
 was speaking. Her low musical accents fell like a 
 siher chime on the air. 
 
 " I have told >'OU," she said, " again and again that it 
 is impossible. You waste your life in the pursuit of a 
 phantom ; for a phantom I must be to you always — a 
 mere dream, not a woman such as your love would 
 satisfy. You are a strong man, in sound health and 
 spirits ; you care for the world and the things that are 
 in it. I do not. You would make me happy, you say. 
 No doubt you would do your best — your wealth and 
 influence, your good looks, your hospitable and friendly 
 nature would make most women happy. But what 
 should / care for your family diamonds? for }-our 
 surroundings? for your ambitions? The society of the 
 world fills me with disgust and prejudice. Marriage, 
 as the world considers it, shocks and outrages my self- 
 respect ; the idea of a bodily union without that of souls 
 is to me repulsive and loathsome. Why, therefore, 
 waste your time in seeking a love which does not exist, 
 which never will exist for you ? " 
 
 I heard the deep passionate tones of Prince Ivan in 
 answer : 
 
 "One light kindles another, Zara ! The sunlight 
 melts the snow I I cannot believe but that a long and 
 faithful love may — nay, viust — have its reward at last. 
 Even according to your brother's theories, the emotion 
 of love is capable of powerful attraction. Cannot I hope 
 that my passion — so strong, so great, so true, Zara ! — 
 will, with patience, draw you, star of my life, closer and 
 closer, till I at last call you mine?" 
 
 I heard the faint rustle of Zara's silk robe, as though 
 she were moving farther from him. 
 
 " You speak ignorantly. Prince. Your studies with 
 Casimir appear to have brought you little knowledge. 
 Attraction ! How can you attract what is not in your 
 
 150
 
 AN ELECTRIC SHOCK 
 
 sphere? As well ask for the Moons of Jupiter or the 
 Ring of Saturn ! The laws of attraction and repulsion, 
 Prince Ivan, are fixed by a higher authority than yours, 
 and you are as powerless to alter or abate them by one 
 iota, as a child is powerless to repel the advancing waves 
 of the sea." 
 
 Prince Ivan spoke again, and his voice quivered with 
 suppressed anger. 
 
 " You may talk as you will, beautiful Zara ; but you 
 shall never persuade me against my reason. I am no 
 dreamer ; no speculator in aerial nothings ; no clever 
 charlatan like Casimir, who, because he is able to 
 magnetize a dog, pretends to the same authority over 
 human beings, and dares to risk the health, perhaps the 
 very sanity, of his own sister, and that of the unfortun- 
 ate young musician whom he has inveigled in here, all 
 for the sake of proving his dangerous, almost diabolical, 
 experiments. Oh yes ; I see you are indignant, but I 
 speak truth. I am a plain man ; — and if I am deficient 
 in electric germs, as Casimir would say, I have plenty of 
 common sense. I wish to rescue you, Zara. You are 
 becoming a prey to morbid fancies ; your naturally 
 healthy mind is full of extravagant notions concerning 
 angels and demons and what not ; and your entire belief 
 in, and enthusiasm for, your brother is a splendid ad- 
 vertisement for him. Let me tear the veil of credulity 
 from your eyes. Let me teach you how good a thing 
 it is to live and love and laugh like other people, 
 and leave electricity to the telegraph-wires and the 
 lamp-posts." 
 
 Again I heard the silken rustle ot Zara's dress, and, 
 Impelled by strong curiosity and excitement, I raised a 
 corner of the curtain hanging over the door, and was 
 able to see the room distinctly. The Prince stood, or 
 rather lounged, near the window, and opposite to him 
 
 151
 
 A ROISIANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 was Zara ; she had evidently retreated from him as far 
 as possible, and held herself proudly erect, her eyes 
 flashing with unusual brilliancy contrasted ^\■ith the 
 pallor of her face. 
 
 " Your insults to my brother, Prince," she said calmly, 
 " I suffer to pass by me, knowing well to what a depth 
 of wilful blind ignorance you are fallen. I pity you — 
 and — I despise you I You are indeed a plain man, as 
 you say — nothing more and nothing less. You can take 
 advantage of the hospitality of this house, and pretend 
 friendship to the host, while you slander him behind his 
 back, and insult his sister in the privacy of her own 
 apartment. Very man-like, truly ; and perfectly in 
 accordance with a reasonable being who likes to live 
 and love and laugh according to the rule of society — a 
 puppet whose wires society pulls, and he dances or dies 
 as society pleases. I told you a gulf existed between 
 us — you have widened it, for which I thank you I As I 
 do not impose anyof my wishes upon you, and therefore 
 cannot request you to leave the room, }'ou must excuse 
 me if / retire elsewhere." 
 
 And she approached the entrance of her studio, which 
 was opposite to where I stood ; but the Prince reached 
 it before her, and placed his back against it. His face 
 was deathly pale, and his dark eyes blazed with wrath 
 and love intermingled. 
 
 " No, Zara ! " he exclaimed in a sort of loud whisper. 
 " If you think to escape me so, you are in error. I 
 came to you reckless and resolved I You shall be 
 mine if I die for it!" And he strove to seize her 
 in his arms. But she escaped him and stood at bay, 
 her lips quivering, her bosom heaving, and her hands 
 clenched. 
 
 'I wani you!" she exclaimed. "By the intense 
 loathing I have for you ; by the force which makes njy 
 
 152
 
 jlN ELECTRIC SHOCK 
 
 spirit rise in arms against you, I warn you ! Do not 
 dare to touch me! If you care for your own life, leave 
 me while there is time ! " 
 
 Never had she looked so supremely, terribly beautiful. 
 I gazed at her from my corner of the doorway, awed, 
 yet fascinated. The jewel on her breast glowed with 
 an angry red lustre, and shot forth dazzling opaline 
 rays, as though it were a sort of living, breathing star. 
 Prince Ivan paused — entranced no doubt, as I was, by 
 her unearthly loveliness. His face flushed — he gave a 
 low laugh of admiration. Then he made two swift 
 strides forward and caught her fiercely in his embrace. 
 His triumph was brief. Scarcely had his strong arm 
 clasped her waist, when it fell numb and powerless — 
 scarcely had his eager lips stooped towards hers, when 
 he reeled and sank heavily on the ground, senseless ! 
 The spell that had held me a silent spectator of the 
 scene was broken. Terrified, I rushed into the room, 
 crying out ■ 
 
 " Zara, Zara ! What have you done ? " 
 
 Zara turned her eyes gently upon me — they were 
 soft and humid as though recently filled with tears. 
 All the burning scorn and indignation had gone out of 
 her face — she looked pityingly at the prostrate form of 
 her admirer. 
 
 " He is not dead," she said quietly. " I will call 
 asimir. 
 
 I knelt beside the Prince and raised his hand. It 
 was cold and heavj'. His lips were blue, and his closed 
 eyelids looked as though, in the words of Homer, 
 "Death's purple finger" had shut them fast for ever. 
 No breath — no pulsation of the heart. I looked fear- 
 fully at Zara. She smiled half sadly. 
 
 " He is not dead," she repeated. 
 
 " Are you sure ? " I murmured. " What was it, Zara, 
 
 153
 
 A ROINIANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 that made him fall ? I was at the door — T saw and 
 heard everything." 
 
 " I know you did," said Zara gently ; " and I am glad 
 of it. I wished you to see and hear all." 
 
 "Is it a fit, do you think?" I asked again, looking 
 sorrowfully at the sad face of the unfortunate Ivan, 
 which seemed to me to have already graven upon it the 
 stern sweet smile of those who have passed all passion 
 and pain for ever. " Oh, Zara ! do you believe he will 
 recover ? " And tears choked my voice — tears of com- 
 passion and regret. 
 
 Zara came and kissed me. 
 
 "Yes, he will recover — do not fret, little one. I have 
 rung my private bell for Casimir ; he will be here 
 directly. The Prince has had a shock — not a fatal 
 one, as you will see. You look doubtful — are you afraid 
 of me, dear?" 
 
 I gazed at her earnestly. Those clear childlike eyes 
 — that frank smile — that gentle and dignified mien — 
 could they accompany evil thoughts? No! I was sure 
 Zara was good as she was lovely. 
 
 " I am not afraid of you, Zara," I said gravely ; " I 
 love you too well for that. But I am sorry for the poor 
 Prince ; and I cannot understand " 
 
 " You cannot understand why those who trespass 
 against fixed laws should suffer?" observed Zara 
 calmly. "Well, you will understand some day. 
 You will know that in one way or another it is the 
 reason of all suffering, both physical and mental, in the 
 world." 
 
 I said no more, but waited in silence till the sound 
 of a firm approaching footstep announced Heliobas. 
 He entered the room quickly — glanced at the motion- 
 less form of the Prince, then at me, and lastly at his 
 sister. 
 
 154
 
 AN ELECTRIC SHOCK 
 
 *' Has he been long thus ? " he asked in a low tone. 
 
 " Not five minutes," replied Zara. 
 
 A pitying and affectionate gentleness of expression 
 filled his keen eyes. 
 
 " Reckless boy I " he murmured softly, as he stooped 
 and laid one hand lightly on Ivan's breast. " He is the 
 very type of misguided human bravery. You were too 
 hard upon him, Zara ! " 
 
 Zara sighed. 
 
 " He spoke against you," she said. 
 
 " Of course he did," returned her brother with a 
 smile. " And it was perfectly natural he should do so. 
 Have I not read his thoughts? Do not I know that he 
 considers me a false pretender and charlatan ? And 
 have I not humoured him ? In this he is no worse 
 than any one of his race. Every great scientific 
 discovery is voted impossible at the first start. Ivan is 
 not to blame because he is like the rest of the world. 
 He will be wiser in time." 
 
 " He attempted to force his desires," began Zara 
 again, and her cheeks flushed indignantly, 
 
 " I know," answered her brother. " I foresaw how it 
 would be, but was powerless to prevent it. He was 
 wrong — but bold ! Such boldness compels a certain 
 admiration. This fellow would scale the stars, if he 
 knew how to do it, by physical force alone." 
 
 I grew impatient, and interrupted these remarks. 
 
 " Perhaps he is scaling the stars now," I said ; 
 " or at any rate he will do so if death can show him the 
 way." 
 
 Heliobas gave me a friendly glance. 
 
 "You also are growing courageous when you can 
 speak to your physician thus abruptly," he observed 
 quietly. " Death has nothing to do with our friend as 
 yet, I assure you. Zara, you had better leave us Your 
 
 153
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 face must not be the first for Ivan's eyes to rest upon. 
 You," nodding to me, " can stay." 
 
 Zara pressed my hand gently as she passed me, and 
 entered her studio, the door of which closed behind her, 
 and I heard the key turn in the lock. I became 
 absorbed in the proceedings of Heliobas. Stooping 
 towards the recumbent form of Prince Ivan, he took the 
 heavy lifeless hands firmly in his own, and then fixed 
 his eyes fully and steadily on the pale, set features with 
 an expression of the most forcible, calm and absolutely 
 undeniable authority. Not one word did he utter, but 
 remained motionless as a statue in the attitude thus 
 assumed — he seemed scarcely to breathe — not a muscle 
 of his countenance moved. Perhaps twenty or thirty 
 seconds might have elapsed, when a warm tinge of 
 colour came back to the apparently dead face — the 
 brows twitched — the lips quivered and parted in a 
 heavy sigh. The bruised appearance of the eyelids 
 gave place to the natural tint — they opened, disclosing 
 the eyes, which stared directly into those of the com- 
 pelling Master who thus forced their obedience. A 
 strong shudder shook the young man's frame ; his 
 before nerveless hands grasped those of Heliobas with 
 force and fervour, and still meeting that steady look 
 which seemed to pierce the very centre of his system, 
 Prince Ivan, like Lazarus of old, arose and stood erect. 
 As he did so, Heliobas withdrew his eyes, dropped his 
 hands and smiled. 
 
 " You are better, Ivan ? " he inquired kindly. 
 
 The Prince looked about him, bewildered. He passed 
 one hand across his forehead without replying. Then 
 he turned slightly and perceived me in the window- 
 embrasure, whither I had retreated in fear and wonder- 
 ment at the marvellous power of Heliobas, thus openly 
 and plainly displayed. 
 
 156
 
 AN ELECTRIC SHOCK 
 
 "Tell me," he said, addressing me, "have I been 
 dreaming? " 
 
 I could not answer him. 1 was glad to see him 
 recover, yet I was a little afraid. Heliobas pushed a 
 chair gently towards him. 
 
 " Sit down, Ivan," he said quietly. 
 
 The Prince obeyed, and covered his face with his 
 hand as though in deep and earnest meditation. I 
 looked on in silence and wonderment. Heliobas spoke 
 not another word, and together we watched the pensive 
 figure in the chair, so absorbed in serious thought. 
 Some minutes passed. The gentle tick of the clock in 
 the outer hall grew almost obtrusive, so loud did it 
 seem in the utter stillness that surrounded us. I 
 longed to speak — to ask questions — to proffer sympathy 
 — but dared not move or utter a syllable. Suddenly 
 the Prince rose ; his manner was calm and dignified, 
 yet touched with a strange humility. He advanced to 
 Heliobas, holding out his hand. 
 
 " Forgive me, Casimir ! " he said simply. 
 
 Heliobas at once grasped the proffered palm within 
 his own, and looked at the young man with an almost 
 fatherly tenderness. 
 
 " Say no more, Ivan," he returned, his rich voice 
 sounding more than usually mellow in its warmth and 
 heartiness. " We must all learn before we can know, 
 and some of our lessons are sharp and difficult. What- 
 ever you have thought of me, remember I have not, and 
 do not, blame you. To be offended with unbelievers is 
 to show that you are not yourself quite sure of the faith 
 to which you would compel them." 
 
 " I would ask you one thing," went on the Prince, 
 speaking in a low tone. " Do not let me stay to fall into 
 fresh errors. Teach me — guide me, Casimir ; I will be 
 the most docile of your pupils. As for Zara " 
 
 i57
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 He paused, as if overcome. 
 
 " Come with me," said I leliobas, taking his arm; "a 
 glass of good wine will invigorate you. It is better to 
 see Zara no more for a time. Let me take charge of 
 you. You, mademoiselle," turning to me, " will be kind 
 enough to tell Zara that the Prince has recovered, and 
 sends her a friendly good-night. Will that message 
 suffice ? " he inquired of Ivan, with a smile. 
 
 The Prince looked at me with a sort of wistful gravity 
 as I came forward to bid him farewell. 
 
 " You will embrace her," he said slowly, " without 
 fear. Her eyes will rain sunshine upon you ; they will 
 not dart lightning. Her lips will meet yours, and their 
 touch will be warm — not cold, like sharp steel. Yes ; 
 bid her good-night for me ; tell her that an erring man 
 kisses the hem of her robe, and prays her for pardon. 
 Tell her that I understand ; tell her I have seen her 
 lover ! " 
 
 With these words, uttered distinctly and emphatically, 
 he turned away with Heliobas, who still held him by 
 the arm in a friendly, half-protecting manner. The 
 tears stood in my eyes. I called softly — 
 
 " Good-night, Prince Ivan ! " 
 
 He looked back with a faint smile. 
 
 " Good-night, mademoiselle ! " 
 
 Heliobas also looked back and gave me an encourag- 
 ing nod, which meant several things at once, such as 
 " Do not be anxious," " He will be all right soon," and 
 " Always believe the best." I watched their two figures 
 disappear through the doorway, and then, feeling almost 
 cheerful again, I knocked at the door of Zara's studio. 
 She opened it at once, and came out. I delivered the 
 Prince's message, word for word, as he had given it. 
 She listened, and sighed deeply. 
 
 " Are you sorry for him, Zara ? " I asked. 
 
 158
 
 AN ELECTRIC SHOCK 
 
 " Yes," she replied ; " T am sorry for him as far as I 
 can be sorry for anything. I am never actually very 
 sorry for any circumstances, however grievous they may 
 appear." 
 
 I was surprised at this avowal. 
 
 " Why, Zara," I said, " I thought you were so keenly 
 sympathetic ? " 
 
 " So I am sympathetic, but only with suffering ignor- 
 ance— a dying bird that knows not why it should die — 
 a withering rose that sees not the reason for its wither- 
 ing; but for human beings who wilfully blind themselves 
 to the teachings of their own instincts, and are always 
 doing M'hat they know they ought not to do in spite of 
 warning, I cannot say I am sorry. And for those who 
 do study the causes and ultimate results of their 
 existence, there is no occasion to be sorry, as they 
 are perfectly happy, knowing everything that happens 
 to them to be for their advancement and justifi- 
 cation.'* 
 
 " Tell me," I asked, with a little hesitation, " what did 
 Prince Ivan mean by saying he had seen your lover, 
 Zara?" 
 
 " He meant what he said, I suppose," replied Zara, 
 with sudden coldness. " Excuse me, I thought you 
 said you were not inquisitive." 
 
 I could not bear this change of tone in her, and I 
 clasped my arms tight about her and smiled in her 
 face. 
 
 " You shall not get angry with me, Zara ! I am not 
 going to be treated like poor Ivan ! I have found out 
 what you are, and how dangerous it is to admire you ; 
 but I do admire and love you. And I defy you to 
 knock me down as unceremoniously as you did the 
 Prince — you beautiful living bit of Lightning ! " 
 
 Zara moved restlessly in my embrace, but I held her 
 
 159
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 fast. At the last epithet I bestowed on her, she grew 
 very pale; but her eyes resembled the jewels on her 
 breast in their sheeny glitter. 
 
 " What have you found out ? " she murmured. " What 
 do you know?" 
 
 " I cannot say I knozu" I went on boldly, still keeping 
 my arms round her ; " but I have made a guess which I 
 think comes near the truth. Your brother has had the 
 care of you ever since you were a little child, and I 
 believe he has, by some method known only to himself, 
 charged you with electricity. Yes, Zara," for she had 
 started and tried to loosen my hold of her; "and it is 
 that which keeps you }'oung and fresh as a girl of 
 sixteen, at an age when other women lose their bloom 
 and grow wrinkles. It is that which gives you the 
 power to impart a repelling shock to people you dislike, 
 as in the case of Prince Ivan. It is that which gives 
 you such an attractive force for those with whom you 
 have a little sympathy — such as myself, for instance; 
 and you cannot, Zara, with all your electric strength, 
 unclasp my arms from your waist, because you have 
 not the sentiment of repulsion towards me which would 
 enable you to do it. Shall I go on guessing?" 
 
 Zara made a sign of assent — the expression ol her 
 face had softened, and a dimpling smile played round 
 the corners of her mouth. 
 
 "Your lover," I went on steadily and slowly, "is a 
 native of some other sphere — perhaps a creation of your 
 own fancy— perhaps (for I will not be sceptical any 
 more) a beautiful and all-powerful angelic spirit. I will 
 not discuss this with you. I believe that when Prince 
 Ivan fell senseless, he saw, or fancied he saw, that 
 nameless being. And now," I added, loosening my 
 clasp of her, " have I guessed well ? " 
 
 Zara looked meditative. 
 
 160
 
 AN ELECTRIC SHOCK 
 
 " I do not know," she said, " why you should 
 
 imagine- 
 
 "Stop!" I exclaimed; "there is no imagination in 
 the case. I have reasoned it out. Here is a book I 
 found in the library on electric organs as they are dis- 
 covered to exist in certain fish. Listen : * They are 
 nervous apparatuses which in the arrangement of their 
 parts may be compared to a Voltaic pile. They develop 
 electricity and give electrical discharges.'" 
 
 'Well!" said Zara. 
 
 "You say 'Weill' as if you did not know!" I ex- 
 claimed half-angrily, half-laughingly. " These fish have 
 helped me to understand a great deal, I assure you. 
 Your brother must have discovered the seed or com- 
 mencement of electrical organs like those described, in 
 the human body ; and he has cultivated them in you 
 and in himself, and has brought them to a high state of 
 perfection. He has cultivated them in Raffaello Cellini, 
 and he is beginning to cultivate them in me, and I hope 
 most sincerely he will succeed. I think his theory is a 
 magnificent one ! " 
 
 Zara gazed seriously at me, and her large eyes 
 seemed to grow darker with the intensity of her 
 thought 
 
 " Supposing you had reasoned out the matter 
 correctly," she said — "and I will not deny that you 
 have done a great deal towards the comprehension of 
 it — have you no fear? do you not include some draw- 
 backs in even Casimir's learning such a secret, and 
 being able to cultivate and educate such a deadly force 
 as that of electricity in the human being? " 
 
 "If it is deadly, it is also life-giving," I answered. 
 " Remedies are also poisons. You laid the Prince 
 senseless at your feet, but your brother raised him up 
 again. Both these things were done by electricity. 
 
 i6i
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 I can understand it all now ; I see no obscurity", 
 no mystery. And oh, what a superb discovery- 
 it is ! " 
 
 Zara smiled. 
 
 "You enthusiast!" she said, "it is nothing new. It 
 was well known to the ancient Chaldeans. It was 
 known to Moses and his followers ; it was practised in 
 perfection by Christ and His disciples. To modern 
 civilisation it may seem a discovery, because the 
 tendency of all so-called progress is to forget the past. 
 The scent of the human savage is extraordinarily keen 
 — keener than that of any animal — he can follow a track 
 unerringly by some odour he is able to detect in the 
 air. Again, he can lay back his ears to the wind and 
 catch a faint, far-off sound with certainty and precision, 
 and tell you what it is. Civilized beings have for- 
 gotten all this ; they can neither smell nor hear with 
 actual keenness. Just in the same way, they hav^e 
 forgotten the use of the electrical organs they all 
 indubitably possess in large or minute degree. As the 
 muscles of the arm are developed by practice, so can the 
 wonderful internal electrical apparatus of man be 
 strengthened and enlarged by use. The world in its 
 youth knew this ; the world in its age forgets, as an 
 old man forgets or smiles disdainfully at the past 
 sports of his childhood. But do not let us talk any 
 more to-night. If }ou think your ideas of me are 
 correct " 
 
 " I am sure they are ! " I cried triumphantly. 
 
 Zara held out her arms to me. 
 
 " And you are sure you love me ? " she asked. 
 
 1 nestled into her embrace and kissed her. 
 
 " Sure ! " I answered. " Zara, I love and honour you 
 more than any woman I ever met or ever shall meet. 
 And you love me — I know you do ! " 
 
 162
 
 AN ELECTRIC SHOCK 
 
 "How can I help it?" she said. "Are you not one 
 of us ? Good-night, dearest ! Sleep well ! " 
 
 " Good-night ! " I answered. " And remember Prince 
 Ivan asked for your pardon." 
 
 " I remember ! " she replied softly, " I have already 
 pardoned him, and I will pray for him." And a sort 
 of radiant pity and forbearance illumined her lovely 
 features, as we parted for the night. So might an angel 
 look on some repentant sinner pleading for Heaven's 
 forgiveness. 
 
 I lay awake for some time that night, endeavouring to 
 follow out the track of thought I had entered upon in 
 my conversation with Zara. With such electricity as 
 Heliobas practised, once admitting that human electric 
 force existed, a fact which no reasoning person could 
 deny, all things were possible. Even a knowledge of 
 superhuman events might be attained, if there were 
 anything in the universe that zcas superhuman ; and 
 surely it would be arrogant and ignorant to refuse to 
 contemplate such a probability. At one time people 
 mocked at the wild idea that a message could flash in a 
 moment of time from one side of the Atlantic to the 
 other by means of a cable laid under the sea ; now that 
 it is an established fact, the world has grown accustomed 
 to it, and has ceased to regard it as a wonder. Granting 
 human electricity to exist, why should not a communi- 
 cation be established, like a sort of spiritual Atlantic 
 cable, between man and the beings of other spheres and 
 other solar systems ? The more I reflected on the 
 subject the more lost I became in daring speculations 
 concerning that other world, to which I was soon to be 
 lifted. Then in a sort of half-doze, I fancied I saw an 
 interminable glittering chain of vivid light composed 
 of circles that were all looped one in another, which 
 seemed to sweep round the realms of space and to 
 
 103
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 tie up the sun, moon, and stars like flowers in a ribbon 
 of fire. After much anxious and humble research, I 
 found myself to be one of the smallest links in this 
 great chain. I do not know whether I was grateful 
 or afraid at this discovery, for sleep put an end to my 
 drowsy fancies, and dropped a dark curtain over my 
 waking dreams. 
 
 T64
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 MY STRANGE DEPARTURE 
 
 The next morning brought me two letters ; one from 
 Mrs. Everard, telling me that she and the Colonel had 
 resolved on coming to Paris. 
 
 " All the nice people are going away from here," she 
 wrote. " Madame Didier and her husband have started 
 for Naples ; and, to crown our lonesomeness, Raffaello 
 Cellini packed up all his traps, and left us yesterday- 
 morning en route for Rome. The weather continues 
 to be delicious ; but as you seem to be getting on so 
 well in Paris, in spite of the cold there, we have made 
 up our minds to join you, the more especially as I want 
 to renovate my wardrobe. We shall go straight to the 
 Grand Hotel ; and I am writing to Mrs. Challoner by 
 this post, asking her to get us rooms. We are so glad 
 you are feeling nearly recovered — of course, you must 
 not leave your physician till you are quite ready. At 
 any rate, we shall not arrive till the end of next 
 week." 
 
 I began to calculate. During that strange interview 
 in the chapel, Heliobas had said that in eight days more 
 I should be strong enough to undergo the transmigra- 
 tion he had promised to effect upon me. Those eight 
 days were now completed on this very morning. I was 
 glad of this ; for I did not care to see Mrs. Everard or 
 anyone till the experiment was over. The other letter 
 
 N 165
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 1 received was from Mrs. Challoncr, \vho asked me to 
 give an " Improvisation" at the Grand Hotel that day- 
 fortnight. 
 
 When I went down to breakfast, I mentioned both 
 these letters, and said, addressing myself to Heliobas: 
 
 " Is it not rather a sudden freak of Raffaello Cellini's 
 to leave Cannes? We all thought he was settled for 
 the winter there. Did you know he was going to 
 Rome ? " 
 
 " Yes," said Heliobas, as he stirred his coffee 
 abstractedly. " I knew he was going there some 
 day this month ; his presence is required there on 
 business." 
 
 "And are you going to give the Improvisation this 
 Mrs. Challoner asks you for?" inquired Zara. 
 
 I glanced at Heliobas He answered for me. 
 
 " I should certainly give it if I were you," he said 
 quietly: "there will be nothing to prevent your doing so 
 at the date named." 
 
 I was relieved. I had not been altogether able to 
 divest myself of the idea that I might possibly never 
 come out alive from the electric trance to which I had 
 certainly consented ; and this assurance on the part of 
 Heliobas was undoubtedly comforting. We were all 
 very silent that morning ; we all wore grave and 
 preoccupied expressions. Zara was very pale, and 
 appeared lost in thought. Heliobas, too, looked slightly 
 careworn, as though he had been up all night, engaged 
 in some brain-exhausting labour. No mention was 
 made of Prince Ivan ; we avoided his name by a sort of 
 secret mutual understanding. When the breakfast was 
 over, I looked with a fearless smile at the calm face of 
 Heliobas, which appeared nobler and more dignified 
 than ever with that slight touch of sadness upon it, and 
 said softly : 
 
 166
 
 MY STRANGE DEPARTURE 
 
 " The eight days are accompHshed ! 
 
 He met my gaze fully, with a steady and serious 
 observation of my features, and replied : 
 
 " My child, I am aware of it. I expect you in my 
 private room at noon. In the meantime speak to no 
 one — not even to Zara ; read no books ; touch no note 
 of music. The chapel has been prepared for you ; go 
 there and pray. When you see a small point of light 
 touch the extreme edge of the cross upon the altar, 
 it will be twelve o'clock, and you will then come 
 to me." 
 
 With these words, uttered in a grave and earnest 
 tone, he left me. A sensation of sudden awe stole upon 
 me. 1 looked at Zara, She laid her finger on her 
 lips and smiled, enjoining silence ; then drawing my 
 hand close within her own, she led me to the door of 
 the chapel. There she took a soft veil of some white 
 transparent fabric, and flung it over me, embracing and 
 kissing me tenderly as she did so, but uttering no word. 
 Taking my hand again, she entered the chapel with me, 
 and accompanied me through what seemed a blaze of 
 light and colour to the high altar, before which was 
 placed 2, prie-dieii of crimson velvet. Motioning me to 
 kneel, she kissed me once more through the filmy veil 
 that covered me from head to foot ; then turning noise- 
 lessly away she disappeared, and I heard the heavy 
 oaken door close behind her. Left alone, I was able to 
 quietly take note of everything around me. The altar 
 before which I knelt was ablaze with lighted candles, 
 and a wealth of the purest white flowers decorated it, 
 mingling their delicious fragrance with the faintly per- 
 ceptible odour of incense. On all sides of the chapel, 
 in every little niche, and at every shrine, tapers were 
 burning like fireflies in a summer twilight. At the 
 foot of the large crucifix, which occupied a somewhat 
 
 167
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 shadowy corner, lay a wreath of magnificent crimson 
 roses. It would seem as though some high festival 
 were about to be celebrated, and I gazed around me 
 with a beating lieart, half expecting some invisible 
 touch to awaken the notes of the organ and a chorus 
 of spirit-voices to respond with the " Gloria in excelsis 
 Deo ! " But there was silence — absolute, beautiful, rest- 
 ful silence. I strov^e to collect my thoughts, and turning 
 my eyes towards the jewelled cross that surmounted the 
 high altar, I clasped my hands, and began to wonder 
 how and for what I should pray. Suddenly the idea 
 struck me that surely it was selfish to ask Heaven for 
 anything ; would it not be better to reflect on all that 
 had already been given to me, and to offer up thanks ? 
 Scarcely had this thought entered my mind when a 
 sort of overwhelming sense of unworthiness came over 
 me. Had I ever been unhappy? I wondered. If so, 
 why? I began to count up my blessings and compare 
 them with my misfortunes. Exhausted pleasure-seekers 
 may be surprised to hear that I proved the joys of my 
 life to have far exceeded my sorrows. I found that I 
 had sight, hearing, youth, sound limbs, an appreciation 
 of the beautiful in art and nature, and an intense power 
 of enjoyment. For all these things, impossible of pur- 
 chase by mere wealth, should I not give thanks ? For 
 every golden ray of sunshine, for every flower that blooms, 
 for the harmonies of the wind and sea, for the singing of 
 birds and the shadows of trees, should I not — should we 
 not all give thanks ? For is there any human sorrow so 
 great that the blessing of mere daylight on the earth does 
 not far exceed ? We mortals are spoilt and petted 
 children — the more gifts we have the more we crave ; 
 and when we burn or wound ourselves by our own 
 obstinacy or carelessness, we are ungratefully prone to 
 blame the Supreme Benefactor for our own faults. We 
 
 i6S
 
 MY STRANGE DEPARTURE 
 
 aon black mourning robes as a sort of sombre protest 
 against Him for having removed some special object of 
 our choice and love, whereas, if we believed in Him 
 and were grateful to Him, we should wear dazzling white 
 in sign of rejoicing that our treasure is safe in the land 
 of perfect joy where we ourselves desire to be. Do we 
 suffer from illness, loss of money, position, or friends, 
 we rail against Fate — another name for God — and 
 complain like babes who have broken their toys ; yet 
 the sun shines on, the seasons come and go, the lovely 
 panorama of Nature unrolls itself, all for our benefit, 
 while we murmur and fret and turn our eyes away in 
 anger. 
 
 Thinking of these things and kneeling before the 
 altar, my heart became filled with gratitude ; and no 
 petition suggested itself to me save one, and that was, 
 " Let me believe and love ! " I thought of the fair, 
 strong, stately figure of Christ, standing out in the 
 world's history, like a statue of pure white marble 
 against a dark background ; I mused on the endurance, 
 patience, forgiveness, and perfect innocence of that 
 most spotless life which was finished on the cross, and 
 again I murmured, " Let me believe and love ! " And 
 I became so absorbed in meditation that the time fled 
 fast, till a sudden sparkle of flame flashing across the 
 altar-steps caused me to look up. The jewelled cross 
 had become a cross of fire. The point of light I had 
 been told to watch for had not only touched the ex- 
 treme edge, but had crept down among all the precious 
 stones and lit them up like stars. I afterwards learned 
 that this effect was produced by means of a thin 
 electric wire, which, communicating with a timepiece 
 constructed on the same system, illuminated the cross 
 at sunrise, noon, and sunset. It was time for me to 
 join Heliobas. I rose gently, and left the chapel with 
 
 169
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 a quiet and reverent step, for I have always thought 
 that to manifest hurry and impatience in any place 
 set apart for the worship of the Creator is to prove 
 yourself one of the unworthiest things created. Once 
 outside the door I laid aside my veil, and then, with a 
 perfectly composed and fearless mind, went straight to 
 the Master's study. I shall never forget the intense 
 quiet of the house that morning. The very fountain 
 in the hall seemed to .nkle in a sort of subdued 
 whisper. I found Ileliobas seated at his table, reading. 
 How my dream came vividly back to me, as I saw 
 him in that attitude ! 1 felt that I knew what he 
 was reading. He looked up as I entered, and greeted 
 me with a k.ndlv yet grave smile. I broke silence 
 abruptly. 
 
 " Your book is open," I said, " at a passage com- 
 mencing thus : ' The universe is upheld solely by the 
 Law of Love. A majestic invisible Protectorate governs 
 the winds, the tides ' Is it not so ? " 
 
 " It is so," returned Heliobas. " Are you acquainted 
 with the book ? " 
 
 " Only through the dream I had of you at Cannes," 
 I answered. " I do think Signor Cellini had some power 
 over me." 
 
 "Of course he had in your then weak state. But 
 now that you are as strong as he is, he could not 
 influence you at all. Let us be brief in our converse, 
 my child. I have a few serious things to say to you 
 before you leave me, on your celestial journey." 
 
 I trembled slightly, but took the chair he pointed out 
 to me — a large easy-chair in which one could recline 
 and sleep. 
 
 " Listen," continued Heliobas ; " I told you, when 
 you first came here, that whatever I might do to restore 
 you to health, you would have it in your power to repay 
 
 170
 
 MY STRANGE DEPARTURE 
 
 me amply. You are restored to health ; will you give 
 me my reward ? " 
 
 " I would and will do anything to prove my gratitude 
 to you," I said earnestly " Only tell me how." 
 
 "You are aware," he went on, "of my theories 
 respecting the Electric Spirit or Soul in Man. It is 
 progressive, as I have told you — it begins as a germ — 
 it goes on increasing in power and beauty for ever, till 
 it is great and pure enough to enter the last of all 
 worlds — God's world. But there are sometimes hind- 
 rances to its progression — obstacles in its path, which 
 cause it to recoil and retire a long way back — so far 
 back occasionally that it has to commence its journey 
 over again. Now, by my earnest researches, I am able 
 to study and watch the progress of r-iy own inner force 
 or soul. So far, all has been well — prayerfully and 
 humbly I may say I believe all has been well. But I 
 foresee an approaching shadow — a difficulty — a danger — 
 which, if it cannot be repelled or passed in some way, 
 threatens to violently push back my advancing spiritual 
 nature, so that, with much grief and pain, I shall have 
 to recommence the work that I had hoped was done. 
 / cannot, with all my best effort, discover what this 
 darkening obstacle is — but you, yes, you " — for I had 
 started up in surprise — " you, when you are lifted up 
 high enough to behold these things, may, being perfectly 
 unselfish in this research, attain to the knowledge of it 
 and explain it to me, when you return. In trying to probe 
 the secret for myself, it is of course purely for my own 
 interest ; and nothing clear, nothing satisfactory can be 
 spiritually obtained, in which selfishness has ever so 
 slight a share. You, if indeed I deserve your gratitude 
 for the aid I have given you — you will be able to 
 search out the matter more certainly, being in the 
 position of one soul working for anothen Still, I 
 
 171
 
 A ROiMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 cannot compel you to do this for me — I only ask, 
 will you ? " 
 
 His entreating and anxious tone touched me keenly ; 
 but I \\as amazed and perplexed, and could not yet 
 realize what strange thing was going to happen to me. 
 But whatev^er occurred I was resolved to give a ready 
 consent to his request, therefore I said firmly : 
 
 " I will do my best, I promise you. Remember that 
 I do not know, I cannot even guess where I am going, 
 or what strange sensations will overcome me ; but if I 
 am permitted to have any recollection of earth at all, I 
 will try to find out what you ask." 
 
 Hcliobas seemed satisfied, and rising from his chair, 
 unlocked a heavily-bound iron safe. From this he 
 took a glass flask of a strange, ever-moving, glittering 
 fluid, the same in appearance as that which Rafifaello 
 Cellini had forbidden me to drink. He then paused and 
 looked searchingly at me. 
 
 " Tell me," he said in an authoritative tone, " tell 
 me why you wish to see what to mortals is unseen? 
 What motive have you ? What ulterior plan ? " 
 
 I hesitated. Then I gathered my strength together 
 and answered decisively : 
 
 " I desire to know why this world, this universe 
 exists ; and I also wish to prove, if possible, the truth 
 and necessity of religion. And I think I would give 
 my life, if it were worth anything, to be certain of the 
 truth of Christianity." 
 
 Heliobas gazed in my face with a sort of half-pity, 
 half-censure. 
 
 " You have a daring aim," he said slowly, " and you 
 are a bold seeker. But shame, repentance and sorrow 
 await you where you are going, as well as rapture and 
 amazement. ' / would give my life, if it were luortk 
 anything! That utterance has saved you — otherwise to 
 
 172
 
 MY STRANGE DEPARTURE 
 
 soar into an unexplored wilderness of spheres, weighted 
 by your own doubts and guided solely by your own 
 wild desires, would be a fruitless journey." 
 
 I felt abashed as I met his steady, scrutinizing 
 eyes. 
 
 " Surely it is well to wish to know the reason of 
 things ? " I asked, wdth some timidity. 
 
 " The desire of knowledge is a great virtue, certainly," 
 he replied ; " it is not truly felt by one in a thousand. 
 Most persons are content to live and die, absorbed in 
 their own petty commonplace affairs, without troubling 
 themselves as to the reasons of their existence. Yet it 
 is almost better, like these, to wallow in blind ignorance 
 than wantonly to doubt the Creator because He is 
 unseen, or to put a self-opiniated construction on His 
 mysteries because He chooses to veil them from our 
 eyes." 
 
 "I do not doubt!" 1 exclaimed earnestly, "I only 
 want to make sure, and then perhaps I may persuade 
 others." 
 
 " You can never compel faith," said Heliobas calmly. 
 " You are going to see wonderful things that no tongue 
 or pen can adequately describe. Well, when you 
 return to earth again, do you suppose you can make 
 people believe the story of your experiences ? Never ! 
 Be thankful if you are the possessor of a secret joy 
 yourself, and do not attempt to impart it to others, who 
 will only repel and mock you." 
 
 " Not even to one other ? " I asked hesitatingly. 
 
 A warm, kindly smile seemed to illuminate his face 
 as I put this question. 
 
 " Yes, to one other — the other half of yourself — you 
 may tell all things," he said. " But now, no more 
 converse. If you are quite ready, drink this." 
 
 He held out to me a small tumbler filled with the 
 
 173
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 sparkling volatile liquid he had poured from the flask. 
 For one moment my courage almost forsook mc, and an 
 icy shiver ran through my veins. Then I bethought 
 myself of all my boasted bravery ; was it possible that 
 I should fail now at this critical moment ? I allowed 
 myself no more time for reflection, but took the glass 
 from his hand and drained its contents to the last drop. 
 It was tasteless, but sparkling and warm on the tongue. 
 Scarcely had I swallowed it, when a curiously light, 
 dizzy sensation overcame me, and the figure of Heliobas 
 standing before me seemed to assume gigantic pro- 
 portions. I saw his hands extend — his eyes, like lamps 
 of electric flame, burned through and through me — and 
 like a distant echo, I heard the deep vibrating tones of 
 his voice uttering the following words : 
 
 " Azul ! Azul ! Lift up this light and daring spirit 
 unto thyself; be its pioneer upon the path ft must 
 pursue ; suffer it to float untrammelled through the 
 wide and glorious Continents of Air; give it form and 
 force to alight on any of the vast and beautiful spheres 
 it may desire to behold ; and if worthy, permit it to 
 gaze, if only for a brief interval, upon the supreme 
 vision of the First and Last of worlds. By the force 
 thou givest unto me, I free this soul; do thou, Azul, 
 quickly receive it ! " 
 
 A dense darkness now grew thickly around m.e — I 
 lost all power over my limbs — I felt myself being lifted 
 up forcibly and rapidly, up, up, into some illimitable, 
 terrible space of blackness and nothingness. I could not 
 think, move, or cry out — I could only feel that I was 
 rising, rising, steadily, swiltly, breathlessly . . . when 
 suddenly a long quivering flash of radiance, like the 
 fragment of a rainbow, struck dazzlingly across my sight. 
 Darkness? What had I to do with darkness? I knew 
 not the word — I was only conscious of light — light ex- 
 
 174
 
 MY STRANGE DEPARTURE 
 
 quisitely pure and brilliant — light through which I 
 stepped as easily as a bird flies in air. Perfectly 
 awake to my sensations, I felt somehow that there 
 was nothing remarkable in them — I seemed to be 
 at home in some familiar element. Delicate hands 
 held mine — a face far lovelier than the loveliest face 
 of Vv^oman ever dreamed by poet or painter, smiled 
 radiantly at me, and I smiled back again. A voice 
 whispered in strange musical murmurs, such as I well 
 seemed to know and comprehend : 
 
 " Gaze behind thee ere the picture fades." 
 
 I obeyed, half reluctantly, and saw as a passing 
 shadow in a glass, or a sort of blurred miniature 
 painting, the room where Heliobas stood, watch- 
 ing some strange imperfect shape, which I seemed 
 faintly to recognise. It looked like a small cast in 
 clay, very badly executed, of the shape I at present 
 wore ; but it was incomplete, as though the sculptor 
 had given it up as a failure and gone away, leaving it 
 unfinished. 
 
 " Did I dwell in that body ? " I mused to myself, as 
 I felt the perfection of my then state of being. '' How 
 came I shut in such a prison ? How poor a form — how 
 destitute of faculties — how full of infirmities — how 
 limited in capabilities — how narrow in all intelligence — 
 how ignorant — how mean 1 " 
 
 And I turned for relief to the shining companion who 
 held me, and obeying an impulse suddenly imparted, I 
 felt myself floating higher and higher till the last limits 
 of the atmosphere surrounding the Earth were passed, 
 and fields of pure and cloudless ether extended before 
 us. Here we met myriads of creatures like ourselves, 
 all hastening in various directions — all lovely and radiant 
 as a dream of the fairies. Some of these beings were 
 quite tiny and delicate — some of lofty stature and 
 
 i;5
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 glorious appearance : their forms were human, yet so 
 refined, improved, and perfected, that they were unHke, 
 while so like humanity. 
 
 " Askest thou nothing ? " whispered the voice beside 
 me. 
 
 " Tell me," I answered, " what I must know." 
 " These spirits that we behold," went on the voice, 
 " are the guardians of all the inhabitants of all the 
 planets. Their labours are those of love and penitence. 
 Their work is to draw other souls to God — to attract 
 them by warnings, by pleading, by praying. They 
 have all worn the garb of mortality themselves, and 
 they teach mortals by their own experience. For these 
 radiant creatures are expiating sins of their own in thus 
 striving to save others — the oftener they succeed, the 
 nearer they approach to Heaven. This is what is 
 vaguely understood on }'our earth as purgator>' ; the 
 sufferings of spirits who love and long for the presence 
 of their Creator, and who yet are not pure enough to 
 approach Him. Only by sei-ving and saving others 
 can they obtain at last their own joy. Every act of 
 ingratitude and forgetfulness and wickedness com- 
 mitted by a mortal, detains one or another of 
 these patient workers longer away from Heaven — 
 imagine then what a weary while many of them have 
 to wait ! " 
 
 1 made no answer, and we floated on. Higher and 
 higher — higher and higher — till at last my guide, 
 whom I knew to be that being whom Heliobas had 
 called Azul, bade me pause. We were floating close 
 together in what seemed a sea of translucent light 
 From this point I could learn something of the 
 mighty workings of the Universe. I gazed upon 
 countless solar systems, that like wheels within wheels 
 revolved with such rapidity that they seemed all one 
 
 176
 
 MY STRANGE DEPARTURE 
 
 wheel. I saw planets whirl around and around with 
 breathless swiftness, like glittering balls flung through 
 the air — burning comets flared fiercely past like torches 
 of alarm for God's wars against Evil — a marvellous 
 procession of indescribable wonders sweeping on for 
 ever in circles, grand, huge, and immeasurable. And as 
 I watched the superb pageant, I was not startled or 
 confused — I looked upon it as anyone might look on 
 any quiet landscape scene in what we know of Nature. 
 I scarcely could perceive the Earth from whence I had 
 come — so tiny a speck was it — nothing but a mere pin's 
 point in the burning whirl of immensities. I felt, how- 
 ever, perfectly conscious of a superior force in myself to 
 all these enormous forces around me — I knew without 
 needing any explanation that I was formed of an 
 indestructible essence, and that were all these stars and 
 systems suddenly to end in one fell burst of brilliant 
 horror, I should still exist — I should know and 
 remember and feel — should be able to watch the birth 
 of a new Universe, and take my part in its growth 
 and design. 
 
 " Remind me why these wonders exist," I said, 
 turning to my guide, and speaking in those dulcet 
 sounds which were like music and yet like speech ; " and 
 why amid them all the Earth is believed by its inhabit- 
 ants to have merited destruction, and yet to have 
 been found worthy of redemption ? " 
 
 " Thy last question shall be answered first," replied 
 Azul. " Seest thou yonder planet circled with a 
 ring? It is known to the dwellers on Earth, of 
 whom when in clay thou art one, as Saturn. Descend 
 with me ! " 
 
 And in a breath of time we floated downwards 
 and alighted on a broad and beautiful plain, where 
 flowers of strange shape and colour grew in profusion 
 
 177
 
 A ROMANCE OI' TWO WORLDS 
 
 Here we were met by creatures of lofty stature 
 and dazzling beauty, human in shape, yet angelic in 
 countenance. They knelt to us with reverence and 
 joy, and then passed on to their toil or pleasure, 
 whichever invited them, and I looked to Azul for 
 explanation. 
 
 " To these children of the Creator," said that radiant 
 guide, " is granted the ability to see and to converse 
 with the spirits of the air. They know them and love 
 them, and implore their protection. In this planet 
 sickness and old age are unknown, and death comes as 
 a quiet sleep. The period of existence is about two 
 hundred years, according to the Earth's standard of 
 time ; and the process of decay is no more unlovely 
 than the gentle withering of roses. The influence of 
 the electric belt around their world is a bar to pestilence 
 and disease, and scatters health with light. All sciences, 
 arts, and inventions known on Earth are known here, 
 only to greater perfection. The three important differ- 
 ences between the inhabitants of this planet and those 
 who dwell on Earth are these : first, they have no rulers 
 in authority, as each one perfectly governs himself; 
 second, they do not marry, as the law of attraction 
 which draws together any two of opposite sexes, holds 
 them fast in inviolable fidelity •, thirdly, there is no 
 creature in all the immensity of this magnificent sphere 
 who has ever doubted, or who ever will doubt, the 
 existence of the Creator." 
 
 A thrill of fiery shame seemed to dart through my 
 spiritual being as I heard this, and I made no answer. 
 Some fairy-like little creatures, the children of the 
 Saturnites, as I supposed, here came running towards 
 us and knelt down, reverently clasping their hands in 
 prayer. They then gathered flowers and flung them 
 on that portion of ground where we stood, and gazed 
 
 178
 
 MY STRANGE DEPARTURE 
 
 at us fearlessly and lovingly, as they might have gazed 
 at some rare bird or butterfly. 
 
 Azul signed to me, and we rose while yet in their 
 sight, and soaring through the radiance of the ring, 
 which was like a sun woven into a circle, we soon left 
 Saturn far behind us, and alighted on Venus. Here 
 seas, mountains, forests, lakes, and meadows were one 
 vast garden, in which the bloom and verdure of all 
 worlds seemed to find a home. Here were realized 
 the dreams of sculptors and painters, in the graceful 
 forms and exquisite faces of the women, and the splendid 
 strength and godlike beauty of the men. A brief glance 
 was sufficient to show me that the moving spring of all 
 the civilization of this radiant planet was the love of 
 Nature and Art united. There were no wars — for there 
 were no different nations. All the inhabitants were 
 like one vast family ; they worked for one another, and 
 vied with each other in paying homage to those of the 
 loftiest genius among them. They had one supreme 
 Monarch to whom they all rendered glad obedience ; 
 and he was a Poet, ready to sacrifice his throne with 
 joy as soon as his people should discover a greater than 
 he. For they all loved not the artist but the Art ; and 
 selfishness was a vice unknown. Here, none loved or 
 were wedded save those who had spiritual sympathies, 
 and here too no creature existed who did not believe in 
 and worship the Creator. The same state of things 
 existed in Jupiter, the planet we next visited, where 
 everything was performed by electricity. Here, persons 
 living hundreds of miles apart could yet converse to- 
 gether with perfect ease through an electric medium ; 
 ships ploughed the seas by electricity ; printing, an art 
 of which the dwellers on Earth are so proud, was 
 accomplished by electricity — in fact, everything in the 
 way of science, art, and invention known to us was also 
 
 179
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 known in Jupiter, only to greater perfection, because 
 tempered and strengthened by an electric force which 
 never failed. From Jupiter, Azul guided me to many 
 other fair and splendid worlds — yet none of them were 
 Paradise ; all had some slight drawback — some physical 
 or spiritual ailment, as it were, which had to be combated 
 with and conquered. All the inhabitants of each star 
 longed for something they had not — something better, 
 greater, and higher — and therefore all had discontent. 
 They could not realize their best desires in the state of 
 existence they then were, therefore they all suffered 
 disappointment. They were all compelled to work in 
 some way or another ; they were all doomed to die. 
 Yet, unlike the dwellers on Earth, they did not, because 
 their lives were more or less constrained and painful, 
 complain of or deny the goodness of God — on the con- 
 trary, they believed in a future state which should be as 
 perfect as their present one was imperfect ; and the 
 chief aim and object of all their labours was to become 
 worthy of attaining that final grand result — Eternal 
 Happiness and Peace. 
 
 '• Readest thou the lesson in these glowing spheres, 
 teeming with life and learning?" murmured Azul to 
 me, as we soared swiftly on together. " Know that not 
 one smallest world in all the myriad systems circling 
 before thee, holds a single human creature who doubts 
 his Maker. Not one I except thine own doomed star ! 
 Behold it yonder — sparkling feebl)', like a faint flame 
 amid sunshine — how poor a speck it is — how like a 
 scarcely visible point in all the brilliancy of the ever- 
 revolving wheel of Life ! Yet there dwell the dwarfs of 
 ciay — the men and women who pretend to love while 
 they secretly hate and despise one another. There, 
 wealth is a god, and the greed of gain a virtue. 
 There, genius starves, and heroism dies unrewarded. 
 
 i8o
 
 MY STRANGE DEPARTURE 
 
 There, Faith is martyred, and Unbelief elected sovereign 
 monarch of the people. There, the sublime, unreach- 
 able mysteries of the Universe are haggled over by 
 poor finite minds who cannot call their Hves their 
 own. There, nation wars against nation, creed against 
 creed, soul against soul. Alas, fated planet ! how soon 
 shalt thou be extinct, and thy place shall know thee 
 no more ! " 
 
 I gazed earnestly at my radiant guide. " If that is 
 true," I said, " why then should we have a Legend that 
 God, in the person of one called Christ, came to die for 
 so miserable and mean a race of beings ? " 
 
 Azul answered not, but turned her luminous eyes 
 upon me with a sort of wide dazzling wonder. Some 
 strange impelling force bore me onward, and before I 
 could realize it I was alone. Alone, in a vast area of 
 light through which I floated, serene and conscious of 
 power. A sound falling from a great height reached 
 me ; it was first like a grand organ-chord, and then like 
 a Voice, trumpet-clear and far-echoing. 
 
 " Spirit that searchest for the Unseen," it said, " be- 
 cause I will not that one atom of true worth should 
 perish, unto thee shall be given a vision — unto thee 
 shall be taught a lesson thou dreamest not of. Thou 
 shalt create ; thou shalt design and plan ; tJiou shalt be 
 worshipped, and tJiou shalt destroy ! Rest therefore in 
 the light and behold the things that are in the light, 
 for the time cometh when all that seemeth clear and 
 visible now shall be but darkness. And they that 
 love me not shall have no place of abode in that 
 hour!" 
 
 The voice ceased. Awed, yet consoled, I listened 
 for it again. There was no more sound. Around 
 me was illimitable light — illimitable silence. But a 
 strange scene unfolded itself swiftly before me — a sort 
 
 o i8i
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 of shifting dream that was a reahty, yet so wonderfully 
 unreal — a vision that impressed itself on every portion 
 of my intelligence ; a kind of spirit drama in which I 
 was forced to enact the chief part, and where a mystery 
 that I had deemed impenetrable was made perfectly 
 clear and simple of comprehension. 
 
 182
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 A MINIATURE CREATION 
 
 Tn my heaven-uplifted Dream, I thought I saw a circular 
 spacious garden in which all the lovely landscapes of 
 a superior world appeared to form themselves by swift 
 degrees. The longer I looked at it, the more beautiful 
 it became, and a little star shone above it like a sun. 
 Trees and flowers sprang up under my gaze, and all 
 stretched themselves towards me, as though for protec- 
 tion. Birds flew about and sang ; some of them tried 
 to get as near as possible to the little sun they saw ; 
 and other living creatures began to move about in the 
 shadows of the groves, and on the fresh green grass. 
 All the wonderful workings of Nature, as known to us 
 in the world, took place over again in this garden, which 
 seemed somehow to belong to me ; and I watched 
 everything with a certain satisfaction and delight. Then 
 the idea came to me that the place would be fairer if 
 there were either men or angels to inhabit it ; and quick 
 as light a whisper came to me — 
 
 "CREATE!" 
 
 And I thought in my dream that by the mere desire 
 of my being, expressed in waves of electric warmth that 
 floated downwards from me to the earth I possessed, 
 my garden was suddenly filled with men, women and 
 children, each of whom had a small portion of myself 
 
 183
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 in them, inasmuch as it was I who made them move 
 and talk and occupy themselves in all manner of 
 amusements. Many of them knelt down to me and 
 prayed, and offered thanksgivings for liaving been 
 created ; but some of them went instead to the little 
 star, which they called a sun, and thanked that, and 
 prayed to that instead. Then others went and cut 
 down the trees in the garden, and dug up stones, and 
 built themselves little cities, where they all dwelt to- 
 gether like flocks of sheep, and ate and drank and 
 made merry with the things I had given them. Then 
 I thought that I increased their intelligence and quick- 
 ness of perception, and by-and-by they grew so proud 
 that they forgot everything but themselves. They 
 ceased to remember how they were created, and they 
 cared no more to offer praises to their little sun that 
 through me gave them light and heat. But because 
 something of my essence still was in them, they always 
 instinctively sought to worship a superior creature to 
 themselves ; and puzzling themselv^es in their folly, they 
 made hideous images of wood and clay, unlike anything 
 in heaven or earth, and offered sacrifices and prayer 
 to these lifeless puppets instead of to me. Then I 
 turned away my eyes in sorrow and pity, but never in 
 anger ; for I could not be wrathful with these children 
 of my own creation. And when I thus turned away 
 my eyes, all manner of evil came upon the once fair 
 scene — pestilence and storm, disease and vice. A dark 
 shadow stole between my little world and me — the 
 shadow of the people's own wickedness. And as every 
 delicate fibre of my spiritual being repelled evil by the 
 necessity of the pure light in which I dwelt serene, I 
 waited patiently for the mists to clear, so that I might 
 again behold the beaut)^ of my garden. Suddenly a 
 soft clamour smote upon my sense of hearing, and a 
 
 184
 
 A MINIATURE CREATION 
 
 slender stream of light, like a connecting ray, seemed 
 to be flung upwards through the darkness that hid me 
 from the people I had created and loved. I knew the 
 sound — it was the mingled music of the prayers of 
 children. An infinite pity and pleasure touched me, 
 my being thrilled with love and tenderness ; and yield- 
 ing to these little ones who asked me for protection, I 
 turned my eyes again towards the garden I had de- 
 signed for fairness and pleasure. But alas ! how changed 
 it had become ! No longer fresh and sweet, the people 
 had turned it into a wilderness ; they had divided it 
 into small portions, and in so doing had divided them- 
 selves into separate companies called nations, all of 
 whom fought with each other fiercely for their different 
 little parterres or flower-beds. Some haggled and 
 talked incessantly over the mere possession of a stone 
 which they called a rock ; others busied themselves in 
 digging a little yellow metal out of the earth, which, 
 when once obtained, seemed to make the owners of it 
 mad, for they straightway forgot everything else. As 
 I looked, the darkness between me and my creation 
 grew denser, and was only pierced at last by those 
 long wide shafts of radiance caused by the innocent 
 prayers of those who still remembered me. And I was 
 full of regret, for I saw my people wandering hither 
 and thither, restless and dissatisfied, perplexed by their 
 own errors, and caring nothing for the love I bore them. 
 Then some of them advanced and began to question 
 why they had been created, forgetting completely how 
 their lives had been originally designed by me for 
 happiness, love and wisdom. Then they accused me 
 of the existence of evil, refusing to see that where there 
 is light there is also darkness, and that darkness is 
 the rival force of the Universe, whence cometh silently 
 the Unnamable Oblivion of Souls. They could not 
 
 185
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 see, my self-willed children, that they had of their own 
 desire sought the darkness and found it ; and now, 
 because it gloomed above them like a pall, they refused 
 to believe in the light where still I was, loving and 
 striving to attract them still. Yet it was not all dark- 
 ness, and I knew that even what there was might be 
 repelled and cleared away if only my peo^jle would 
 turn towards me once more. So I sent down upon 
 them all possible blessings — some they rejected angrily, 
 some they snatched at and threw away again, as though 
 they were poor and trivial — none of them were they 
 thankful for, and none did they desire to keep. And 
 the darkness above them deepened, while my anxious 
 pity and love for them increased. For how could I 
 turn altogether away from them, as long as but a few 
 remembered me? There were some of these weak 
 children of mine who loved and honoured me so well 
 that they absorbed some of my light into themselves, 
 and became heroes, poets, musicians, teachers of high 
 and noble thought, and unselfish, devoted martyrs for 
 the sake of the reverence they bore me. There w-ere 
 women pure and sweet, who wore their existence as 
 innocently as lilies, and who turned to me to seek 
 protection, not for themselves, but for those they loved. 
 There were little children, whose asking voices were 
 like waves of delicious music to my being, and for 
 whom I had a surpassing tenderness. And yet all 
 these were a mere handful compared to the numbers 
 who denied my existence, and who had wilfully crushed 
 out and repelled every spark of my essence in them- 
 selves. And as I contemplated this, the Voice I had 
 heard at the commencement of my dream rushed towards 
 me like a mighty wind broken through by thunder : 
 
 "DESTROY/" 
 1 86
 
 A MINIATURE CREATION 
 
 A great pity and love possessed me. In deep awe, 
 yet solemn earnestness, I pleaded with that vast com- 
 manding Voice. 
 
 " Bid me not destroy ! " I implored. " Command me 
 not to disperse into nothingness these children of my 
 fancy, some of whom yet love and trust to me for 
 safety. Let me strive once more to bring them out 
 of their darkness into the light — to bring them to the 
 happiness I designed them to enjoy. They have not 
 all forgotten me — let me give them more time for 
 thought and recollection ! " 
 
 Again the great Voice shook the air : 
 
 "They love darkness rather than light; they love 
 the perishable earth of which they are in part composed, 
 better than the germ of immortality with which they 
 were in the beginning endowed. This garden of thine 
 is but a caprice of thy intelligence ; the creatures that 
 inhabit it are soulless and unworthy, and are an offence 
 to that indestructible radiance of which thou art one 
 ray. Therefore I say unto thee again — Destroy ! " 
 
 My yearning love grew stronger and I pleaded with 
 renewed force. 
 
 " Oh, thou Unseen Glory ! " I cried ; " thou who hast 
 filled me with this emotion of love and pity which per- 
 meates and supports my existence, how canst thou bid 
 me take this sudden revenge upon my frail cieation ! 
 No caprice was it that caused me to design it ; nothing 
 but a thought of love and a desire of beauty. Even 
 yet I will fulfil my plan — even yet shall these erring 
 children of mine return to me in time, with patience. 
 While one of them still lifts a hand in prayer to me, 
 or gratitude, I cannot destroy ! Bid me rather sink 
 into the darkness of the uttermost deep of shadow; 
 only let me save these feeble little ones from destruc- 
 tion!" 
 
 187
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 The Voice replied not. A flashing opal brilliancy 
 shot across the light in which I rested, and I beheld an 
 Angel, grand, lofty, majestic, with a countenance in 
 which shone the lustre of a myriad summer mornings. 
 
 " Spirit that art escaped from the Sorrowful Star," 
 it said in accents clear and sonorous, " Wouldst thou 
 indeed be content to suffer the loss of heavenly joy and 
 peace, in order to rescue thy perishing creation ? " 
 
 "I would!" I answered; "If I understood death, I 
 would die to save one of those frail creatures, who seek 
 to know me and yet cannot find me through the dark- 
 ness they have brought upon themselves." 
 
 " To die," said the Angel, " to understand death, 
 thou wouldst need to become one of them, to take upon 
 thyself their form — to imprison all that brilliancy of 
 which thou art now composed, into a mean and 
 common case of clay ; and even if thou couldst accom- 
 plish this, would thy children know thee or receive 
 thee?" 
 
 " Nay, but if I could suffer shame by them," I cried 
 impetuously, " I could not suffer sin. My being would 
 be incapable of error, and I would show these creatures 
 of mine the bliss of purity, the joy of wisdom, the 
 ecstasy of light, the certainty of immortality, if they 
 followed me. And then I would die to show them 
 death i. easy, and that in dying they would come to 
 me and find their happiness for ever ! " 
 
 The stature of the Angel grew more lofty and 
 magnificent, and its star-like eyes flashed fire. 
 
 " Then, oh thou wanderer from the Earth ! " it said, 
 " Understandest thou not the Christ?" 
 
 A deep awe trembled through me. Meanwhile the 
 garden I had thought a world appeared to roll up like 
 a cloudy scroll, and vanished, and I knew that it had 
 been a vision, and no more. 
 
 1 88
 
 A MINIATURE CREATION 
 
 "Oh, doubting and foolish Spirit!" went on the 
 Angel — " Thou who art but one point of living light in 
 the Supreme Radiance, even tJiou wouldst consent to 
 immure thyself in the darkness of mortality for sake 
 of thy fancied creation ! Even thou wouldst submit to 
 suffer and to die, in order to show the frail children of 
 thy dream a purely sinless and spiritual example ! 
 Even thou hast had the courage to plead with the One 
 All-Sufficing Voice against the destruction of what to 
 thee was but a mirage floating in this ether! Even 
 thou hast had love, forgiveness, pity ! Even thou wouldst 
 be willing to dwell among the creatures of thy fancy 
 as one of them, knowing in thy inner self that by so 
 doing, thy spiritual presence would have marked thy 
 little world for ever as sanctified and impossible to 
 destroy. Even thou w^ouldst sacrifice a glory to answer 
 a child's prayer — even thou wouldst have patience! 
 And yet thou hast dared to deny to God those attri- 
 butes which thou thyself dost possess — He so great 
 and vast — thou so small and slight! For the love 
 thou feelest throbbing through thy being. He is the 
 very commencement and perfection of all love ; if thou 
 hast pity. He has ten thousand times more pity; if 
 thou canst forgive, remember that from Him flows all 
 thy power of forgiveness ! There is nothing thou canst 
 do, even at the highest height of spiritual perfection, 
 that He cannot surpass by a thousand million fold ! 
 Neither shalt thou refuse to believe that He can also 
 suffer. Know that nothing is more godlike than un- 
 selfish sorrow^ — and the grief of the Creator over one 
 erring human soul is as vast as He Himself is vast. 
 Why wouldst thou make of Him a being destitute 
 of the best emotions that He Himself bestows upon 
 thee? Thou wouldst have entered into thy dream- 
 world and lived in it and died in it, if by so doing 
 
 T89
 
 A ROiMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 tliou couldst have drawn one of thy creatures back 
 to the love of thee ; and wilt thou not receive the 
 Christ?" 
 
 I bowed my head, and a flood of joy rushed through 
 me. 
 
 "I believe — I believe and I love!" I murmured. 
 " Desert me not, O radiant Angel ! I feel and know 
 that all these wonders must soon pass away from my 
 sight ; but wilt thou also go?" 
 
 The Angel smiled and touched me. 
 
 " I am thy guardian," it said. " I have been with 
 thee always. I can never leave thee so long as thy 
 soul seeks spiritual things. Asleep or awake on the 
 Earth, wherever thou art, I also am. There have been 
 times when I have warned thee and thou wouldst not 
 listen, — when I have tried to draw thee onward and 
 thou wouldst not come ; but now I fear no more thy 
 disobedience, for thy restlessness is past. Come with 
 me ; it is permitted thee to see far off the vision of the 
 Last Circle." 
 
 The glorious figure raised me gently by the hand, 
 and we floated on and on, higher and higher, past 
 little circles which my guide told me were all solar 
 systems, though they looked nothing but slender 
 garlands of fire, so rapidly did they revolve and so 
 swiftly did we pass them. Higher and higher we went, 
 till even to my untiring spirit the way seemed long. 
 Beautiful creatures in human shape, but as delicate as 
 gossamer, passed us every now and then, some in bands 
 of twos and threes, some alone ; and the higher we 
 soared the more dazzlingly lovely these inhabitants of 
 the air seemed to be. 
 
 " They are all born of the Great Circle," my guardian 
 Angel explained to me ; " and to them is given the 
 power of communicating high thought or inspiration. 
 
 190
 
 A MINIATURE CREATION 
 
 Among them are the Spirits of Music, of Poesy, of 
 Prophecy, and of all Art ever known in all worlds. 
 The success of their teaching depends on how much 
 purity and unselfishness there is in the soul to which 
 they whisper their divine messages — messages as brief 
 as telegrams which must be listened to with entire 
 attention and acted upon at once, or the lesson is lost 
 and may never come again." 
 
 Just then I saw a Shape coming towards me as of 
 a lovely fair-haired child, who seemed to be playing 
 softly on a strange glittering instrument like a broken 
 cloud strung through with sunbeams. Heedless of con- 
 sequences, I caught at its misty robe in a wild effort 
 to detain it. It obeyed my touch, and turned its deeply 
 luminous eyes first upon me, and then upon the Angel 
 who accompanied my flight. 
 
 "What seekest thou?" it asked in a voice like the 
 murmuring of the wind among flowers. 
 
 " Music ! " I answered. " Sing me thy melodies — 
 fill me with harmonies divine and unreachable — and 1 
 will strive to be worthy of thy teachings ! " 
 
 The young Shape smiled and drew closer towards me. 
 
 "Thy wish is granted, Sister Spirit!" it replied. 
 " The pity I shall feel for thy fate when thou art again 
 pent in clay, shall be taught thee in minor music — thou 
 shalt possess the secret of unwritten sound, and I will 
 sing to thee and bring thee comfort. On Earth, call 
 but my name — Aeon ! and thou shalt behold me. For 
 thy longing voice is known to the Children of Music, 
 and hath oft shaken the vibrating light wherein they 
 dwell. Fear not ! As long as thou dost love me, I 
 am thine." And parting slowly, still smiling, the 
 lovely vision, with its small radiant hands ever wander- 
 ing among the starry strings of its cloud-like lyre, 
 floated onward. 
 
 191
 
 A ROISIANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 Suddenly a clear voice said " Welcome ! " and looking 
 up I saw my first friend Azul. I smiled in glad recog- 
 nition — I would have spoken — but lo ! a wide immensity 
 of blazing glory broke like many-coloured lightning 
 around me — so dazzling, so overpowering, that I 
 instinctively drew back and paused — I felt I could go 
 no further. 
 
 "Here," said my guardian gently — "here ends thy 
 journey. Would that it were possible, poor Spirit, for 
 thee to pass this boundary ! But that may not be — as 
 yet! In the meanwhile thou mayest gaze for a brief 
 space upon the majestic sphere which mortals dream of 
 as Heaven. Behold and see how fair is the incor- 
 ruptible perfection of God's World ! " 
 
 I looked and trembled — I should have sunk yet 
 further backward, had not Azul and my Angel-guide 
 held me with their light yet forcible clasp. My heart 
 fails me now as I try to write of that tremendous, that 
 sublime scene — the Centre of the Universe — the Cause 
 of all Creation. How unlike Heaven such as we in our 
 ignorance have tried to depict ! though it is far better 
 we should have a mistaken idea than none at all. 
 What I beheld was a Circle, so huge that no mortal 
 measurements could compass it — a wide Ring composed 
 of seven colours, rainbow-like, but flashing with per- 
 petual motion and brilliancy, as though a thousand 
 million suns were for ever being woven into it to feed its 
 transcendent lustre. From ^very part of this Ring 
 darted long broad shafts of light, some of which stretched 
 out so far that I could not see where they ended ; some- 
 times a bubbling shower of lightning sparks would be 
 flung out on the pure ether, and this would instantly 
 form into circles, small or great, and whirl round and 
 round the enormous girdle of flame from which they 
 had been cast, with the most inconceivable rapidity. 
 
 192
 
 A MINIATURE CREATION 
 
 But wonderful as the Ring was, it encompassed a Sphere 
 yet more marvellous and dazzling ; a great Globe of 
 opal-tinted light, revolving as it were upon its own axis, 
 and ever surrounded by that scintillating, jewel-like 
 wreath of electricity, whose only motion was to shine 
 and burn within itself for ever. I could not bear to 
 look upon the brightness of that magnificent central 
 World — so large that multiplying the size of the sun 
 by a hundred thousand millions, no adequate idea could 
 be formed of its vast proportions. And ever it revolved 
 — and ever the Rainbow Ring around it glittered and 
 cast forth those other rings which I knew now were 
 living solar systems cast forth from that electric band as 
 a volcano casts forth fire and lava. My Angel-guide 
 motioned me to look towards that side of the Ring 
 which was nearest to the position of the Earth. I 
 looked, and perceived that there the shafts of descend- 
 ing light formed themselves as they fell into the shape 
 of a Cross. At this, such sorrow, love, and shame over- 
 came me, that I knew not where to turn. I murmured : 
 
 " Send me back again, dear Angel — send me back to 
 that Star of Sorrow and Error ! Let me hasten to 
 make amends there for all my folly — let me try to teach 
 others what now I know ! I am unworthy to be here 
 beside thee — I am unfit to look on yonder splendid 
 World — let me return to do penance for my sins and 
 shortcomings ; for what am I that God should bless me? 
 And though I should consume myself in labour and 
 suffering, how can I ever hope to deserve the smallest 
 place in that heavenly glory I now partly behold ? " 
 And could spirits shed tears, I should have wept with 
 remorse and grief. 
 
 Azul spoke, softly and tenderly : 
 
 " Now thou dost believe — henceforth thou must love ! 
 Love alone can pass yon flaming barrier — love alone 
 
 193
 
 A ROINIANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 can gain for thee eternal bliss, in love and for love 
 were all things made — God loveth His creatures, even 
 so let His creatures love Him, and so shall the twain be 
 drawn together." 
 
 ** Listen!" added my Angel-guide. " Thou hast not 
 travelled so far as yet to remain in ignorance. That 
 burning Ring thou seest is the result of the Creator's 
 ever-working Intelligence; from it all the Universe 
 hath sprung. It is exhaustless and perpetually creative ; 
 it is pure and perfect Light. The smallest spark of that 
 fiery essence in a mortal frame is sufficient to form a 
 soul or spirit, such as mine, or that of Azul, or thine, 
 when thou art perfected. The huge world rolling within 
 the Ring is where God dwells. Dare not thou to 
 question His shape. His look, His mien ! Know that 
 He is the Supreme Spirit in which all Beauty, all Per- 
 fection, all Love, find consummation. His breath is the 
 fire of the Ring; His look. His pleasure, cause the 
 motion of His World and all worlds. There, where He 
 dwells, dwell also all pure souls ; there all desires have 
 fulfilment without satiety, and there all loveliness, wisdom 
 or pleasure known in any or all of the other spheres are 
 also known. Speak, Azul, and tell this wanderer from 
 Earth what she will gain in winning her place in 
 Heaven." 
 
 Azul looked tenderly upon me, and said: 
 " When thou hast slept the brief sleep of death, — when 
 thou art permitted to throw off for ever thy garb of 
 clay, — and when by thine own ceaseless love and longing 
 thou hast won the right to pass the Great Circle, thou 
 shall find thyself in a land where the glories of the 
 natural scenery alone shall overpower thee with joy — 
 scenery that for ever changes into new wonders and 
 greater beauty. Thou shalt hear music such as thou 
 canst not dream of. Thou shalt find friends, beyond 
 
 194
 
 A MINIATURE CREATION 
 
 all imagination fair and faithful. Thou shalt read and 
 see the history of all the planets, produced for thee in 
 an ever-moving panorama. Thou shalt love and be 
 beloved for ever by thine own Twin Soul ; wherever 
 that spirit may be now, it must join thee hereafter. The 
 joys of learning, memory, consciousness, sleep, waking, 
 and exercise shall all be thine. Sin, sorrow, pain, disease 
 and death thou shalt know no more. Thou shalt be able 
 to remember happiness, to possess it, and to look for- 
 ward to it. Thou shalt have full and pleasant occupa- 
 tion without fatigue — thy food and substance shall be 
 light and air. Flowers, rare and imperishable, shall 
 bloom for thee ; birds of exquisite form and tender voice 
 shall sing to thee ; angels shall be thy companions. 
 Thou shalt have fresh and glad desires to offer to God with 
 every portion of thy existence, and each one shall be 
 granted as soon as asked, for then thou wilt not be able 
 to ask anything that is displeasing to Him. But 
 because it is a joy to wish, thou shalt wish ; and because 
 it is a joy to grant, so also will He grant. No delight, 
 small or great, is wanting in that vast sphere ; only 
 sorrow is lacking, and satiety and disappointment have 
 no place. Wilt thou seek for admittance there, or wilt 
 thou faint by the way and grow weary ? " 
 
 I raised my eyes full of ecstasy and reverence. 
 
 " My mere efforts must count as nothing," I said ; 
 " but if Love can help me, I will love and long for God's 
 World until I die ! " 
 
 My guardian Angel pointed to those rays of light I 
 had before noticed, that slanted downwards towards 
 Earth in the form of a Cross. 
 
 " That is the path by v\^hich thou must travel ! Mark 
 it well ! All pilgrims from the Sorrowful Star must 
 journey by that road. Woe to them that turn aside to 
 roam 'mid spheres they know not of, to lose themselves 
 
 195
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 in seas of light wlicrcin they cannot steer ! Remember 
 my warning ! And now, Spirit who art commended to 
 my watchful care, thy brief liberty is ended. Thou hast 
 been lifted up to the outer edge of the Electric Circle ; 
 further we dare not take thee. Hast thou aught else to 
 ask before the veil of mortality again enshrouds thee? " 
 
 I answered not, but within myself I formed a wild 
 desire. The Great Ring flashed fiercely on my 
 uplifted eyes, but I kept them fixed hopefully and 
 lovingly on its intensely deep brilliancy. 
 
 "If Love and Faith can avail me," I murmured, " 1 
 shall sec what I have sought." 
 
 I was not disappointed. The fiery waves of light 
 parted on either side of the spot where I with my 
 companions rested ; and a Figure, — majestic, unutter- 
 ably grand and beautiful, — approached me. At the 
 same moment a number of other faces and forms shone 
 hovcringly out of the Ring; one I noticed like an 
 exquisitely lovely woman, with floating hair and clear, 
 earnest, unfathomable eyes. Azul and the Angel sank 
 reverently down and drooped their radiant heads like 
 flowers in hot sunshine. I alone, daringly, yet with 
 inexpressible affection welling up within me, watched 
 with unshrinking gaze the swift advance of that supreme 
 Figure, upon whose broad brows rested the faint 
 semblance of a Crown of Thorns. A voice penetratingly 
 sweet addressed me : 
 
 " Mortal from the Star I saved from ruin, because 
 thou hast desired Me, I come ! Even as thy former un- 
 belief, shall be now thy faith ! Because thou lovest Me, 
 I am with thee ! For do I not know thee better than 
 the Angels can ? Have I not dwelt in thy clay, suffered 
 thy sorrows, wept thy tears, died thy deaths? One with 
 My Leather, and yet one with thcc, I demand thy love, 
 and so throu^/h Mc shalt thou attain immortal life ! " 
 
 *&' 
 
 196
 
 A MINIATURE CREATION 
 
 I felt a touch upon me like a scorching flame — a thrill 
 rushed through my being — and then I knew that I was 
 sinking down, down, further and further away. I saw 
 that wondrous Figure standing serene and smiling 
 between the retiring waves of radiance. I saw the 
 great inner Sphere revolve, and glitter as it rolled, 
 like an enormous diamond encircled with gold and 
 sapphire, and then all suddenly the air grew dim and 
 cloudy, and the sensation of falling became more and 
 more rapid. Azul was beside me still, and I also 
 perceived the outline of my guardian Angel's form, 
 though that was growing indistinct. I now recalled the 
 request of Heliobas, and spoke : 
 
 " Azul, tell me what shadow rests upon the life of 
 him to whom I am now returning?" 
 
 Azul looked at me earnestly, and replied : 
 
 " Thou daring one ! Seekest thou to pierce the future 
 fate of others? Is it not enough for thee to have 
 heard the Voice that maketh the Angels' singing silent, 
 and wouldst thou yet know more ? " 
 
 I was full of a strange unhesitating courage, therefore 
 I said fearlessly : 
 
 " He is thy Beloved one, Azul — thy Twin Soul ; and 
 wilt thou let him fall away from thee when a word or 
 sign might save him?" 
 
 " Even as he is my Beloved, so let him not fail to 
 hear my voice," replied Azul, with a tinge of melancholy. 
 " For though he has accomplished much, he is as yet 
 but mortal. Thou canst guide him thus far; tell him, 
 when death lies like a gift in his hand, let him withhold 
 it, and remember me 1 And now, my friend — farewell ! " 
 
 I would have spoken again, but could not. An 
 oppressed sensation came over me, and I seemed to 
 plunge coldly into a depth of inextricable blackness. 
 I felt cramped for room, and struggled for existence, for 
 
 P 197
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 motion, for breath. What had happened to me, I 
 wondered indignantly? Was I a fettered prisoner? how 
 had I lost the use of my light aerial limbs that had 
 borne me so swiftly through the realms of space ? What 
 crushing weight overpowered me? why such want of 
 air and loss of delightful ease? I sighed restlessly and 
 impatiently at the narrow darkness in which I found 
 myself — a sorrowful, deep, shuddering sigh . . . and 
 Woke ! That is to say, I languidly opened mortal 
 eyes to find myself once more pent up in mortal frame, 
 though I retained a perfect remembrance and conscious- 
 ness of everything I had experienced during my spirit- 
 wanderings. Heliobas stood in front of me with out- 
 stretched hands, and his eyes were fixed on mine with 
 a mingled expression of anxiety and authority, which 
 changed into a look of relief and gladness as I smiled 
 at him and uttered his name aloud. 
 
 198
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 SECRETS OF THE SUN AND MCON 
 
 " Have I been long away ? " I asked, as I raised myself 
 upright in the chair where I had been resting. 
 
 " I sent you from hence on Thursday morning at 
 noon," replied Heliobas. " It is now Friday evening, 
 and within a few minutes of midnight. I was growing 
 alarmed. I have never known anyone stay absent for 
 so long ; and you resisted my authority so powerfully, 
 that I began to fear you would never come back at 
 all." 
 
 " I wish I had not been compelled to do so ! " I said 
 regretfully. 
 
 He smiled. 
 
 "No doubt you do. It is the general complaint. 
 Will you stand up now and see how you feel ? " 
 
 I obeyed. There was still a slight sensation about 
 me as of being cramped for space ; but this was passing, 
 and otherwise I felt singularly strong, bright and 
 vigorous. I stretched out my hands in unspeakable 
 gratitude to him through whose scientific power I had 
 gained my recent experience. 
 
 "I can never thank you enough!" I said earnestly. 
 " I daresay you know something of what I have seen on 
 my journey? " 
 
 " Something, but not all," he replied. " Of course I 
 
 199
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 know what worlds and s)-stcms you saw, but what was 
 said to you, or what special lessons were given you for 
 your comfort, I cannot tell." 
 
 "Then I will describe everything while it is fresh 
 upon me," I returned. " I feel that I must do so in 
 order that you may understand how glad I am, — how 
 grateful I am to you." 
 
 I then related the different scenes through which I 
 had passed, omitting no detail. Ilcliobas listened with 
 profound interest and attention. When I had finished, 
 he said — 
 
 " Yours has been a most wonderful, I may say almost 
 exceptional, experience. It proves to me more than ever 
 the omnipotence of WlLL. Most of those who have 
 been placed by my means in the Uplifted or Electric 
 state of being, have consented to it simply to gratify a 
 sense of curiosity — few therefore have gone be)ond the 
 pure ether, where, as in a sea, the planets swim. Cellini, 
 for instance, never went farther than Venus, because in 
 the atmosphere of that planet he met the Spirit that 
 rules and divides his destiny. Zara — she was daring, 
 and reached the outer rim of the Great Circle ; but even 
 she never caught a glimpse of the great Central Sphere. 
 Vou, differing from these, started with a daring aim 
 which you never lost sight of till you had fulfilled it. 
 How true are those words : ' Ask, and it shall be given 
 you ; seek, and ye shall find ; knock, and it shall be 
 opened unto you'! It is not possible," and here he 
 sighed, " that amid such wonders you could have 
 remembered me — it were foolish on my part to 
 expect it." 
 
 " I confess I thought nothing of you," I ."^aid frankly, 
 "till I was approaching Earth again; but then my 
 memory prompted me in time, and I did not forget 
 your request." 
 
 200
 
 SECRETS OF THE SUN AND MOON 
 
 " And what did you learn ? " he asked anxiously. 
 
 " Simply this, Azul said that I might deliver you 
 this message : When death lies like a gift in your hand, 
 withhold it, and remember her." 
 
 " As if I did not always guide myself by her 
 promptings ! " exclaimed Heliobas, with a tender 
 smile. 
 
 " You might forget to do so for once," I said. 
 
 "Never!" he replied fervently. "It could not be. 
 But I thank you, my child, for having thought of me — 
 the message you bring shall be impressed strongly on 
 my mind. Now, before you leave me to-night, I must 
 say a few necessary words." 
 
 He paused, and appeared to consider profoundly for 
 some minutes. At last he spoke. 
 
 " I have selected certain writings for your perusal," he 
 said. " In them you will find full and clear instructions 
 how to cultivate and educate the electric force within 
 you, and thus continue the work I have begun. With 
 these you will also perceive that I have written out the 
 receipt for the volatile fluid which, if taken in a small 
 quantity every day, will keep you in health, strength, 
 and intellectual vigour, while it will preserve your youth 
 and enjoyment of life to a very much longer extent 
 than that usually experienced by the majority. Under- 
 stand me well — this liquid of itself cannot put you into 
 an uplifted state of existence ; you need human electric 
 force applied strongly to your system to compass this ; 
 and as it is dangerous to try the experiment too often — 
 dangerous to the body, I mean — it will be as well, as 
 you have work to do yet in this life, not to attempt it 
 again. But if you drink the fluid every morning of your 
 life, and at the same time obey my written manual as 
 to the cultivation of your own inner force, which is 
 already existent in a large degree, you will attain to 
 
 201
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 certain advantages over the rest of the people you 
 meet, which will give )'ou not only physical, but mental 
 power," 
 
 He paused a minute or two, and again went on : 
 "When you have educated your Will to a certain 
 height of electric command, you can at your pleasure 
 see at any time, and see plainly, the spirits who inhabit 
 the air ; and also those who, descending to long distances 
 below the Great Circle, come within the range of human 
 electricity, or the attractive matter contained in the 
 Earth's atmosphere. You can converse with them, and 
 they with you. You will also be able, at your desire, to 
 see the parted spirits of dead persons, so long as they 
 linger within Earth's radius, which they seldom do, 
 being always anxious to escape from it as soon as 
 possible. Love may sometimes detain them, or re- 
 morse ; but even these have to yield to the superior 
 longings which possess them the instant they are set 
 free. You will, in your intercourse with your fellow- 
 mortals, be able to discern their motives quickly and 
 unerringly — you will at once discover where you are 
 loved and where you are disliked ; and not all the 
 learning and logic of so-called philosophers shall be 
 able to cloud your instinct. You will have a keener 
 appreciation of good and beautiful things — a delightful 
 sense of humour, and invariable cheerfulness ; and what- 
 ever you do, unless you make some mistake by your 
 own folly, will carry with it its success. And, what is 
 perhaps a greater privilege, you will find that all who 
 are brought into very close contact with you will be 
 beneficially influenced, or the reverse, exactly as you 
 choose to exert your power. I do not think, after what 
 you have seen, you will ever desire to exert a malign 
 influence, knowing that the Creator of your being is all 
 love and forgiveness. At any rate, the greatest force 
 
 202
 
 SECRETS OF THE SUN AND MOON 
 
 in the universe, electricity, is yours — that is, it has 
 begun to form itself in you — and you have nothing to 
 do but to encourage its growth, just as you would en- 
 courage a taste for music or the fine arts. Now let me 
 give you the writings." 
 
 He unlocked a desk, and took from it two small rolls 
 of parchment, one tied with a gold ribbon, the other 
 secured in a kind of case with a clasp. This last he 
 held up before my eyes, and said : 
 
 " This contains my private instructions to you. 
 Never make a single one of them public. The 
 world is not ready for wisdom, and the secrets of 
 science can only be explained to the few. Therefore 
 keep this parchment safely under lock and key, 
 and never let any eye but your own look upon its 
 contents." 
 
 I promised, and he handed it to me. Then 
 taking the other roll which was tied with ribbon, he 
 said : 
 
 " Here is written out what I call the Electric Prin- 
 ciple of Christianity. This is for your own study and 
 consideration ; still, if you ever desire to explain my 
 theory to others, I do not forbid you. But as I told 
 you before, you can never compel belief — the goldfish 
 in a glass bowl will never understand the existence of 
 the ocean. Be satisfied if you can guide yourself by 
 the compass you have found, but do not grieve if you 
 are unable to guide others. You may try, but it will 
 not be surprising if you fail. Nor will it be your fault 
 The only sorrow that might happen to you in these 
 efforts would be in case you should love some one very 
 dearly, and yet be unable to instil the truth of what you 
 know into that particular soul. You would then have 
 to make a discovery, which is always more or less pain- 
 ful — namely, that your love was misplaced, inasmuch 
 
 203
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 as the nature you had selected as worthy of love had 
 no part with }-ours ; and that separation utter and 
 eternal must therefore occur, if not in this life, then in 
 the future. So I would say beware of loving, lest you 
 should not love rightly — though I believe you will soon 
 be able to discern clearly the spirit that is by fate 
 destined to complete and perfect your own. And now, 
 though I know you are scarcely fatigued enough to 
 sleep, I will say good-night." 
 
 I took the second roll of parchment from his 
 hand, and opening it a little way, I saw that it 
 was covered with very fine small writing. Then 
 I said : 
 
 " Does Zara know how long I have been absent ? " 
 
 "Yes," replied Heliobas ; "and she, like myself, 
 was surprised and anxious. I think she went to 
 bed long ago ; but you may look into her room 
 and see if she is awake, before you j'ourself retire 
 to rest." 
 
 As he spoke of Zara his eyes grew melancholy and 
 his brow clouded. An instinctive sense of fear came 
 upon me. 
 
 " Is she not well ? " I asked. 
 
 " She is perfectly well," he answered. " Why should 
 you imagine her to be otherwise? " 
 
 " Pardon me," 1 said ; " I fancied that you looked 
 unhajipy when I mentioned her." 
 
 Heliobas made no answer. He stepped to the 
 window, and throwing back the curtain, called me to 
 his side. 
 
 " Look out yonder," he said in low and earnest tones ; 
 "look at the dark blue veil strewn with stars, throuerh 
 which so lately your daring soul pierced its flight ! See 
 how the small Moon hangs like a lamp in Heaven, 
 apparently outshining the myriad worlds around her, 
 
 204
 
 SECRETS OF THE SUN AND MOON 
 
 that are so much vaster and fairer ! How deceptive is 
 the human eye ! — nearly as deceptive as the human 
 reason. Tell me — why did you not visit the Moon, or 
 the Sun, in your recent wanderings ? " 
 
 This question caused me some surprise. It was 
 certainly very strange that I had not thought of 
 doing so. Yet, on pondering the matter in my mind, 
 I remembered that during my aerial journey suns 
 and moons had been no more to me than flowers 
 strewn on a meadow. I now regretted that I had not 
 soup"ht to know something of those two fair luminaries 
 which light and warm our earth. 
 
 Heliobas, after watching my face intently, re- 
 sumed : 
 
 " You cannot guess the reason of your omission ? 
 I will tell you. There is nothing to see in either 
 Sun or Moon. They were both inhabited worlds 
 once ; but the dwellers in the Sun have ages ago 
 lived their lives and passed to the Central Sphere. 
 The Sun is nothing now but a burning world, burn- 
 ing rapidly, and surely, away ; or rather, it is being 
 absoj'bed back into the Electric Circle from which it 
 originally sprang^ to be thrown out again in some new 
 and grander form,. And so with all worlds, suns and 
 systems, for ever and ever. Hundreds of thousands 
 of those brief time-breathings called years may pass 
 before this consummation of the Sun ; but its de- 
 struction is going on now, or rather its absorption — 
 and we on our cold small star warm ourselves, 
 and are glad, in the light of an empty world on 
 fire ! " 
 
 I listened with awe and interest. 
 
 " And the Moon ? " I asked eagerly. 
 
 " The moon does not exist. What we see is the 
 reflection or the electrograph of what she once was. 
 
 205
 
 A ROMANCE OF "TWO WORLDS 
 
 Atmospherical electricity has imprinted this picture 
 of a long-ago living world upon the heavens, just as 
 Raphael drew his cartoons for the men of to-day to 
 see." 
 
 " But," I exclaimed in surprise, ' how about 
 the Moon's influence on the tides? and what of 
 eclipses ?" 
 
 " Not the Moon, but the electric reflex of a once 
 living but now absorbed world, has certainly an influ- 
 ence on the tides. The sea is impregnated with 
 electricity. Just as the Sun will absorb colours, so 
 the electricity in the sea is repelled or attracted by 
 the electric picture of the Moon in Heaven. Because, 
 as a painting is full of colour, so is that faithful sketch 
 of a vanished sphere, drawn with a pencil of pure 
 light, full of immense electricity ; and to carry the 
 simile further, just as a painting may be said to be 
 formed of various dark and light tints, so the electric 
 portrait of the Moon contains various degrees of 
 electric force — which, coming in contact with the 
 electricity of the Earth's atmosphere, produces dif- 
 ferent effects on us and on the natural scenes amid 
 which we dwell. As for eclipses — if you slowly pass 
 a round screen between yourself and a blazing fire, 
 you will only see the edges of the fire. In the same 
 way the elcctrograph of the Moon passes at stated 
 intervals between the Earth and the burnin^,; world 
 of the Sun." 
 
 " Yet surely," I said, " the telescope has enabled us 
 to see the Moon as a solid globe — we have discerned 
 mountains and valleys on its surface ; and then it 
 revolves round us regularly — how do you account for 
 these facts ? " 
 
 " The telescope," returned Heliobas, " is merely an 
 aid to the human eye ; and, as I told you before, 
 
 206
 
 SECRETS OF THE SUN AND MOON 
 
 nothing is so easily deceived as our sense of vision, 
 even when assisted by mechanical appliances. The 
 telescope, like the stereoscope, simply enables us to 
 see the portrait of the Moon more clearly ; but all 
 the same, the Moon, as a world, does not exist. Her 
 likeness, taken by electricity, may last some thousands 
 of years, and as long as it lasts it must revolve around 
 us, because everything in the universe moves, and 
 moves in a circle. Besides which, this portrait of 
 the Moon being composed of pure electricity, is 
 attracted and forced to follow the Earth by the com- 
 pelling influence of the Earth's own electric power. 
 Therefore, till the picture fades, it must attend the 
 Earth like the haunting spectre of a dead joy. Space is 
 the canvas — the Moon is a sketch. How interested 
 we are when a discovery is made of some rare old 
 painting, of which the subject is a perfectly beautiful 
 woman ! It bears no name — perhaps no date — but 
 the face that smiles at us is exquisite — the lips yet 
 pout for kisses — the eyes brim over with love ! And 
 we admire it tenderly and reverently — we mark it 
 ' Portrait of a Lady I and give it an honoured place 
 among our art collections. With how much more 
 reverence and tenderness ought we to look up at the 
 ^Portrait of a Fair Lost Sphere' circling yonder in 
 that dense ever-moving gallery of wonders, where the 
 hurrying throng of spectators are living and dying 
 worlds ! " 
 
 I had followed the speaker's words with fascinated 
 attention, but now I said : 
 
 "Dying, Heliobas? There is no death." 
 
 " True ! " he answered, with hesitating slowness. 
 " But there is what we call death — transition — and it 
 is always a parting." 
 
 " But not for long ! " I exclaimed, with all the glad- 
 
 207
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 ness and eagerness of my lately instructed soul. " As 
 worlds are absorbed into the Electric Circle and again 
 thrown out in new and more glorious forms, so are we 
 absorbed and changed into shapes of perfect beauty, 
 having eyes that are strong and pure enough to look 
 God in the face. The body perishes — but what have 
 WE to do with the body — our prison and place of 
 experience, except to rejoice when we shake off its 
 weight for ever ! " 
 
 Heliobas smiled gravely. 
 
 " You have learned your high lesson well," he said. 
 " You speak with the assurance and delight of a 
 spirit satisfied. But when I talk of death, 1 mean 
 by that word the parting asunder of two souls who 
 love each other ; and though such separation may be 
 brief, still it is always a separation. For instance, 
 
 suppose " he hesitated; "suppose Zara were to 
 
 die?" 
 
 " Well, you would soon meet her again," 1 answered. 
 " For though you might live many years after her, still 
 you would know in yourself that those )cars were but 
 minutes in the realms of space " 
 
 " Minutes that decide our destinies," he interrupted 
 with solemnity. " And there is always this possibility 
 to contemplate — suppose Zara were to leave me now, 
 how can I be sure that I shall be strong enough to live 
 out my remainder of life purely enough to deserve to 
 meet her again ? And if not, then Zara's death would 
 mean utter and almost hopeless separation for ever — 
 though perhaps I might begin over again in some other 
 form, and so reach the goal." 
 
 He spoke so musingly and seriously that 1 was 
 surprised, for I had thought him impervious to such a 
 folly as the fear of death. 
 
 "You are melancholy, Heliobas," I said. "In the 
 
 2o8
 
 SECRETS OF THE SUN AND MOON 
 
 first place, Zara is not going to leave you yet ; and 
 secondly, if she did, you know your strongest efforts 
 would be brought to bear on your career, in order that 
 no shadow of obstinacy or error might obstruct your 
 path. Why, the very essence of our belief is in the 
 strength of Will-power. What we zvill to do, especially 
 if it be any act of spiritual progress, we can always 
 accomplish." 
 
 Heliobas took my hand and pressed it warmly. 
 
 " You are so lately come from the high regions," he 
 said, "that it warms and invigorates me to hear your 
 encouraging words. Pray do not think me capable of 
 yielding long to the weakness of foreboding, I am, in 
 spite of my advancement in spiritual science, nothing 
 but a man, and am apt to be hampered oftentimes by 
 my mortal trappings. We have prolonged our con- 
 versation further than I intended. I assure you it is 
 better for you to try to sleep, even though, as I know, 
 you feel so wide-awake. Let me give you a soothing 
 draught ; it will have the effect of composing your 
 physical nerves into steady working order." 
 
 He poured something from a small phial into a glass, 
 and handed it to me. I drank it at once, obediently, 
 and with a smile. 
 
 " Good-night, my Master ! " I then said. " You need 
 have no fear of your own successful upward progress. 
 For if there were the slightest chance of your falling 
 into fatal error, all those human souls you have 
 benefited would labour and pray for your rescue; and I 
 know now that prayers reach Heaven, so long as they 
 are unselfish. I, though 1 am one of the least of your 
 disciples, out of the deep gratitude of my heart towards 
 you, will therefore pray unceasingly for you, both here 
 and hereafter." 
 
 He bent his head. 
 
 209
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 " I thank you ! " he said simply. " More deeds are 
 ivrotigJU by prayer than this world dreams of ! ^ That 
 is a true sayinij. God bless you, my child ! Good- 
 night ! " 
 
 And he opened the door of his study for me to pass 
 out. As I did so, he laid his hand lightly on my head 
 in a sort of unspoken benediction — then he closed his 
 door, and I found myself alone in the great hall. A 
 suspended lamp was burning brightly, and the fountain 
 was gurgling melodiously to itself in a subdued manner, 
 as if it were learning a new song for the morning. I 
 sped across the mosaic pavement with a light eager 
 step, and hurried up the stairs, intent on finding Zara 
 to tell her how happy I felt, and how satisfied I was 
 with my wonderful experience. I reached the door of 
 her bedroom — it was ajar. I softly pushed it farther 
 open, and looked in. A small but exquisitely modelled 
 statue of an "Eros" ornamented one corner. His 
 uplifted torch served as a light which glimmered faintly 
 through a rose-coloured glass, and shed a tender lustre 
 over the room ; but especially upon the bed, orna- 
 mented with rich Oriental needlework, where Zara lay 
 fast asleep. I low beautiful she looked! Almost as 
 lovely as any one of the radiant spirits I had met in my 
 aerial journey ! Her rich dark hair was scattered 
 loose!}' on the white pillows ; her long silky lashes 
 curled softly on the delicately tinted cheeks ; her lips, 
 tenderly red, like the colour on budding apple-blossoms 
 in early spring, were slightly parted, showing the 
 glimmer of the small white teeth within ; her night- 
 dress was slightly undone, and half displayed and half 
 disguised her neck and daintily rounded bosom, on 
 which the electric jewel she always wore glittered 
 brilliantly as it rose and sank with her regular and 
 
 ^ Tennyson. 
 
 210
 
 SECRETS OF THE SUN AND MOON 
 
 quiet breathing. One fair hand lay outside the coverlet, 
 and the reflection from the lamp of the " Eros " 
 flickered on a ring which adorned it, making its central 
 diamond flash like a wandering star. 
 
 I looked long and tenderly on this perfect ideal of a 
 ** Sleeping Beauty," and then thought I would draw 
 closer and see if I could kiss her without awaking her. 
 I advanced a few steps into the room — when suddenly 
 I was stopped. Within about a yard's distance from 
 the bed a Something opposed my approach ! I could 
 not move a foot forward — I tried vigorously, but in 
 vain ! I could step backward, and that was all. 
 Between me and Zara there seemed to be an invisible 
 barrier, strong, and absolutely impregnable. There was 
 nothing to be seen — nothing but the softly-shaded 
 room — the ever-smiling " Eros," and the exquisite 
 reposeful figure of my sleeping friend. Two steps, and 
 I could have touched her; but those two steps I was 
 forcibly prevented from making — as forcibly as though 
 a deep ocean had rolled between her and me. I did 
 not stop long to consider this strange occurrence — I felt 
 sure it had something to do with her spiritual life and 
 sympathy, therefore it neither alarmed nor perplexed 
 me. Kissing my hand tenderly towards my darling, 
 who lay so close to me, and who was yet so jealously 
 and invisibly guarded during her slumbers, I softly and 
 reverently withdrew. On reaching my own apartment, 
 I was more than half inclined to sit up reading and 
 studying the parchments Heliobas had given me ; but 
 on second thoughts I resolved to lock up these precious 
 manuscripts and go to bed. I did so, and before 
 preparing to sleep I remembered to kneel down and 
 offer up praise and honour, with a loving and believing 
 heart, to that Supreme Glory, of which I had been 
 marvellously permitted to enjoy a brief but tran- 
 
 211
 
 A R01SIAx\CE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 scendent glimpse. And as I knelt, absorbed and 
 happ)-, I heard, like a soft echo falling through the 
 silence of my room, a sound like distant music, through 
 which these words floated towards me : " A new 
 commandment give I unto you, that you love one 
 another even as I have loved you ! " 
 
 2T2
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 SOCIABLE CONVERSE 
 
 TflE next morning Zara came herself to awaken me, 
 looking as fresh and lovely as a summer morning. She 
 embraced me very tenderly, and said : 
 
 "I have been talking for more than an hour with 
 Casimir. He has told me everything. What wonders 
 you have seen ! And are you not happy, dearest ? 
 Are you not strong and satisfied ? " 
 
 "Perfectly!" I replied. "But, O Zara! what a pity 
 that all the world should not know what we know ! " 
 
 " All have not a desire for knowledge," replied Zara. 
 " Even in your vision of the garden you possessed, there 
 were only a few who still sought you ; for those few 
 you would have done anything, but for the others your 
 best efforts were in vain." 
 
 " They might not have been always in vain," I said 
 musingly. 
 
 "No, they might not," agreed Zara. "That is just 
 the case of the world to-day. While there is life in it, 
 there is also hope. And talking of the world, let me 
 remind you that you are back in it now, and must 
 therefore be hampered with tiresome trivialities. Two 
 of these are as follows : First, here is a letter for you, 
 which has just come ; secondly, breakfast will be ready 
 in twenty minutes ! " 
 
 I looked at her smiling face attentively. She was 
 the very embodiment of vigorous physical health and 
 
 Q 213
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO AVORLDS 
 
 beauty ; it seemed like a dream to remember her in the 
 past night, guarded by that invincible barrier, the work 
 of no mortal hand. I uttered nothing, however, of 
 these thoughts, and responding to her evident gaiety of 
 heart, I smiled also. 
 
 " I will be down punctually at the expiration of the 
 twenty minutes," I said. " I assure you, Zara, I am 
 quite sensible of the claims of earthly existence upon 
 me. For instance, I am very hungry, and I shall enjoy 
 breakfast immensely if you will make the coffee." 
 
 Zara, who among her other accomplishments had 
 the secret of making coffee to perfection, promised 
 laughingly to make it extra well, and flitted from the 
 room, singing softly as she went a fragment of the 
 Neapolitan Stornello : 
 
 " Fior di mortcUe 
 Queste manine tue son tanto belle ! 
 
 Fior di limone 
 Ti voglio far morire di passione 
 
 Salta! lari— lirh." 
 
 The letter Zara had brought me was from Mrs, 
 Everard, announcing that she would arrive in Paris 
 that very day, Sunday. 
 
 " By the time you get this note," so ran her words, 
 " we shall have landed at the Grand Hotel. Come and 
 see us at once, if you can. The Colonel is anxious to 
 judge for himself how you are looking. If you are 
 really recovered sufficiently to leave your medical 
 Pension, we shall be delighted to have you with us 
 again. I, in particular, shall be glad, for it is real 
 lonesome when the Colonel is out, and I do hate 
 to go shopping by myself So take pity upon >-our 
 affectionate 
 
 " Amy." 
 
 214
 
 SOCIABLE COISr^^ERSE 
 
 Seated at breakfast, I discussed this letter with 
 Heliobas and Zara, and decided that I would call at 
 the Grand Hotel that morning. 
 
 " I wish you would come with me, Zara," I said 
 wistfully. 
 
 To my surprise, she answered : 
 
 " Certainly I will, if you like. But we will attend 
 High Mass at Notre Dame first. There will be plenty 
 of time for the call afterwards." 
 
 I gladly agreed to this, and Heliobas added with 
 cheerful cordiality : 
 
 "Why not ask your friends to dine here to-morrow? 
 Zara's call will be a sufficient opening formality ; 
 and you yourself have been long enough with us 
 now to know that any of your friends will be 
 welcome here. We might have a pleasant little 
 party, especially if you add Mr. and Mrs. Challoner 
 and their daughters to the list. And I will ask 
 Ivan." 
 
 I glanced at Zara when the Prince's name was 
 uttered, but she made no sign of either offence or 
 indifference. 
 
 "You are very hospitable," I said, addressing 
 Heliobas ; " but I really see no reason why you should 
 throw open your doors to my friends, unless, indeed, 
 you specially desire to please me." 
 
 " Why, of course I do ! " he replied heartily ; and 
 Zara looked up and smiled. 
 
 " Then," I returned, " I will ask them to come. 
 What am I to say about my recovery, which 1 know is 
 little short of miraculous ? " 
 
 "Say," replied Heliobas, "that you have been cured 
 by electricity. There is nothing surprising in such a 
 statement nowadays. But say nothing of the human 
 electric force employed upon you — no one would believe 
 
 215
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 you, and the effort to persuade unpersuadable people is 
 always a waste of time." 
 
 An hour after this conversation Zara and I were 
 In the Cathedral of Notre Dame. I attended the service 
 with very different feelings to those I had hitherto 
 experienced during the same ceremony. Formerly my 
 mind had been distracted by harassing doubts and 
 perplexing contradictions ; now everything had a 
 meaning for me — high, and solemn, and sweet. As the 
 incense rose, I thought of those rays of connecting light 
 I had seen, on which prayers travel exactly as sound 
 travels through the telephone. As the grand organ 
 pealed sonorously through the fragrant air, I remembered 
 the ever youthful and gracious Spirits of Music, one of 
 whom, Aeon, had promised to be my friend. Just to 
 try the strength of my own electric force, I whispered 
 the name and looked up. There, on a wide slanting 
 ray of sunlight that fell directly across the altar, was the 
 ang'elic face I well remembered ! — the delicate hands 
 holding the semblance of a harp in air ! It was but for 
 an instant I saw it — one brief breathing-space in which 
 its smile mingled with the sunbeams, and then it 
 vanished. But I knew I was not forgotten, and the 
 deep satisfaction of my soul poured itself in unspoken 
 praise on the flood of the " Sanctus I Sanctus ! " that 
 just then rolled triumphantly through the aisles of 
 Notre Dame. Zara was absorbed in silent prayer 
 throughout the Mass; but at its conclusion, when we 
 came out of the cathedral, she was unusually gay and 
 elate. She conversed vivaciously with me concerning 
 the social merits and accomplishments of the people 
 we were going to visit ; while the brisk walk through 
 the frosty air brightened her eyes and cheeks into 
 warmer lustre, so that on our arrival at the Grand 
 Hotel she looked to my fancy even lovelier than usual. 
 
 216
 
 SOCIABLE CON\^ERSE 
 
 Mrs. Everard did not keep us waiting long in the 
 private salon to which we were shown. She fluttered 
 down, arrayed in a wonderful "art" gown of terra- 
 cotta and pale blue hues cunningly intermixed, 
 and proceeded to hug me with demonstrative fervour. 
 Then she held me a little distance off, and examined 
 me attentively. 
 
 " Do you know," she said, " you are simply in lovely 
 condition ! I never would have believed it. You 
 are actually as plump and pink as a peach. And 
 you are the same creature that wailed and trembled, 
 and had palpitations and headaches and stupors ! 
 Your doctor must be a perfect magician. I think 1 
 must consult him, for I am sure I don't look half as 
 well as you do." 
 
 And indeed she did not. I thought she had a tired, 
 dragged appearance, but I would not say so. I knew 
 her well, and I was perfectly aware that though she 
 was fascinating and elegant in every way, her life 
 was too much engrossed in trifles ever to yield her 
 healthy satisfaction. 
 
 After responding warmly to her affectionate greeting, 
 I said : 
 
 " Amy, you must allow me to introduce the sister 
 of my doctor to you. Madame Zara Casimir — Mrs. 
 Everard." 
 
 Zara, who had moved aside a little way out of 
 delicacy, to avoid intruding on our meeting, now turned, 
 and with her own radiant smile and exquisite grace, 
 stretched out her little well-gloved hand. 
 
 " I am delighted to know you ! " she said, in those 
 sweet penetrating accents of hers which were like 
 music. " Your friend," here indicating me by a slight 
 yet tender gesture, " has also become mine ; but I do 
 not think we shall be jealous, shall we ? " 
 
 217
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 Mrs. Everard made some attempt at a suitable reply, 
 but she was so utterly lost in admiration of Zara's 
 beauty, that her habitual self-possession almost deserted 
 her. Zara, however, had the most perfect tact, and 
 with it the ability of making herself at home anywhere, 
 and we were soon all three talking cheerfully and 
 without constraint. When the Colonel made his 
 appearance, which he did very shortly, he too was 
 ''taken off his feet," as the saying is, by Zara's 
 loveliness, and the same effect was produced on the 
 Challoners, who soon afterwards joined us in a body. 
 Mrs. Challoner, in particular, seemed incapable of 
 moving her eyes from the contemplation of my darling's 
 sweet face, and I glowed with pride and pleasure as I 
 noted how greatly she was admired. Miss Effie 
 Challoner alone, who was, by a certain class of young 
 men, considered " doosid pretty, with go in her," 
 opposed her stock of physical charms to those of Zara, 
 with a certain air of feminine opposition ; but she 
 was only able to keep this barrier up for a little 
 time. Zara's winning power of attraction was too 
 much for her, and she, like all present, fell a willing 
 captive to the enticing gentleness, the intellectual 
 superiority, and the sympathetic influence exercised by 
 the evenly balanced temperament and character of the 
 beautiful woman I loved so well. 
 
 After some desultory and pleasant chat, Zara, in the 
 name of her brother and herself, invited Colonel and 
 Mrs. Everard and the Challoner family to dine at the 
 Hotel Mars next day — an invitation which was accepted 
 by all with eagerness. I perceived at once that every 
 one of them was anxious to know more of Zara and her 
 surroundings — a curiosity which I could not very well 
 condemn. Mrs. Everard then wanted me to remain 
 with her for the rest of the afternoon ; but an instinctive 
 
 2l8
 
 SOCIABLE CONVERSE 
 
 feeling came upon me, that soon perhaps I should have 
 to part from Heliobas and Zara, and all the wonders 
 and delights of their household, in order to resume 
 my own working life — therefore I determined I would 
 drain my present cup of pleasure to the last drop. 
 So I refused Amy's request, pleading as an excuse 
 that I was still under my doctor's authority, and could 
 not indulge in such an excitement as an afternoon 
 in her society without his permission. Zara bore 
 me out in this assertion, and added for me to Mrs. 
 Everard : 
 
 "Indeed, I think it will be better for her to remain 
 perfectly quiet with us for a day or two longer ; then 
 she will be thoroughly cured, and free to do as she 
 likes." 
 
 " Well ! " said Mrs. Challoner ; " I must say she 
 doesn't look as if anything were the matter with her. 
 In fact, I never saw two more happy, healthy-looking 
 girls than you both. What secret do you possess to 
 make yourselves look so bright ? " 
 
 " No secret at all," replied Zara, laughing ; " we 
 simply follow the exact laws of health, and they 
 sufRce." 
 
 Colonel Everard, who had been examining me critically 
 and asking me a few questions, here turned to Zara and 
 said 
 
 " Do you really mean to say, Madame Casimir, that 
 your brother cured this girl by electricity ? " 
 
 " Purely so ! " she answered earnestly. 
 
 " Then it's the most wonderful recovery / ever saw. 
 Why, at Cannes, she was hollow-eyed, pale, and thin as 
 a willow-wand ; now she looks — well, she knows how 
 she is herself — but if she feels as spry as she looks, she's 
 in first-rate training ! " 
 
 I laughed. 
 
 219
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 " I do feel spry, Colonel," I said. " Life seems to me 
 like summer sunshine." 
 
 " Bravo !" exclaimed I\Ir. Challoner. He was a staid, 
 rather slow Kcntuckiaii who seldom spoke ; and when 
 he did, seemed to find it rather an exertion. "If there's 
 one class of folk I detest more than another, it is those 
 all-possessed people who find life unsuitcd to their 
 fancies. Nobody asked them to come into it — nobody 
 would miss them if they went out of it. Being in it, it's 
 barely civil to grumble at the Deity who sent them 
 along here. I never do it myself if 1 can help it." 
 
 We laughed, and Mrs. Challoncr's eyes twinkled. 
 
 "In England, dear, for instance," she said, with a 
 mischievous glance at her spouse — "in England you 
 never grumbled, did you ? " 
 
 Mr. Challoner looked volumes — his visage reddened, 
 and he clenched his broad fist with ominous vigour. 
 
 " Why, by the Lord ! " he said, with even more than 
 his usual deliberate utterance, " in England the liveliest 
 flea that ever gave a triumphal jump in air would find 
 his spirits inclined to droop ! I tell you, ma'am," he 
 continued, addressing himself to Zara, whose merry 
 laugh rang out like a peal of little golden bells at this 
 last remark — " I tell you that when I walked in the 
 streets of London I used to feel as if I were one of a 
 band of criminals. Every person I met looked at me 
 as if the universe were about to be destroyed next 
 minute ; and that they had to build another up right 
 away without God to help 'em ! " 
 
 " Well, I believe I agree with you," said Colonel 
 Everard. "The English take life too seriously. In 
 their craze for business they manage to do away with 
 pleasure altogether. They seem afraid to laugh, and 
 they even approach the semblance of a smile with due 
 caution." 
 
 220
 
 SOCIABLE CONVERSE 
 
 "I'm free to confess," added his wife, "that I'm not 
 easily chilled through. But an English ' at home ' acts 
 upon me like a patent refrigerator — I get regularly- 
 frozen to the bone ! " 
 
 " Dear me ! " laughed Zara ; " you give very bad 
 accounts of Shakespeare's land ! It must be very 
 sad!" 
 
 " I believe it wasn't always so," pursued Colonel 
 Everard ; " there are legends which speak of it as 
 Merrie England. I daresay it might have been merry 
 once, before it was governed by shopkeepers ; but now, 
 you must get away from it if you want to enjoy life. 
 At least such is my opinion. But have you never been 
 in England, Madame Casimir? You speak English 
 perfectly." 
 
 " Oh, I am a fairly good linguist," replied Zara, 
 " thanks to my brother. But I have never crossed the 
 Channel." 
 
 The Misses Challoner looked politely surprised ; 
 their father's shrewd face wore an expression of grim 
 contentment. 
 
 " Don't cross it, ma'am," he said emphatically, " unless 
 you have a special desire to be miserable. If you want 
 to know how Christians love one another, and how to 
 be made limply and uselessly wretched, spend a Sunday 
 in London." 
 
 " I think I will not try the experiment, Mr. Challoner," 
 returned Zara gaily. " Life is short, and I prefer to 
 enjoy it," 
 
 " Say," interrupted Mrs. Challoner, turning to me 
 at this juncture, "now you are feeling so well, would it 
 be asking you too much to play us a piece of your own 
 improvising? " 
 
 I glanced at the grand piano, which occupied a corner 
 of the salon where we sat, and hesitated. But at a 
 
 221
 
 A ROMANCE OF' TWO WORLDS 
 
 slight nod from Zara, I rose, drew off my gloves, and 
 seated myself at the instrument. Passing my hands 
 lightly over the keys, I wandered through a few running 
 passages ; and as I did so, murmured a brief petition to 
 my aerial friend Aeon. Scarcely had I done this, when 
 a flood of music seemed to rush to my brain and thence 
 to my fingers, and I played, hardly knowing what I 
 played, but merely absorbed in trying to give utterance 
 to the sounds which were falling softly upon my inner 
 sense of hearing like drops of summer rain on a thirsty 
 soil. I was just aware that I was threading the labyrinth 
 of a minor key, and that the result was a network of 
 delicate and tender melody reminding me of Heinrich 
 Heine's words : 
 
 "Lady, did you not hear the nightingale sing? A 
 beautiful silken voice — a web of happy notes — and my 
 soul was taken in its meshes, and strangled and tortured 
 thereby ! " 
 
 A few minutes, and the inner voice that conversed 
 with me so sweetly, died away into silence, and at the 
 same time my fingers found their way to the closing 
 chord. As one awaking from a dream, I looked up. 
 The little group of friendly listeners were rapt in the 
 deepest attention ; and when I ceased, a murmur of 
 admiration broke from them all, while Zara's eyes 
 glistened with sympathetic tears. 
 
 " How can you do it?" asked Mrs. Challoner in good- 
 natured amazement. " It seems to me impossible to 
 compose like that while seated at the piano, and without 
 taking previous thought ! " 
 
 "It is not vijy doing," I began ; " it seems to come to 
 me from " 
 
 But I was checked by a look from Zara, that gently 
 warned me not to hastily betray the secret of my 
 spiritual communion with the unseen sources of 
 
 222
 
 SOCIABLE COISr^^ERSE 
 
 harmony. So I smiled and said no more. Inwardly 
 I was full of a great rejoicing, for I knew that however 
 well I had played in past days, it was nothing com- 
 pared to the vigour and ease which were now given to 
 me — a sort of unlocking of the storehouse of music, 
 with freedom to take my choice of all its vast 
 treasures. 
 
 " Well, it's what lue call inspiration," said Mr. 
 Challoner, giving my hand a friendly grasp ; " and 
 wherever it comes from, it must be a great happiness to 
 yourself as well as to others." 
 
 "It is," I answered earnestly. " I believe few are so 
 perfectly happy in music as I am." 
 
 Mrs. Everard looked thoughtful. 
 
 " No amount of practice could make we play like 
 that," she said ; "yet I have had two or three masters 
 who were supposed to be first-rate. One of them was 
 a German, who used to clutch his hair like a walking 
 tragedian whenever I played a wrong note. I believe 
 he got up his reputation entirely by that clutch, for he 
 often played wrong notes himself without minding it. 
 But just because he worked himself into a sort of frenzy 
 when others went wrong, everybody praised him, and 
 said he had such an ear and was so sensitive that he 
 must be a great musician. He worried me nearly to 
 death over Bach's ' Well-tempered Klavier ' — all to nc 
 purpose, for I can't play a note of it now, and shouldn't 
 care to if I could. I consider Bach a dreadful old bore, 
 though I know it is heresy to say so. Even Beethoven 
 is occasionally prosy, only no one wall be courageous 
 enough to admit it. People would rather go to sleep 
 over classical music than confess they don't like it." 
 
 " Schubert would have been a grander master than 
 Beethoven, if he had only lived long enough," said 
 Zara ; " but I daresay very few will agree with me in 
 
 223
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 such an assertion. Unfortunately most of my opinions 
 differ from those of everj'one else." 
 
 " You should say fortunately, madame," said Colonel 
 Everard, bowing gallantly; "as the circumstance has 
 the happy result of making you perfectly original as 
 well as perfectly charming." 
 
 Zara received this compliment with her usual sweet 
 equanimity, and we rose to take our leave. As we 
 were passing out, Amy Everard drew me back and 
 crammed into the pocket of my cloak a newspaper. 
 
 " Read it when }^ou are alone," she whispered ; " and 
 you will see what Raffaello Cellini has done with the 
 sketch he made of you." 
 
 We parted from these pleasant Americans with 
 cordial expressions of goodwill, Zara reminding them 
 of their engagement to visit her at her own home next 
 day, and fixing the dinner-hour for half-past seven. 
 
 On our return to the Hotel Mars, we found Heliobas 
 in the drawing-room, deep in converse with a Catholic 
 priest — a fine-looking man of venerable and noble 
 features, Zara addressed him as " Father Paul," and 
 bent humbly before him to receive his blessing, which 
 he gave her with almost parental tenderness. He 
 seemed, from his familiar manner with them, to be a 
 very old friend of the family. 
 
 On my being introduced to him, he greeted me with 
 gentle courtesy, and gave me also his simple unaffected 
 benediction. We all partook of a light luncheon to- 
 gether, after which repast Heliobas and Father Paul 
 withdrew together. Zara looked after their retreating 
 figures with a sort of meditative pathos in her large 
 eyes; and then she told me she had something to finish 
 in her studio — would I excuse her for about an hour ? 
 I readily consented, for I myself was desirous of 
 passing a little time in solitude, in order to read the 
 
 224
 
 SOCIABLE CONVERSE 
 
 manuscripts Heliobas had given me. " For," thought I, 
 " if there is anything in them not quite clear to me, he 
 will explain it, and I had better take advantage of his 
 instruction while I can." 
 
 As Zara and I went upstairs together, we were 
 followed by Leo — a most unusual circumstance, as that 
 faithful animal was generally in attendance on his 
 master. Now, however, he seemed to have something 
 oppressive on his mind, for he kept close to Zara, and 
 his big brown eyes, whenever he raised them to her 
 face, were full of intense melancholy. His tail drooped 
 in a forlorn way, and all the vivacity of his nature 
 seemed to have gone out of him. 
 
 " Leo does not seem well," I said, patting the dog's 
 beautiful silky coat, an attention to which he responded 
 by a heavy sigh and a wistful gaze approaching to tears. 
 Zara looked at him. 
 
 " Poor Leo ! " she murmured caressingly. " Perhaps 
 he feels lonely. Do you want to come with your 
 mistress to-day, old boy? So you shall. Come along 
 — cheer up, Leo I " 
 
 And, nodding to me, she passed into her studio, the 
 dog following her. I turned into my own apartment, 
 and then bethought myself of the newspaper Mrs. 
 Everard had thrust into my pocket. It was a Roman 
 journal, and the passage marked for my perusal ran as 
 follows : 
 
 " The picture of the I}7iprovisatrice, painted by our 
 countryman Signor Raffaello Cellini, has been purchased 
 
 by Prince N for the sum of forty thousand francs. 
 
 The Prince generously permits it to remain on view for a 
 few days longer, so that those who have not yet enjoyed 
 its attraction, have still time to behold one of the most 
 wonderful pictures of the age. The colouring yet 
 remains a marvel to both students and connoisseurs, and 
 
 225
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 the life-like appearance of the girl's figure, robed in its 
 clinging white draperies ornamented with lilies of the 
 valley, is so strong, that one imagines she will step out 
 of the canvas and confront the bystanders. Signor 
 Cellini must now be undoubtedly acknowledged as one 
 of the greatest geniuses of modern times." 
 
 I could see no reason, as I perused this, to be sure 
 that / had served as the model for this successful work 
 of art, unless the white dress and the lilies of the valley, 
 which I had certainly worn at Cannes, were sufficient 
 authority for forming such a conclusion. Still I felt 
 quite a curiosity about the picture — the more so as I 
 could foresee no possible chance of my ever beholding it. 
 I certainly should not go to Rome on purpose, and in 
 
 a few days it would be in the possession of Prince N , 
 
 a personage whom in all probability I should never 
 know. I put the newspaper carefully by, and then 
 turned my mind to the consideration of quite another 
 subject — namely, the contents of my parchment docu- 
 ments. The first one I opened was that containing the 
 private instructions of Heliobas to myself for the pre- 
 servation of my own health, and the cultivation of the 
 electric force within me. These were so exceedingly 
 simple, and yet so wonderful in their simplicity, that I 
 was surprised. They were based upon the plainest and 
 most reasonable common-sense arguments — easy enough 
 for a child to understand. Having promised never to 
 make them public, it is impossible for me to give the 
 slightest hint of their purport ; but I may say at once, 
 without trespassing the bounds of my pledged word, 
 that if these few concise instructions were known and 
 practised by everyone, doctors would be entirely thrown 
 out of employment, and chemists' shops would no longer 
 cumber the streets. Illness would be very difficult of 
 attainment — though in the event of its occurring each 
 
 226
 
 SOCIABLE CONVERSE 
 
 individual would know how to treat him or herself — 
 and life could be prolonged easily and comfortably to 
 more than a hundred years, barring, of course, accidents 
 by sea, rail and road, or by deeds of violence. But it 
 will take many generations before the world is univer- 
 sally self-restrained enough to follow such plain maxims 
 as those laid down for me in the writing of my bene- 
 factor, Heliobas — even if it be ever self-restrained at all, 
 which, judging from the present state of society, is much 
 to be doubted. Therefore, no more of the subject, on 
 which, indeed, I am forbidden to speak. 
 
 The other document, called "The Electric Prin- 
 ciple of Christianity," I found so curious and original, 
 suggesting so many new theories concerning that religion 
 which has civilized a great portion of humanity, that, as 
 I am not restrained by any promise on this point, I have 
 resolved to give it here in full. My readers must not 
 be rash enough to jump to the conclusion that I set it 
 forward as an explanation or confession of m.y own 
 faith ; my creed has nothing to do with anyone save 
 myself I simply copy the manuscript I possess, as the 
 theory of a deeply read and widely intelligent man, such 
 as Heliobas undoubtedly was ; a man, too, in whose 
 veins ran the blood of the Chaldean kings — earnest and 
 thoughtful Orientals, who were far wiser in their genera- 
 tion perhaps than we, with all our boasted progress, 
 are in ours. The coincidences which have to do with 
 electrical science will, I believe, be generally admitted 
 to be curious if not convincing. To me, of course, they 
 are only fresh proofs of what I knozu, because / have 
 seen the Great Electric Circle, and know its power (guided 
 as it is by the Central Intelligence within) to be capable 
 of anything, from the sending down of a minute spark 
 of instinct into the heart of a flower, to the perpetual 
 manufacture and re-absorption of solar systems by the 
 
 227
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 million million. And it is a circle that ever widens 
 without end. What more glorious manifestation can 
 there be of the Creator's splendour and wisdom ! But 
 as to how this world of ours span round in its own light 
 littleness farther and farther from the Radiant Ring, till 
 its very Sun began to be re-absorbed, and till its Moon 
 disappeared and became a mere picture — till it became 
 of itself like a small blot on the fair scroll of the 
 Universe, while its inhabitants grew to resent all 
 heavenly attraction ; and how it was yet thought worth 
 God's patience and tender consideration, just for the 
 sake of a few human souls upon it who still remembered 
 and loved Him, to give it one more chance before it 
 should be drawn back into the Central Circle like a 
 spark within a fire — all this is sufficiently set forth in 
 the words of Heliobas, quoted in the next chapter. 
 
 228
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 THE ELECTRIC CREED 
 
 The " Electric Principle of Christianity " opened as 
 follows : 
 
 " From all Eternity God, or the Supreme Spirit of 
 Light, existed, and to all Eternity He will continue to 
 exist. This is plainly stated in the New Testament 
 thus: 'God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him 
 must worship Him in spirit and in truth.' 
 
 " He is a Shape of pure Electric Radiance, Those 
 who may be inclined to doubt this may search the 
 Scriptures on which they pin their faith, and they will 
 find that all the visions and appearances of the Deity 
 there chronicled were electric in character, 
 
 " As a poet forms poems, or a musician melodies, so 
 God formed by a Thought the Vast Central Sphere in 
 which He dwells, and peopled it with the pure creations 
 of His glorious fancy. And why ? Because, being- pure 
 Light, He is also pure Love ; the power or capacity of 
 Love implies the necessity of Loving ; the necessity of 
 loving points to the existence of things to be loved — 
 hence the secret of creation. From the ever-working- 
 Intelligence of this Divine Love proceeded the Electric 
 Circle of the Universe, from whence are born all 
 worlds. 
 
 " This truth vaguely dawned upon the ancient poets 
 of Scripture when they wrote: 'Darkness was upon the 
 
 R 229
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon 
 the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be 
 Light. And there was Light.' 
 
 " These words apply solely to the creation or produc- 
 tion oi our oxvn Earthy and in them we read nothing but 
 a simple manifestation of electricity, consisting in a 
 heating fassage of rajs from the Central Circle to the 
 planet newly propelled forth from it, which caused that 
 planet to produce and multiply the wonders of the 
 animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms which we call 
 Nature. 
 
 " Let us now turn again to the poet-prophets of 
 Scripture : * And God said. Let us make man in our 
 image.' The word * our' here implies an instinctive idea 
 that God was never alone. This idea is correct. Love 
 cannot exist in a chaos ; and God by the sheer necessity 
 of His Being has for ever been surrounded by radiant 
 and immortal Spirits emanating from His own creative 
 glory — beings in whom all beauty and all purity are 
 found. In the images, therefore (only the images), of 
 these Children of Light and of Himself, He made Man 
 — that is. He caused the Earth to be inhabited and 
 dominated by beings composed of Earth's component 
 parts, animal, vegetable, and mineral, giving them their 
 superiority by placing within them ?Iis 'Harness' 
 in the form of an electric flame or germ of spiritual 
 existence combined with its companion working-force 
 of Will-power. 
 
 "Like all flames, this electric spark can cither be 
 fanned into a fire or it can be allowed to escape in air 
 — // can never be destroyed. It can be fostered and 
 educated till it becomes a living Spiritual h^orm of 
 absolute beauty — an immortal creature of thought, 
 memory, emotion, and working intelligence. If, on the 
 contrary, it is neglected or forgotten, and its companion 
 
 230
 
 THE ELECTRIC CREED 
 
 Will is drawn by the weight of Earth to work for 
 earthly aims alone, then it escapes and seeks other 
 chances of development in other forms on other planets^ 
 while the body it leaves, supported only by physical 
 sustenance drazvn from the Earth on wJiich it divells, 
 becomes a mere lump of clay animated by mere animal 
 life solely, full of inward ignorance and corruption, and 
 outward incapacity. Of such material are the majority 
 of men composed by their own free-will and choice, be- 
 cause they habitually deaden the voice of conscience 
 and refuse to believe in the existence of a Spiritual 
 Element within and around them. 
 
 " To resume : the Earth is one of the smallest of 
 planets ; and not only this, but, from its position in the 
 Universe, receives a less amount of direct influence from 
 the Electric Circle than other worlds more happily 
 situated. Were men wise enough to accept this fact, 
 they would foster to the utmost the germs of electric 
 sympathy within themselves, in order to form a direct 
 communication, or system of attraction, between this 
 planet and the ever-widening Ring, so that some spiritual 
 benefit might accrue to them thereby. But as the ages 
 roll on, their chances of doing this diminish. The time 
 is swiftly approaching when the invincible Law of 
 Absorption shall extinguish Earth as easily as we blow 
 out the flame of a candle. True, it may be again re- 
 produced, and again thrown out on space ; but then it 
 will be in a new and grander form, and will doubtless 
 have more godlike inhabitants. 
 
 " In the meantime — during those brief cycles of 
 centuries which are as a breath in the workings of the 
 Infinite, and which must yet elapse before this world, as 
 we know it, comes to an end — God has taken pity on 
 the few, very few souls dwelling here, pent up in mortal 
 clay, who have blindly tried to reach Him, like plants 
 
 231
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 straining up to the light, and has estabHshed a broad 
 stream of sympathetic electric communication with 
 Himself, which all who care to do so may avail them- 
 selves of. 
 
 " Here it may be asked : Why should God take pity? 
 Because that Supreme Shape of Light finds a portion of 
 Himself in all pure souls that love tlim ; and He cannot 
 despise Himself. Also, because He is capable of all the 
 highest emotions known to man, in a far larger and 
 grander degree, besides possessing other sentiments 
 and desires unimaginable to the human mind. It 
 is enough to say that all the attributes that accom- 
 pany perfect goodness He enjoys ; therefore tie can 
 feel compassion, tenderness, forgiveness, patience — 
 all or any of the emotions that produce pure, un- 
 selfish pleasure. 
 
 " Granting Him, therefore, these attributes (and it is 
 both blasphemous and unreasonable to deny Him those 
 virtues ivhich distinguish the best of men), it is easily 
 understood how He, the All-Fair, Beneficent Ruler of 
 the Central Sphere, perceiving the long distance to 
 which the Earth was propelled, like a ball flung too far 
 out, from the glory of His Electric Ring, saw also that 
 the creatures He had made in His image were in danger 
 of crushing that image completely out, and with it all 
 remembrance of Him, in the fatal attention they gave to 
 their merely earthly surroundings, lacking, as they did, 
 and not possessing sufficient energy to seek, electric 
 attraction. In brief, — this Earth and God's World were 
 like America and Europe before the Atlantic Cable 
 was laid. Now the messages of goodwill flash under the 
 waves, heedless of the storms. So also God's Cable is 
 laid between us and His Heaven in the person of 
 Christ. 
 
 " For ages (always remembering that our ages are 
 
 232
 
 THE ELECTRIC CREED 
 
 with God a moment) the idea of zvorship was in the 
 mind of man. With this idea came also the sentiment 
 of propitiation. The untamed savage has from time 
 immemorial instinctively felt the necessity of looking up 
 to a Being greater than Himself, and also of seeking a 
 reconciliation with that Being for some fault or loss in 
 himself, which he is aware of, yet cannot explain. 
 This double instinct — worship and propitiation — is the 
 key-note of all the creeds of the world, and may be 
 called God's first thought of the cable to be hereafter 
 laid — a lightning-thought v/hich He instilled into the 
 human race to prepare it, as one might test a telegraph- 
 wire from house to house, before stretching it across a 
 continent. 
 
 " All religions, as known to us, are mere types of 
 Christianity. It is a notable fact that some of the 
 oldest and most learned races in the world, such as the 
 Armenians and Chaldeans, were the first to be convinced 
 of the truth of Christ's visitation. Buddhism, of which 
 there are so many million followers, is itself a type of 
 Christ's teaching ; only it lacks the supernatural element. 
 Buddha died a hermit at the age of eighty, as any wise 
 and ascetic man might do to-day. The death and resur- 
 rection of Christ were widely different. Anyone can be 
 a Buddha again ; anyone can NOT be a Christ. That 
 there are stated to be more followers of Buddhism than 
 of Christianity is no proof of any efficacy in the former 
 or lack of power in the latter. Buddhists help to swell 
 that very large class of persons who prefer a flattering 
 picture to a plain original ; or who, sheep-like by 
 nature, finding themselves all together in one meadow, 
 are too lazy, as well as too indifferent, to seek pastures 
 fresher and fairer. 
 
 " Through the divine influence of an Electric Thought, 
 then, the world unconsciously grew to expect Something 
 
 233
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 — they knew not what. The old creeds of the world, 
 like sunflowers, turned towards that unknown Sun ; the 
 poets, prophets, seers, all spoke of some approaching 
 consolation and glory ; and to this day the fated Jews 
 expect it, unwilling to receive as their Messiah the 
 Divine Martyr they slew, though their own Scriptures 
 testify to His identity. 
 
 " Christ came, born of a Virgin ; that is, a radiant 
 angel from God's Sphere was in the first place sent 
 down to Earth to wear the form of Mary of Bethlehem, 
 in Judea. Within that vessel of absolute purity God 
 placed an Emanation of I lis own radiance — no germ or 
 small flame such as is given to us in our bodies to 
 cultivate and foster, but a complete immortal Spirit, 
 a portion of God Himself, wise, sinless, and strong. 
 This Spirit, pent up in clay, was born as help- 
 less babe, grew up as Man — as Man taught, com- 
 forted, was slain and buried ; but as pure Spirit rose 
 again and returned in peace to Heaven, His mission 
 done. 
 
 " It was necessary, in order to establish what has 
 been called an Electric communication between God's 
 Sphere and this Earth, that an actual immortal, un- 
 tainted Spirit in the person of Christ should walk this 
 world, sharing with men their sufferings, difficulties, 
 danger, and death. Why? In order that we might 
 first completely confide in and trust Ilim, afterwards 
 realizing His spiritual strength and glory by His 
 resurrection. And here may be noted the main differ- 
 ence between the Electric Theory of Christianity and 
 other theories. Christ did not die because God needed a 
 sacrifice. The idea of sacrifice is a relic of heathen 
 barbarism ; God is too infinitely loving to desire the 
 sacrifice of the smallest flower. He is too patient to be 
 ever wrathful ; and barbaric ignorance confronts us 
 
 234
 
 THE ELECTRIC CREED 
 
 again in the notion that He should need to be appeased. 
 And the fancy that He should desire Himself or part of 
 Himself to become a sacrifice to Himself has arisen 
 out of the absurd and conflicting opinions of erring 
 humanity, wherein right and wrong are so jumbled 
 together that it is difficult to distinguish one from the 
 other. Christ's death was not a sacrifice ; it was simply 
 a means of confidence and communion with the Creator. 
 A sinless Spirit suffered to show us how to suffer ; lived 
 on earth to show us how to live ; prayed to show us how 
 to pray ; died to show us how to die ; rose again to 
 impress strongly upon us that there was in truth a Life 
 beyond this one, for which He strove to prepare our 
 souls. Finally, by His re-ascension into Heaven He 
 established that much-needed electric communication 
 between us and the Central Sphere. 
 
 " It can be proved from the statements of the New 
 Testament that in Christ was an Embodied Electric 
 Spirit. From first to last His career was attended 
 by electric phenomena, of which eight examples are here 
 quoted ; and earnest students of the matter can find 
 many others if they choose to examine for them- 
 selves. 
 
 " I. The appearance of the Star and the Vision of 
 Angels on the night of His birth. The Chaldeans saw 
 His 'star in the east,' and they came to worship Him, 
 The Chaldeans were always a learned people, and 
 electricity was an advanced science with them. They 
 at once recognised the star to be no new planet, but 
 simply a star-shaped radiance flitting through space. 
 They knew what this meant. Observe, too, that they 
 had no doubts upon the point ; they came ' to zvorship 
 Him,^ and provided themselves with gifts to offer to 
 this radiant Guest, the offspring of pure Light The 
 Vision of the Angels appearing to the shepherds was 
 
 235
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 simply a joyous band of the Singing Children of the 
 Electric Ring, who out of j)urc interest and pleasure 
 floated in sight of Earth, drawn thither partly by the 
 already strong attractive influence of the Glory that 
 was imprisoned there in the form of the Babe of 
 Bethlehem. 
 
 " 2. When Christ was baptized by John the Baptist, 
 ' ///<? heavens opened! 
 
 " 3. The sympathetic influence of Christ was so 
 powerful that when He selected His disciples. He had 
 but to speak to them, and at the sound of His voice, 
 though they were engaged in other business, * f/iey left 
 all andjollozued Him! 
 
 "4. Christ's body was charged with electricity. 
 Thus He was easily able to heal sick and diseased 
 persons by a touch or a look. The woman who caught 
 at His garment in the crowd was cured of her long- 
 standing ailment ; and we see that Christ was aware 
 of His own electric force by the words He used on that 
 occasion : ' WIio touched Me ? For I feel that some 
 virtue is gone out of Me ' — which is the exact feeling 
 that a physical electrician experiences at this day 
 after employing his powers on a subject. The rais- 
 ing of Jairus's daughter, of the widow's son at Nain, 
 and of Lazarus, were all accomplished by the same 
 means. 
 
 " 5. The walking on the sea was a purely electric 
 effort, and can be accomplished now by anyone who has 
 cultivated sufficient inner force. The sea being full 
 of electric particles will support any body sufficiently 
 and similarly charged — the two currents combining 
 to procure the necessary equilibrium. Peter, who was 
 able to walk a little way, lost his power directly his 
 will became vanquished by fear — because the sentiment 
 of fear disperses electricity, and being a purely Jiuman 
 
 236
 
 THE ELECTRIC CREED 
 
 emotion, does away with spiritual strength for the 
 time. 
 
 "6. The Death of Christ was attended by electric 
 manifestations — by the darkness over the land during 
 the Crucifixion ; the tearing of the temple veil in 
 twain ; and the earthquake which finally ensued. 
 
 "7. The Resurrection was a most powerful display 
 of electric force. It will be rememibered that the 
 angel who was found sitting at the entrance of the 
 empty sepulchre 'had a countenance like lightning] 
 i.e., like electric flame. It must also be called to mind 
 how the risen Christ addressed Mary Magdalene: 
 ' Touch Me not^ for I am but newly risen ! ' Why should 
 she not have touched Him? Simply because His 
 strength then was the strength of concentrated in- 
 rushing currents of electricity; and to touch Him at 
 that moment would have been for Magdalene instant 
 death by lightning. This effect of embodied electric 
 force has been shadowed forth in the Greek legends 
 of Apollo, whose glory consumed at a breath the 
 mortal who dared to look upon him. 
 
 " 8. The descent of the Holy Ghost, by which term 
 is meant an ever-flowing current of the inspired working 
 Intelligence of the Creator, was purely electric in 
 character : ' Suddenly there came a sound from Heaven 
 as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house 
 where they were sitting. And there appeared unto 
 them cloven tongues like as of fire ^ and sat upon each of 
 them.' It may here be noted that the natural electric 
 flame is dual or ' cloven ' in shape. 
 
 " Let us now take the Creed as accepted to-day by 
 the Christian Church, and see how thoroughly it 
 harmonizes with the discoveries of spiritual electricity. 
 * I believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of 
 Heaven and Earth, and of all things visible and 
 
 237
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 invisible.' This is a brief and simple description of 
 the Creator as He exists — a Supreme Centre of 
 Light, out of whom viust spring all life, all love, all 
 wisdom. 
 
 "'And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten 
 Son of God, born of the Father before all ages.' This 
 means that the only absolute Emanation of His own 
 Personal Radiance that ever wore such mean garb as our 
 clay was found in Christ — who, as part of God, certainly 
 existed ' before all agesl For as the Creed itself says, 
 He was * God of God, Light of Light.' Then we go 
 on through the circumstances of Christ's birth, life, 
 death and resurrection ; and our profession of faith 
 brings us to ' I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord 
 and giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father and 
 the Son,' etc. This, as already stated, means that we 
 believe that since Christ ascended into Heaven, our 
 electric communication with the Creator has been 
 established, and an ever-flowing current of divine in- 
 spiration is turned beneficially in the direction of our 
 Earth, 'proceeding from the Father and the Son.' 
 We admit in the Creed that this inspiration mani- 
 fested itself before Christ came and 'spake by the 
 prophets ; ' but, as before stated, this only happened at 
 rare and difficult intervals, while now Christ Himself 
 speaks through those who most strongly adhere to His 
 teachings. 
 
 "It may here be mentioned that few seem to grasp 
 the fact of the special message to zvo)ne?i intended to be 
 conveyed in the person of the Virgin Mary. She was 
 actually one of the Spirits of the Central Sphere, 
 imprisoned by God's will in woman's form. After the 
 birth of Christ, she was still kept on earth, to follow 
 His career to the end. There was a secret under- 
 standing between Himself and her. As for instance, 
 
 238
 
 THE ELECTRIC CREED 
 
 when she found Him among the doctors of the law, 
 she for one moment suffered her humanity to get the 
 better of her in anxious inquiries ; and His reply, 
 'Why sought ye Me? Wist ye not that I must be 
 about my Father's business ? ' was a sort of reminder to 
 her, which she at once accepted. Again, at the 
 marriage feast in Cana of Galilee, when Christ turned 
 the water into wine. He said to His mother, ' Woman, 
 what have I to do with thee ? ' which meant simply : 
 What have I to do with thee as woman merely ? — which 
 was another reminder to her of her spiritual origin, 
 causing her at once to address the servants who stood 
 by as follows : ' Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it.' 
 And why, it may be asked, if Mary was really an 
 imprisoned immortal Spirit, sinless and joyous, should 
 she be forced to suffer all the weaknesses, sorrows, and 
 anxieties of any ordinary woman and mother ? Simply 
 as an example to women who are the mothers of the 
 human race ; and who, being thus laid under a heavy 
 responsibility, need sympathetic guidance. Marys life 
 teaches women that the virtues they need are — 
 obedience, purity, meekness, patience, long-suffering, 
 modesty, self-denial, and endurance. She loved to 
 hold a secondary position ; she placed herself in willing 
 subjection to Joseph — a man of austere and simple life, 
 advanced in years, and weighted with the cares of a 
 family by a previous marriage — who wedded her by 
 an ijifluence which compelled him to become her pro- 
 tector in the eyes of the world. Out of these facts, 
 simple as they are, can be drawn the secret of 
 happiness for women — a secret and a lesson that, if 
 learned by heart, would bring them and those they 
 love out of storm and bewilderment into peace and 
 safety. 
 
 " For tJiose who have once become aware of the existence 
 
 239
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 of the Central SpJicre and of the LigJitning Ring suT" 
 rounding it, and who are able to realize to the full 
 the gigantic as zuell as minute zvork performed by 
 the electric waves around us and within us, there can 
 no longer be any doubt as to all the facts of Chris- 
 tianity ; as none of them, vieived by the electric theory^ 
 are otherwise than in accordance with the Creator's 
 love and sympathy with even the smallest portion of 
 His creation. 
 
 "Why then, if Christianity be a Divine Truth, are 
 not all people Christians? As well ask, if music and 
 poetry are good things, why all men are not poets and 
 musicians. Art seeks art ; in like manner God seeks 
 God — that is. He seeks portions of His own Essence 
 among His creatures. Christ Himself said, ' Many are 
 called, but few are chosen ; ' and it stands to reason 
 that very few souls will succeed in becoming pure 
 enough to enter the Central Sphere without hindrance. 
 Many, on leaving Earth, will be detained in the Purga- 
 tory of Air, where thousands of spirits work for ages, 
 watching over others, helping and warning others, and 
 in this unselfish labour succeed in raising themselves, 
 little by little, higher and ever higher, till they at last 
 reach the longed-for goal. It must also be remembered 
 that not only from Earth but from all zvorlds, released 
 souls seek to attain final happiness in the Central 
 Sphere where God is ; so that, however great the 
 number of those that are permitted to proceed thither 
 from this little planet, they can only form, as it were, 
 one drop in a mighty ocean. 
 
 "It has been asked whether the Electric Theory of 
 Christianity includes the doctrine of Hell, or a place of 
 perpetual punishment. Eternal Punishment is merely 
 a form of speech for what is really Eternal Retro- 
 gression. P"or as there is a Forward, so there must be 
 
 240
 
 THE ELECTRIC CREED 
 
 a Backward. The electric Germ of the Soul — delicate, 
 fiery, and imperishable as it is — can be forced by its 
 companion Will to take refuge in a lower form of 
 material existence, dependent on the body it first 
 inhabits. For instance, a man who is obstinate in 
 pursuing active evil can so retrograde the progress of 
 any spiritual life within him, that it shall lack the 
 power to escape, as it might do, from merely lymphatic 
 and listless temperaments, to seek some other chance 
 of development, but shall sink into the form of quad- 
 rupeds, birds, and other creatures dominated by purely 
 physical needs. But there is one thing it can never 
 escape from — Memory. And in that faculty is con- 
 stituted Hell. So that if a man, by choice, forces his 
 soul doivnward \.o inhabit hereafter the bodies of dogs, 
 horses, and other like animals, he should know that he 
 does so at the cost of everything except, — Remembrance. 
 Eternal Retrogression means that the hopelessly tainted 
 electric germ recoils further and further from the Pure 
 Centre whence it sprang, always bearing within itself 
 the knowledge of what it was once and what it might 
 have been. There is a pathetic meaning in the eyes of a 
 dog or a seal ; in the melancholy, patient gaze of the 
 oxen toiling at the plough ; there is an unuttered 
 warning in the silent faces of flowers ; there is more 
 tenderness of regret in the voice of the nightingale 
 than love ; and in the wild upward soaring of the lark, 
 with its throat full of passionate, shouting prayer, there 
 is shadowed forth the yearning hope that dies away in 
 despair as the bird sinks to earth again, his instincts 
 not half satisfied. There is no greater torture than to 
 be compelled to remember, in suffering, joys and glorious 
 opportunities gone for ever. 
 
 " Regarding the Electric Theory of Religion, it is 
 curious to observe how the truth of it has again and 
 
 241
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 again been dimly shadowed forth in the prophecies of 
 Art, Science, and Poesy. The old painters who de- 
 picted a halo of light round the head of their Virgins 
 and Saints did so out of a correct impulse which they 
 did not hesitate to obey.^ The astronomers who, after 
 years of profound study, have been enabled to measure 
 the flames of the burning sun, and to find out that these 
 are from two to four thousand miles high, are nearly 
 arrived at the conclusion that it is a world in a state of 
 conflagration, in which they will be perfectly right. 
 Those who hold that this Earth of ours was once self- 
 luminous are also right ; for it was indeed so when first 
 projected from the Electric Ring. The compilers or 
 inventors of the 'Arabian Nights' also hit upon a truth 
 when they described human beings as forced through 
 evil influences to take the forms of lower animals — a 
 truth just explained in the Law of Retrogression. All 
 art, all prophecy, all poesy, should therefore be accepted 
 eagerly and studied earnestly, for in them we find 
 spiritual inspiration, out of which we are able to draw 
 lessons for our guidance hereafter. The great point 
 that scientists and artists have hitherto failed to dis- 
 cover, is the existence of the Central Sphere and its 
 Surrounding Electric Circle. Once realise these two 
 great facts, and all the wonders and mysteries of the 
 Universe are perfectly easy of comprehension. 
 
 "In conclusion, I offer no opinion as to which is 
 Christ's Church, or the Fountain-head of Spirituality 
 in the world. In all Churches errors have intruded 
 through unworthy and hypocritical members. In a 
 crowded congregation of worshippers there may per- 
 haps be only one or two who are free from self-interest 
 and personal vanity. In Sectarianism, for instance, 
 ^ An impulse which led them vaguely to foresee, though not to 
 explain, the electric principle of spiritual life. 
 
 242
 
 THE ELECTRIC CREED 
 
 there is no shred of Christianity. Lovers of God and 
 followers of Christ must, in the first place, have perfect 
 Unity ; and the bond uniting them must be an electric 
 one of love and faith. No true Christian should be 
 able to hate, despise, or envy the other. Were I called 
 upon to select among the Churches, I should choose 
 that which has most electricity working within it, and 
 which is able to believe in a positive electrical com- 
 munication between Christ and herself taking place 
 daily on her altars — a Church which holds, as it were, 
 the other end of the telegraphic ray between Earth and 
 the Central Sphere, and which is, therefore, able to 
 exist among the storms of modern opinions, affording 
 refuge and consolation to the few determined travellers 
 who are bound onward and upward. I shall not name 
 the Church I mean, because it is the duty of everyone 
 to examine and find it out for himself or herself. And 
 even though this Church instinctively works in the 
 right direction, it is full of errors introduced by ignorant 
 and unworthy members — errors which must be carefully 
 examined and cast aside by degrees. But, as I said 
 before, it is the only Church which has the Principles of 
 Spiritual Electricity within it, and is therefore destined 
 to live, because this electricity is life. 
 
 " Now I beseech the reader of this manuscript to 
 which I, Heliobas, append my hand and seal, to re- 
 member and realise earnestly the following invincible 
 facts : first, that God and His Christ exist ; secondly, 
 that while the little paltry affairs of our temporal state 
 are being built up as crazily as a child's house of cards, 
 the huge Central Sphere revolves, and the Electric 
 Ring, strong and indestructible, is ever at its work of 
 production and re - absorption ; thirdly, that every 
 thought and word of every habitant on every planet is 
 reflected in lightning language before the Creator's eyes 
 
 243
 
 A ROMANCE OF- TWO WORLDS 
 
 as easily as we receive telegrams ; fourthly, that this 
 world is tJie only spot in the Universe where 1 1 is exist- 
 ence is actually questioned and doubted. And the 
 general spread of modern positivism, materialism and 
 atheism is one of the most terrific and meaning signs 
 of the times. The work of separating the wheat from 
 the chaff is beginning. Those who love and believe in 
 God and Spiritual Beauty are about to be placed on 
 one side ; the millions who worship Self are drawing 
 together in vast opposing ranks on the other ; and the 
 moment approaches which is prophesied to be ' as the 
 lightning that lighteneth out of the one part under 
 heaven, and shineth even to the other part.' In other 
 words, the fiery whirlpool of the Ring is nearly ready to 
 absorb our planet in its vortex ; and out of all who 
 dwell upon its surface, how many shall reach the 
 glorious Central World of God? Of two men working 
 in the same field, shall it not be as Christ foretold — 
 'the one shall be taken, and the other left'? 
 
 " Friend, Pupil, Reader ! Whoever thou art, take 
 heed and foster thine own soul ! For know that nothing 
 can hinder the Immortal Germ within us from taking 
 the form imposed upon it by our WILLS. Through Love 
 and Faith, it can become an Angel, and perform 
 wonders even while in its habitation of clay ; through 
 indifference and apathy, it can desert us altogether and 
 for ever ; through mockery and blasphemous disbelief, 
 it can sink into even a lower form than that of snake 
 or toad. In our own unfettered hand lies our eternal 
 destiny. Wonderful and terrible responsibility ! Who 
 shall dare to say we have no need of prayer?" 
 
 This document was signed " Casimir Heliobas," and 
 bore a seal on which the impression seemed to consist 
 ot two Arabic or Sanskrit words, which I could not 
 
 244
 
 THE ELECTRIC CREED 
 
 understand. I put it carefully away with its companion 
 MS. under lock and key, and while I was yet musing 
 earnestly on its contents, Zara came into my room. 
 She had finished her task in the studio, she said, and 
 she now proposed a drive in the Bois as an agreeable 
 way of passing the rest of the afternoon, 
 
 " I want to be as long as possible in your company," 
 she added, with a caressing sweetness in her manner ; 
 "for now your friends have come to Paris, I expect 
 you will soon be leaving us, so I must have as much of 
 you as I can." 
 
 My heart sank at the thought of parting from her, 
 and I looked wistfully at her lovely face. Leo had 
 followed her in from the studio, and seemed still very 
 melancholy. 
 
 " We shall always be good friends, Zara dearest,* 
 I said, "shall we not? Close, fond friends, like 
 sisters ? " 
 
 " Sisters are not always fond of each other," remarked 
 Zara, half gaily. " And you know * there is a friend 
 that sticketh closer than a brother ' ! " 
 
 " And what friend is that in your case ? " I asked, 
 half jestingly, half curiously. 
 
 " Death ! " she replied with a strange smile, in which 
 there was both pathos and triumph. 
 
 I started at her unexpected reply, and a kind of fore- 
 boding chilled my blood. I endeavoured, however, to 
 speak cheerfully as I said : 
 
 "Why, of course, death sticks more closely to us 
 than any friend or relative. But you look fitter to 
 receive the embraces of life than of death, Zara." 
 
 " They are both one and the same thing," she answered ; 
 " or rather, the one leads to the other. But do not let 
 us begin to philosophize. Put on your things and come. 
 The carriage is waiting." 
 
 S 24s
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 I readily obeyed her, and we enjoyed an exhilarating 
 drive together. The rest of the day passed with us all 
 very pleasantly, and our conversation had principally 
 to do with the progress of art and literature in many 
 lands, and maintained itself equably on the level of 
 mundane affairs. Among other things, we spoke of 
 the Spanish violinist Sarasate, and I amused Ileliobas 
 by quoting to him some of the criticisms of the London 
 daily papers on this great artist, such as, "//<? plays 
 pieces zvliich, though adapted to show his wonderful 
 skill, are the veriest clap - trap ; " " He lacks breadth 
 and colour : " " A true type of the artist virtuoso" 
 etc., etc. 
 
 " Malf these people do not know in the least what 
 they mean by ' breadth and colour ' or * virtuosity,' " said 
 Heliobas, with a smile. " They think emotion, passion, 
 all true sentiment combined with extraordinary tcchniqiie, 
 must be 'clap-trap.' Now the Continent of Europe 
 acknowledges Pablo de Sarasate as the finest violinist 
 living, and London would not be London unless it 
 could thrust an obtuse opposing opinion in the face of 
 the Continent. England is the last country in the 
 world to accept anything new. Its people are tired 
 and blase; like highly trained circus-horses, they want 
 to trot or gallop always in the old grooves. It will 
 always be so. Sarasate is like a brilliant meteor 
 streaming across their narrow bit of the heaven of 
 music ; they stare, gape, and think it is an unnatural 
 phenomenon — a 'virtuosity' in the way of meteors, 
 which they are afraid to accept lest it set them on fire. 
 What would you ? The meteor shines and burns ; it 
 is always a meteor ! " 
 
 So, talking lightly, and gliding from subject to sub- 
 ject, the hours wore away, and we at last separated 
 for the night 
 
 246
 
 THE ELECTRIC CREED 
 
 I shall always be glad to remember how tenderly 
 Zara kissed me and wished me good repose ; and I 
 recall now, with mingled pain, wonder, and gratitude, 
 how perfectly calm and contented I felt as, after my 
 prayers, I sank to sleep, unwarned, and therefore 
 happily unconscious, of what awaited me on the 
 morrow. 
 
 247
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 DEATH BY LIGHTNING 
 
 The morning of the next day dawned rather gloomily. 
 A yellowish fog obscured the air, and there was a 
 closeness and sultriness in the atmosphere that was 
 strange for that wintry season. I had slept well, and 
 rose with the general sense of ease and refreshment 
 that I always experienced since I had been under the 
 treatment of Heliobas. Those whose unhappy physical 
 condition causes them to awake from uneasy slumber 
 feeling almost more fatigued than when they retired 
 to rest, can scarcely have any idea of the happiness it 
 engenders to open untired, glad eyes with the morning 
 light; to feel the very air a nourishment ; to stand with 
 lithe, rested limbs in the bath of cool, pure water, find- 
 ing that limpid element obediently adding its quota to 
 the vigour of perfect health ; to tingle from head to 
 foot with the warm current of life running briskly 
 through the veins, making the heart merry, the brain 
 clear, and all the powers of body and mind in active 
 working condition. This is indeed most absolute enjoy- 
 ment. Add to it the knowledge of the existence of 
 one's own inner Immortal Spirit — the beautiful germ 
 of Light in the fostering of which no labour is ever 
 taken in vain — the living, wondrous thing that is 
 destined to watch an eternity of worlds bloom and fade 
 to bloom again, like flowers, while itself, superior to 
 
 248
 
 DEATH BY LIGHTNING 
 
 them all, shall "become ever more strong and radiant — 
 with these surroundings and prospects, who shall say 
 life is not worth living? 
 
 Dear Life ! sweet Moment ! gracious Opportunity ! 
 brief Journey so well worth the taking 1 gentle Exile so 
 well worth enduring ! — thy bitterest sorrows are but 
 blessings in disguise ; thy sharpest pains are brought 
 upon us by ourselves, and even then are turned to 
 warnings for our guidance ; while above us, through us, 
 and around us radiates the Supreme Love, unalterably 
 tender ! 
 
 These thoughts, and others like them, all more or 
 less conducive to cheerfulness, occupied me till I had 
 finished dressing. Melancholy was now no part of my 
 nature, otherwise I might have been depressed by the 
 appearance of the weather and the murkiness of the air. 
 But since I learned the simple secrets of physical 
 electricity, atmospheric influences have had little effect 
 upon the equable poise of my temperament — a fact for 
 which I cannot be too grateful, seeing how many of my 
 fellow-creatures permit themselves to be affected by 
 changes in the wind, intense heat, intense cold, or other 
 things of the like character. 
 
 I went down to breakfast, singing softly on my way, 
 and I found Zara already seated at the head of her 
 table, while Heliobas was occupied in reading and 
 sorting a pile of letters that lay beside his plate. Both 
 greeted me with their usual warmth and heartiness. 
 
 During the repast, however, the brother and sister 
 were strangely silent, and once or twice I fancied 
 that Zara's eyes filled with tears, though she smiled 
 again so quickly and radiantly that I felt I was 
 mistaken. 
 
 A piece of behaviour on the part of Leo, too, filled 
 me with dismay. He had been lying quietly at his 
 
 249
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 master's feet for some time, when he suddenly arose, 
 sat upright, and, Hfting his nose in air, uttered a 
 most prolonged and desolate howl. Anything more 
 thoroughly heart-broken and despairing than that cry 
 I have never heard. After he had concluded it, the poor 
 animal seemed ashamed of what he had done, and, 
 creeping meekly along, with drooping head and tail, he 
 kissed his master's hand, then mine, and lastly Zara's. 
 Finally, he went into a distant corner and lay down 
 again, as if his feelings were altogether too much for 
 him. 
 
 " Is he ill? " I asked pityingly. 
 
 " I think not," replied Heliobas. " The weather is 
 peculiar to-day — close, and almost thunderous ; dogs are 
 very susceptible to such changes." 
 
 At that moment the page entered bearing a silver 
 salver, on which lay a letter, which he handed to his 
 master and immediately retired. 
 
 Heliobas opened and read it. 
 
 " Ivan regrets he cannot dine with us to-day," he said, 
 glancing at his sister ; " he is otherwise engaged. He 
 says, however, that he hopes to have the pleasure of 
 looking in during the latter part of the evening." 
 
 Zara inclined her head gently, and made no other 
 reply. 
 
 A few seconds afterwards we rose from table, and 
 Zara, linking her arm through mine, said : 
 
 " I want to have a talk with you while we can be alone. 
 Come to my room." 
 
 We went upstairs together, followed by the wise yet 
 doleful Leo, who seemed determined not to let his 
 mistress out of his sight. When we arrived at our 
 destination, Zara pushed me gently into an easy-chair, 
 and seated herself in another one opposite. 
 
 " I am going to ask a favour of you," she began ; 
 
 250
 
 DEATH BY LIGHTNING 
 
 " because I know you will do anything to please me or 
 Casimir. Is it not so ? " 
 
 I assured her she might rely upon my observing 
 with the truest fidelity any request of hers, small 
 or great. 
 
 She thanked me and resumed : 
 
 "You know I have been working secretly in my 
 studio for some time past. I have been occupied in 
 the execution of two designs — one is finished, and 
 is intended as a gift to Casimir. The other" — she 
 hesitated — " is incomplete. It is the colossal figure which 
 was veiled when you first came in to see my little 
 statue of ' Evening'. I made an attempt beyond my 
 powers — in short, I cannot carry out the idea to my 
 satisfaction. Now, dear, pay great attention to what I 
 say. I have reason to believe that I shall be compelled 
 to take a sudden journey — promise me that when I am 
 gone you will see that unfinished statue completely 
 destroyed — utterly demolished." 
 
 I could not answer her for a minute or two, I was so 
 surprised by her words. 
 
 " Going on a journey, Zara ? " I said. " Well, if 
 you are, I suppose you will soon return home again ; 
 and why should your statue be destroyed in the 
 meantime? You may yet be able to bring it to 
 final perfection." 
 
 Zara shook her head and smiled half sadly. 
 
 " I told you it was a favour I had to ask of 
 you," she said ; " and now you are unwilling to 
 grant it." 
 
 " I am not unwilling — believe me, dearest, I would do 
 anything to please you," I assured her ; " but it seems 
 so strange to me that you should wish the result of your 
 labour destroyed, simply because you are going on a 
 journey." 
 
 251
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 " Strange as it seems, I desire it most earnestly," 
 said Zara ; "otherwise — but if you will not see it done 
 for me, I must preside at the work of demolition 
 myself, though I frankly confess it would be most 
 painful to me." 
 
 I interrupted her. 
 
 " Say no more, Zara ! " I exclaimed ; " I will do as 
 you wish. When you are gone, you say " 
 
 " When I am gone," repeated Zara firmly, " and 
 before you yourself leave this house, you will see that 
 particular statue destroyed. You will thus do me a 
 very great service." 
 
 "Well," I said, "and when are you coming back 
 again ? Before I leave Paris ? " 
 
 " I hope so — I think so," she replied evasively ; " at 
 any rate, we shall meet again soon." 
 
 " Where are you going ? " I asked. 
 
 She smiled. Such a lovely, glad, and triumphant 
 smile ! 
 
 " You will know my destination before to-night has 
 passed away," she answered. "In the meanwhile I 
 have your promise ? " 
 
 " Most certainly." 
 
 She kissed me, and as she did so, a lurid flash 
 caught my eyes and almost dazzled them. It was 
 a gleam of fiery lustre from the electric jewel she 
 wore. 
 
 The day went on its usual course, and the weather 
 seemed to grow murkier every hour. The air was 
 almost sultry, and when during the afternoon I went 
 into the conservatory to gather some of the glorious 
 Marcchal Niel roses that grew there in such perfection, 
 the intense heat of the place was nearly insupportable. 
 I saw nothing of Heliobas all day, and, after the 
 morning, very little of Zara. She disappeared soon 
 
 252
 
 DEATH BY LIGHTNING 
 
 after luncheon, and I could not find her in her rooms 
 nor in her studio, though I knocked at the door several 
 times. Leo, too, was missing. After being alone for 
 an hour or more, I thought I would pay a visit to the 
 chapel. But on attempting to carry out this intention 
 I found its doors locked — an unusual circumstance 
 which rather surprised me. Fancying that I heard the 
 sound of voices within, I paused to listen. But all was 
 profoundly silent. Strolling into the hall, I took up 
 at random from a side-table a little volume of poems, 
 unknown to me, and seating myself in one of the 
 luxurious Oriental easy-chairs near the silvery spark- 
 ling fountain, I began to read. I opened the book 
 I held at " A Ballad of Kisses," which ran as 
 follows : 
 
 " There are three kisses that I call to mind. 
 And I will sing their secrets as I go, — 
 The first, a kiss too courteous to be kind, 
 
 Was such a kiss as monks and maidens know, 
 As sharp as frost, as blameless as the snow. 
 
 " The second kiss, ah God ! I feel it yet, — 
 
 And evermore my soul will loathe the same, — 
 The toys and joys of fate I may forget, 
 But not the touch of that divided shame ; 
 It clove my lips — it burnt me like a flame. 
 
 " The third, the final kiss, is one I use 
 
 Morning and noon and night, and not amiss. 
 Sorrow be mine if such I do refuse ! 
 
 And when I die, be Love enrapt in bliss 
 Re-sanctified in heaven by such a kiss ! " 
 
 This little gem, which I read and re-read with 
 pleasure, was only one of many in the same collection. 
 The author was assuredly a man of genius. I studied 
 
 253
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 his word-melodies with intense interest, and noted with 
 some surprise how original and beautiful were many of 
 his fancies and similes. I say I noted them with 
 surprise, because he was evidently a modern English- 
 man, and yet unlike any other of his writing species. 
 On this, my first introduction to his poems, I became 
 speedily absorbed in them, and was repeating to my- 
 self softly a verse which I remember now: 
 
 " Hers was sweetest of sweet faces, 
 Hers the tenderest eyes of all : 
 In her hair she had the traces 
 
 Of a heavenly coronal. 
 Bringing sunshine to sad places 
 Where the sunlight could not fall." 
 
 Then I was startled by the sound of a clock 
 striking six. I bethought myself of the people who 
 were coming to dinner, and decided to go to my 
 room and dress. Replacing the book on the table 
 whence I had taken it, I made my way upstairs, think- 
 ing as I went of Zara and her strange request, and 
 wondering what journey she was going upon. 
 
 I could not come to any satisfactory conclusion on 
 this point ; besides, I had a curious disinclination to 
 think about it very earnestly, though the subject kept 
 recurring to my mind. Yet always some inward 
 monitor seemed to assure me, as plainly as though the 
 words were spoken in my ear : 
 
 " It is useless for you to consider the reason of this, 
 or the meaning of that. Take things as they come in 
 due order; one circumstance explains the other, and 
 everything is always for the best." 
 
 I prepared my Indian crepe dress for the evening, 
 the same I had worn for Madame Didicr's party at 
 Cannes ; only, instead of having lilies of the valley to 
 
 254
 
 DEATH BY LIGHTNING 
 
 ornament it with, I arranged some clusters of the 
 Mar^chal Niel roses I had gathered from the conser- 
 vatory — lovely blossoms, with their dewy pale-gold 
 centres forming perfect cups of delicious fragrance. 
 These, revealed by a few delicate sprays of the maiden- 
 hair fern, formed a becoming finish to my simple 
 costume. As I arrayed myself, and looked at my own 
 reflection in the long mirror, I smiled out of sheer 
 gratitude. For health, joyous and vigorous, sparkled in 
 my eyes, glowed on my cheeks, tinted my lips, and 
 rounded my figure. The face that looked back at me 
 from the glass was a perfectly happy one, ready to 
 dimple into glad mirth or bright laughter. No shadow 
 of pain or care remained upon it to remind me of 
 past suffering, and I murmured half aloud : " Thank 
 God ! " 
 
 " Amen ! " said a soft voice, and, turning round I 
 saw Zara. 
 
 But how shall I describe her? No words can 
 adequately paint the glorious beauty in which, that 
 night, she seemed to move as in an atmosphere of her 
 own creating. She wore a clinging robe of the richest, 
 softest white satin, caught in at the waist by a zone of 
 pearls — pearls which, from their size and purity, must 
 have been priceless. Her beautiful neck and arms were 
 bare, and twelve rows of pearls were clasped round her 
 slender throat, supporting in their centre the electric 
 stone, which shone with a soft, subdued radiance, like 
 the light of the young moon. Her rich, dark hair was 
 arranged in its usual fashion — that is, hanging down in 
 one thick plait, which on this occasion was braided in 
 and out with small pearls. On her bosom she wore a 
 magnificent cluster of natural orange-blossoms ; and 
 of these, while I gazed admiringly at her, I first 
 spoke : 
 
 255
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 " You look like a bride, Zara ! You have all the 
 outward signs of one — white satin, pearls, and orange- 
 blossoms ! " 
 
 She smiled. 
 
 "They are the first cluster that has come out in our 
 conservatory," she said ; " and I could not resist them. 
 As to the pearls, they belonged to my mother, and are 
 my favourite ornaments ; and white satin is now no 
 longer exclusively for brides. How soft and pretty that 
 Indian crepe is! Your toilette is charming, and suits 
 you to perfection. Are you quite ready ? " 
 
 " Quite," I answered. 
 
 She hesitated and sighed. Then she raised her 
 lovely eyes with a sort of wistful tenderness. 
 
 " Before we go down I should like you to kiss me 
 once," she said. 
 
 I embraced her fondly, and our lips met with a 
 lingering sisterly caress. 
 
 " You will never forget me, will you ? " she asked 
 almost anxiously ; " never cease to think of me 
 kindly?" 
 
 " How fanciful you are to-night, Zara dear ! " I 
 said. " As if I cotild forget you ! I shall always think 
 of you as the loveliest and sweetest woman in the 
 world." 
 
 " And when I am out of the world — what then ? " 
 she pursued. 
 
 Remembering her spiritual sympathies, i answered 
 at once : 
 
 " Even then I shall know you to be one of the 
 fairest of the angels. So you see, Zara darling, I shall 
 always love you," 
 
 " I think you will," she said meditatively ; " you are 
 one of us. But come ! I hear voices downstairs. I 
 think our expected guests have arrived, and we must 
 
 256
 
 DEATH BY LIGHTNING 
 
 be in the drawing-room to receive them. Good-bye, 
 little friend ! " And she again kissed me. 
 
 " Good-bye ! " I repeated in astonishment ; '* why 
 'good-bye'?" 
 
 " Because it is my fancy to say the word," she 
 replied with quiet firmness, " Again, dear little friend, 
 good-bye ! " 
 
 I felt bewildered, but she would not give me time to 
 utter another syllable. She took my hand and hurried 
 me with her downstairs, and in another moment we 
 were both in the drawing-room, receiving and saying 
 polite nothings to the Everards and Challoners, who 
 had all arrived together, resplendent in evening 
 costume. Amy Everard, I thought, looked a little 
 tired and fagged, though she rejoiced in a superb 
 "arrangement" by Worth of ruby velvet and salmon- 
 pink. But, though a perfect dress is consoling to most 
 women, there are times when even that fails of its 
 effect; and then Worth ceases to loom before the 
 feminine eye as a sort of demigod, but dwindles insigni- 
 ficantly to the level of a mere tailor, whose prices are 
 ruinous. And this, I think, was the state of mind in 
 which Mrs. Everard found herself that evening ; or 
 else she was a trifle jealous of Zara's harmonious grace 
 and loveliness. Be this as it may, she was irritable, and 
 whisperingly found fault with me for being in such 
 good health. 
 
 "You will have too much colour if you don't take 
 care," she said almost pettishly, "and nothing is so 
 unfashionable." 
 
 " I know ! " I replied with due meekness. " It is 
 very bad style to be quite well — it is almost im- 
 proper " 
 
 She looked at me, and a glimmering smile lighted 
 her features. But she would not permit herself to 
 
 257
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 become good-humoured, and she furled and unfurled 
 her fan of pink ostrich feathers with some im- 
 patience. 
 
 "Where did that child get all those pearls from?" 
 she next inquired, with a gesture of her head towards 
 Zara. 
 
 " They belonged to her mother," I answered, smiling, 
 as I heard Zara called a child, knowing, as I did, her 
 real age. 
 
 " She is actually wearing a small fortune on her 
 person," went on Amy ; " I wonder her brother allows 
 her. Girls never understand the value of things of that 
 sort They should be kept for her till she is old enough 
 to appreciate them." 
 
 I made no reply ; I was absorbed in watching 
 Heliobas, who at that moment entered the room accom- 
 panied by Father Paul. He greeted his guests with 
 warmth and unaffected heartiness, and all present were, 
 I could see, at once fascinated by the dignity of his 
 presence and the charm of his manner. To an un- 
 instructed eye there was nothing unusual about him ; 
 but to me there was a change in his expression which, 
 as it were, warned and startled me. A deep shadow of 
 anxiety in his eyes made them look more sombre and 
 less keen ; his smile was not so sweet as it was stern, 
 and there was an undefinable sometJiing in his very 
 bearing that suggested — what? Defiance? Yes, 
 defiance ; and it was this which, when I had realised it, 
 curiously alarmed me. For what had he, Heliobas, to 
 do with even the thought of defiance ? Did not all his 
 power come from the knowledge of the necessity of 
 obedience to the spiritual powers within and without ? 
 Quick as light the words spoken to me by Azul regard- 
 ing him came back to my remembrance : " Even as he 
 is my Beloved, so let him not fail to hear my voice." 
 
 258
 
 DEATH BY LIGHTNING 
 
 What if he should fail ? A kind of instinct came upon 
 me that some immediate danger of this threatened him, 
 and I braced myself up to a firm determination that, if 
 this was so, I, out of my deep gratitude to him, would 
 do my utmost best to warn him in time. While these 
 thoughts possessed me, the hum of gay conversation 
 went on, and Zara's bright laughter ever and again 
 broke like music on the air. Father Paul, too, proved 
 himself to be of quite a festive and jovial disposition, 
 for he made himself agreeable to Mrs. Challoner and 
 her daughters, and entertained them with the ease and 
 bonhomie of an accomplished courtier and man of the 
 world. 
 
 Dinner was announced in the usual way — that is, 
 with the sound of music played by the electric instru- 
 ment devoted to that purpose, a performance which 
 elicited much admiration from all the guests. Heliobas 
 led the way into the dining-room with Mrs. Everard ; 
 Colonel Everard followed, with Zara on one arm and 
 the eldest Miss Challoner on the other ; Mr. Challoner 
 and myself came next; and Father Paul, with Mrs. 
 Challoner and her other daughter Effie, brought up the 
 rear. There was a universal murmur of surprise and 
 delight as the dinner-table came in view; and its 
 arrangement was indeed a triumph of art In the 
 centre was placed a large round of crystal in imitation 
 of a lake, and on this apparently floated a beautiful 
 gondola steered by the figure of a gondolier, both 
 exquisitely wrought in fine Venetian glass. The 
 gondola was piled high with a cargo of roses ; but the 
 wonder of it all was, that the whole design was lit up 
 by electricity. Electric sparkles, like drops of dew, 
 shone on the leaves of the flowers ; the gondola was 
 lit from end to end with electric stars, which were 
 reflected with prismatic brilliancy in the crystal below ; 
 
 259
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 the gondolier's long pole glittered with what appeared 
 to be drops of water tinged by the moonlight, but which 
 was really an electric wire, and in his cap flashed an 
 electric diamond. The whole ornament scintillated and 
 glowed like a marvellous piece of curiously contrived 
 jewel-work. And this was not all. Beside every guest 
 at table a slender vase, shaped like a long-stemmed 
 Nile lily, held roses and ferns, in which were hidden 
 tiny electric stars, causing the blossoms to shine with a 
 transparent and almost fairy-like lustre. 
 
 Four graceful youths, clad in the Armenian costume, 
 stood waiting silently round the table till all present 
 were seated, and then they commenced the business of 
 serving the viands, with swift and noiseless dexterity. 
 As soon as the soup was handed round, tongues were 
 loosened, and the Challoners, who had been gazing at 
 everything in almost open-mouthed astonishment, began 
 to relieve their feelings by warm expressions of un- 
 qualified admiration, in w'hich Colonel and Mrs. Everard 
 were not slow to join. 
 
 " I do say, and I will say, this beats all I've 
 ever seen," said good Mrs. Challoner as she bent to 
 examine the glittering vase of flowers near her 
 plate. 
 
 " And this is real electric light ? And is it perfectly 
 harmless ? " 
 
 Ileliobas smilingly assured her of the safety of his 
 table decorations. 
 
 " Electricity," he said, " though the most powerful of 
 masters, is the most docile of slaves. It is capable of 
 the smallest as well as of the greatest uses. It can give 
 with equal certainty life or death ; in fact, it is the key- 
 note of creation." 
 
 " Is that your theory, sir?" asked Colonel Everard. 
 
 " It is not only my theory," answered Heliobas, " it is 
 
 260
 
 DEATH BY LIGHTNING 
 
 a truth, indisputable and unalterable, to those who have 
 studied the mysteries of electric science." 
 
 " And do you base all your medical treatment on this 
 principle?" pursued the Colonel. 
 
 " Certainly. Your young friend here, who came to 
 me from Cannes, looking as if she had but a few months 
 to live, can bear witness to the efficacy of my method." 
 Every eye was now turned upon me, and I looked up 
 and laughed. 
 
 " Do you remember. Amy," I said, addressing Mrs. 
 Everard, " how you told me I looked like a sick nun at 
 Cannes ? What do I look like now ? " 
 
 " You look as if you had never been ill in your life," 
 she replied. 
 
 " I was going to say," remarked ]\Ir. Challoner in his 
 deliberate manner, "that you remind me very much of 
 a small painting of Diana that I saw in the Louvre the 
 other day. You have the same sort of elasticity in your 
 movements, and the same bright healthy eyes." 
 
 I bowed, still smiling. " I did not know you were 
 such a flatterer, Mr. Challoner ! Diana thanks you ! " 
 
 The conversation now became general, and turned, 
 among other subjects, upon the growing reputation of 
 Raffaello Cellini. 
 
 " What surprises me in that young man," said Colonel 
 Everard, " is his colouring. It is simply marvellous. 
 He was amiable enough to present me with a little land- 
 scape scene ; and the effect of light upon it is so power- 
 fully done that you would swear the sun was actually 
 shining through it." 
 
 The fine sensitive mouth of Heliobas curved in a 
 somewhat sarcastic smile. 
 
 " Mere trickery, my dear sir — a piece of clap-trap," he 
 said lightly. " That is what would be said of such 
 pictures — in England at least. And it will be said by 
 
 T 261
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 many oracular long-established newpapers, while Cellini 
 lives. As soon as he is dead — ah ! cest autre chose ! — 
 he will then most probably be acknowledged the greatest 
 master of the age. There may even be a Cellini ' School 
 of Colouring,' where a select company of daubers will 
 profess to know the secret that has died with him. It 
 is the way of the world ! " 
 
 Mr. Chal loner's rugged face showed signs of satisfac- 
 tion, and his shrewd eyes twinkled. 
 
 " Right you are, sir ! " he said, holding up his glass of 
 wine. " I drink to you ! Sir, I agree with you ! I 
 calculate there's a good many worlds flying round in 
 space, but a more ridiculous, feeble-minded, contrary 
 sort of world than this one, I defy any archangel to 
 find ! " 
 
 Heliobas laughed, nodded, and after a slight pause 
 resumed : 
 
 " It is astonishing to me that people do not see to 
 what an infinite number of uses they could put the little 
 re-discovery they have made of luminous paint. In 
 that simple thing there is a secret, which as yet they do 
 not guess — a wonderful, beautiful, scientific secret, which 
 may perhaps take them a few hundred years to find out. 
 In the meantime they have got hold of one end of the 
 thread ; they can make luminous paint, and with it 
 they can paint light-houses, and, what is far more im- 
 portant — ships. Vessels in mid-ocean will have no 
 more need of fog-signals and different-coloured lamps ; 
 their own coat of paint will be sufficient to light them 
 safely on their way. Even rooms can be so painted as 
 to be perfectly luminous at night. A friend of mine, 
 residing in Italy, has a luminous ballroom, where the 
 ceiling is decorated with a moon and stars in electric 
 light. The effect is exceedingly lovely ; and though 
 people think a great deal of money must have been laid 
 
 262
 
 DEATH BY LIGHTNING 
 
 out upon it, it is perhaps the only great ballroom in 
 Italy that has been really cheaply fitted up. But, as I 
 said before, there is another secret behind the invention 
 or discovery of luminous paint — a secret which, when 
 once unveiled, will revolutionize all the schools of art in 
 the world." 
 
 " Do yeu know this secret ? " asked Mrs. Challoner. 
 
 " Yes, madame — perfectly," 
 
 " Then why don't you disclose it for the benefit of 
 everybody ? " demanded Effie Challoner. 
 
 " Because, my dear young lady, no one would believe 
 me if I did. The time is not yet ripe for it. The world 
 must wait till its people are better educated." 
 
 " Better educated ! " exclaimed Mrs. Everard, " Why, 
 there is nothing talked of nowadays but education and 
 progress ! The very children are wiser than their 
 parents ! " 
 
 "The children !" returned Heliobas, half inquiringly, 
 half indignantly. " At the rate things are going, there 
 will soon be no children left ; they will all be tired little 
 old men and women before they are in their teens. The 
 very babes will be born old. Many of them are being 
 brought up without any faith in God or religion ; the 
 result will be an increase of vice and crime. The pur- 
 blind philosophers, miscalled wise men, who teach the 
 children by the light of poor human reason only, and do 
 away with faith in spiritual things, are bringing down 
 upon the generations to come an unlooked-for and most 
 terrific curse. Childhood, the happy, innocent, sweet, 
 unthinking, almost angelic age, at which Nature would 
 have us believe in fairies and all the delicate aerial 
 fancies of poets, who are, after all, the only true sages — 
 childhood, I say, is being gradually stamped out under 
 the cruel iron heel of the Period — a period not of wisdom, 
 health, or beauty, but one of drunken delirium, in which 
 
 263
 
 A ROMANCE OI- TWO WORLDS 
 
 the world rushes feverishly along, its eyes fixed on one 
 hard, glittering, stony-featured idol — Gold. Education ! 
 Is it education to teach the young that their chances of 
 happiness depend on being richer than their neighbours ? 
 Yet that is what it all tends to. Get on ! — be successful ! 
 Trample on others, but push forward yourself! Money, 
 money ! — let its chink be your music ; let its yellow 
 shine be fairer than the eyes of love or friendship ! Let 
 its piles accumulate and ever accumulate ! There are 
 beggars in the streets, but they are impostors ! there is 
 poverty in many places, but why seek to relieve it? 
 Why lessen the sparkling heaps of gold by so much as 
 a coin ? Accumulate and ever accumulate ! Live so. and 
 then — die ! And then — who knows what then ? " 
 
 His voice had been full of ringing eloquence as he 
 spoke, but at these last words it sank into a low, thrill- 
 ing tone of solemnity and earnestness. We all looked 
 at him, fascinated by his manner, and were silent. 
 
 Mr. Challoner was the first to break the impressive 
 pause. 
 
 " I'm not a speaker, sir," he observed slowly, " but I've 
 got a good deal of feeling somewheres ; and you'll allow 
 me to say that I feel your words — I think they're right 
 true. I've often wanted to say what >'ou've said, but 
 haven't seen my way clear to it. Anyhow, I've had a 
 very general impression about me that what we call 
 Society has of late years been going, per express service, 
 direct to the devil — if the ladies will excuse me for 
 plain speaking. And as the journey is being taken by 
 choice and free-will, I suppose there's no hindrance or 
 stoppage possible. Besides, it's a downward line, and 
 curiously free from obstructions." 
 
 " Bravo, John ! " exclaimed Mrs. Challoner. " You 
 are actually coming out ! I never heard you indulge in 
 similes before." 
 
 264
 
 DEATH BY LIGHTNING 
 
 " Well, my dear," returned her husband, somewhat 
 gratified, " better late than never. A simile is a good 
 thing if it isn't overcrowded. For instance, Mr. Swin- 
 burne's similes are laid on too thick sometimes. There 
 is a funny verse of his, which I never could quite 
 fathom. It is where he earnestly desires to be as 
 '■any leaf of any tree;' or, failing that, he wouldn't 
 mind becoming ^ as bones under the deep, sharp sea.' 
 I tried hard to see the point of that, but couldn't 
 fix it." 
 
 We all laughed. Zara, I thought, was especially 
 merry, and looked her loveliest. She made an excellent 
 hostess, and exerted herself to the utmost to charm — 
 an effort in which she easily succeeded. 
 
 The shadow on the face of her brother had not dis- 
 appeared, and once or twice I noticed that Father Paul 
 looked at him with a certain kindly anxiety. 
 
 The dinner approached its end. The dessert, with 
 its luxurious dishes of rare fruit, such as peaches, 
 plantains, hothouse grapes, and even strawberries, was 
 served, and with it a delicious, sparkling, topaz-tinted 
 wine of Eastern origin called Kriila, which was poured 
 out to us in Venetian glass goblets, wherein lay 
 diamond-like lumps of ice. The air was so exceedingly 
 oppressive that evening that we found this beverage 
 most refreshing. When Zara's goblet was filled, she 
 held it up smiling, and said : 
 
 " I have a toast to propose." 
 
 " Hear, hear 1 " murmured the gentlemen, Heliobas 
 excepted, 
 
 " To our next merry meeting ! " and as she said this 
 she kissed the rim of the cup, and made a sign as 
 though wafting it towards her brother. 
 
 He started as if from a reverie, seized his glass, and 
 drained off its contents to the last drop. 
 
 265
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 Everyone responded with heartiness to Zara's toast, 
 and then Colonel Everard proposed the health of the fair 
 hostess, which was drunk with enthusiasm. 
 
 After this Zara gave the signal, and all the ladies 
 rose to adjourn to the drawing-room. As I passed 
 Ileliobas on my way out, he looked so sombre 
 and almost threatening of aspect, that I ventured to 
 whisper : 
 
 " Remember Azul ! " 
 
 " She has forgotten me ! " he muttered. 
 
 " Never — never ! " I said earnestly. " Oh, Hcliobas ! 
 what is wrong with you ? " 
 
 He made no answer, and there was no opportunity to 
 say more, as I had to follow Zara. But I felt veiy 
 anxious, though 1 scarcely knew why, and I lingered at 
 the door and glanced back at him. As I did so, a low, 
 rumbling sound, like chariot-wheels rolling afar off, 
 broke suddenly on our ears. 
 
 " Thunder," remarked Mr. Challoner quietly. " I 
 thought we should have it. It has been unnaturally 
 warm all day. A good storm will clear the air." 
 
 In my brief backward look at Heliobas, I noted that 
 when that far-distant thunder sounded, he grew very 
 pale. Why? He was certainly not one to have any 
 dread of a storm — he was absolutely destitute of fear. 
 1 went into the drawing-room with a hesitating step — 
 my instincts were all awake and beginning to warn me, 
 and I murmured softly a prayer to that strong, invisible 
 majestic spirit which I knew must be near me — my 
 guardian angel. J. was answered instantly — my fore- 
 boding grew into a positive certainty that some danger 
 menaced Ileliobas, and that if I desired to be his friend, 
 I must be prepared for an emergency. Receiving this, 
 as all such impressions should be received, as a direct 
 message sent me for my guidance, I grew calmer, and 
 
 266
 
 DEATH BY LIGHTNING 
 
 braced up my energies to oppose something, though I 
 knew not what. 
 
 Zara was showing her lady-visitors a large album of 
 Italian photographs, and explaining them as she turned 
 the leaves. As I entered the room, she said eagerly 
 to me: 
 
 " Play to us, dear ! Something soft and plaintive. 
 We all delight in your music, you know." 
 
 " Did you hear the thunder just now ? " I asked 
 irrelevantly. 
 
 "It %vas thunder ? I thought so 1 " said Mrs. Everard. 
 " Oh, I do hope there is not going to be a storm ! I am 
 so afraid of a storm ! " 
 
 " You are nervous?" questioned Zara kindly, as she 
 engaged her attention with some very fine specimens 
 among the photographs, consisting of views from Venice. 
 
 " Well, I suppose I am," returned Amy, half laughing. 
 " Yet I am plucky about most things, too. Still I don't 
 like to hear the elements quarrelling together — they are 
 too much in earnest about it — and no person can pacify 
 them." 
 
 Zara smiled, and gently repeated her request to me 
 for some music — a request in which Mrs. Challoner and 
 her daughters eagerly joined. As I went to the piano 1 
 thought of Edgar Allan Poe's exquisite poem : 
 
 " In Heaven a spirit doth dwell, 
 Whose heart-strings are a lute ; 
 None sing so wildly well 
 As the angel Israfel, 
 And the giddy stars, so legends tell, 
 Ceasing their hymns, attend the spell 
 Of his voice — all mute." 
 
 As I poised my fingers above the keys of the instru- 
 ment, another long, low, ominous roll of thunder swept 
 up from the distance and made the room tremble. 
 
 267
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 " Play — play, for goodness' sake ! " exclaimed Mrs. 
 Everard ; " and then we shall not be obliged to fix our 
 attention on the approaching storm ! " 
 
 I played a few soft opening arpeggio passages, while 
 Zara seated herself in an easy-chair near the window, 
 and the other ladies arranged themselves on sofas and 
 ottomans to their satisfaction. The room was exceed- 
 ingly close ; and the scent of the flowers that were 
 placed about in profusion was almost too sweet and 
 
 overpowermjj 
 
 (T 
 
 "And they say (the starry choir 
 And the other listening' things) 
 
 That IsrafcU's fire 
 
 Is owing to that lyre, 
 By which he sits and sings, — 
 
 The trembling living wire 
 Of those unusual strings." 
 
 '&- 
 
 How these verses haunted me ! With them floating 
 in my mind, I played — losing myself in mazes of melody, 
 and travelling harmoniously in and out of the different 
 keys with that sense of perfect joy known only to those 
 who can improvise with ease, and catch the unwritten 
 music of nature, which always appeals most strongly to 
 emotions that are unspoilt by contact with the world, 
 and which are quick to respond to what is purely in- 
 stinctive art. I soon became thoroughly absorbed, and 
 forgot that there were any persons present. In fancy 
 I imagined myself again in view of the glory of the 
 Electric Ring — again I seemed to behold the opaline 
 radiance of the Central Sphere : 
 
 " Wliere Love's a grown-up God, 
 Where the Houri glances are 
 Imbued with all the beauty 
 Which we worship in a star." 
 
 268
 
 DEATH BY LIGHTNING 
 
 By-and-by I found my fingers at the work of tenderly 
 unravelling a little skein of major melody, as soft and 
 childlike as the innocent babble of a small brooklet 
 flowing under ferns, I followed this airy suggestion 
 obediently, till it led me of itself to its fitting end, when 
 I ceased playing. I was greeted by a little burst of 
 applause, and looking up, saw that all the gentlemen 
 had come in from the dining-room, and were standing 
 near me. The stately figure of Heliobas was the most 
 prominent in the group ; he stood erect, one hand rest- 
 ing lightly on the framework of the piano, and his eyes 
 met mine fixedly. 
 
 "You were inspired," he said with a grave smile, 
 addressing me ; " You did not observe our entrance." 
 
 I was about to reply, when a loud, appalling crash of 
 thunder rattled above us, as if some huge building had 
 suddenly fallen into ruins. It startled us all into silence 
 for a moment, and we looked into each other's faces 
 with a certain degree of awe. 
 
 "That was a good one," remarked Mr. Challoner. 
 "There was nothing undecided about that clap. Its 
 mind was made up." 
 
 Zara suddenly rose from her seat, and drew aside the 
 window-curtains. 
 
 " I wonder if it is raining," she said. 
 
 Amy Everard uttered a little shriek of dismay. 
 
 "Oh, don't open the blinds! "she exclaimed. " It is 
 really dangerous ! " 
 
 Heliobas glanced at her with a little sarcastic smile. 
 
 " Take a seat on the other side of the room, if you 
 are alarmed, madame," he said quietly, placing a chair 
 in the position he suggested, which Amy accepted 
 eagerly. 
 
 She would, I believe, have gladly taken refuge in the 
 coal-cellar had he offered it. Zara, in the meantime, 
 
 269
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 who had not heard Mrs. Everard's exclamation of fear, 
 had drawn up one of the blinds, and stood silently 
 looking out upon the night. Instinctively we all joined 
 her, with the exception of Amy, and looked out also. 
 The skies were very dark ; a faint, moaning wind stirred 
 the tops of the leafless trees ; but there was no rain. A 
 dry volcanic heat pervaded the atmosphere — in fact we 
 all felt the air so stifling, that Ileliobas threw open the 
 window altogether, saying, as he did so: 
 
 " In a thunderstorm, it is safer to have the windows 
 open than shut ; besides, one cannot suffocate." 
 
 A brilliant glare of light flashed suddenly upon our 
 vision. The heavens seemed torn open from end to 
 end, and a broad lake of pale blue fire lay quivering in 
 the heart of the mountainous black clouds — for a second 
 only. An on-rushing, ever-increasing, rattling roar of 
 thunder ensued, that seemed to shake the very earth, 
 and all was again darkness. 
 
 " This is magnificent 1 " cried Mrs. Challoner, who, 
 with her family, had travelled a great deal, and was 
 quite accustomed to hurricanes and other inconveni- 
 ences caused by the unaccommodating behaviour of the 
 elements. " I don't think I ever saw anything like it ! 
 John dear, even that storm we saw at Chamounix was 
 not any better than this." 
 
 "Well," returned her husband meditatively, "you see 
 we had the snow mountains there, and the effect was 
 pretty lively. Then there were the echoes — those 
 cavernous echoes were grand ! What was that passage 
 in Job, Effie, that I used to say they reminded 
 me of?" 
 
 " ' The pillars of heaven tremble, and are astonished 
 at His reproof . . . The thunder of His power, who can 
 understand ? ' " replied Effie Challoner reverently. 
 
 " That's it ! " he replied. " I opine that Job was 
 
 270
 
 DEATH BY LIGHTNING 
 
 pretty correct in his ideas — don't you, reverend sir?" 
 turning to Father Paul. 
 
 The priest nodded, and held up his finger warn- 
 ingly. 
 
 "That lady — Mrs. Everard — is going to sing or 
 play, I think," he observed. "Shall we not keep 
 silence? " 
 
 I looked towards Amy in some surprise. I knew 
 
 she sang very prettily, but I had thought she was 
 
 rendered too nervous by the storm to do aught but 
 
 sit quiet in her chair. However, there she was at 
 
 the piano, and in another moment her fresh, sweet 
 
 mezzo-soprano rang softly through the room in Tosti's 
 
 plaintive song, "Good-bye!" We listened, but none 
 
 of us moved from the open window where we still 
 
 inhaled what air there was, and watched the lowering 
 
 sky. 
 
 " Hush ! a voice from the far-away, 
 ' Listen and learn,' it seems to say ; 
 'All the to-morrows shall be as to-day,'" 
 
 sang Amy with pathetic sweetness. Zara suddenly 
 moved, as if oppressed, from her position among us 
 as we stood clustered together, and stepped out through 
 the French windows into the outside balcony, her head 
 uncovered to the night. 
 
 " You will catch cold ! " Mrs. Challoner and I both 
 called to her simultaneously. She shook her head, 
 smiling back at us ; and folding her arms lightly on 
 the stone balustrade, leaned there and looked up at 
 the clouds. 
 
 " The link must break, and the lamp must die ; 
 Good-bye to Hope! Good-bye — good-bye!" 
 
 Amy's voice was a peculiarly thrilling one, and on 
 this occasion sounded with more than its usual tender- 
 
 271
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 ness. What with her singing and the invisible presence 
 of the storm, an utter silence possessed us — not one of 
 us cared to move. 
 
 Ileliobas once stepped to his sister's side in the 
 open balcony, and said something, as I thought, to 
 warn her against taking cold ; but it was a very brief 
 whisper, and he almost immediately returned to his 
 place amongst us. Zara looked very lovely out there ; 
 the light coming from the interior of the room glistened 
 softly on the sheen of her satin dress and its ornaments 
 of pearls ; and the electric stone on her bosom shone 
 faintly like a star on a rainy evening. Her beautiful 
 face, turned upwards to the angry sky, was half in 
 light and half in shade; a smile parted her lips, and 
 her eyes were bright with a look of interest and 
 expectancy. Another sudden glare, and the clouds 
 were again broken asunder; but this time in a jagged 
 and hasty manner, as though a naked sword had been 
 thrust through them and immediately withdrawn. 
 
 " That was a nasty flash," said Colonel Everard, 
 with an observant glance at the lovely Juliet -like 
 figure on the balcony. " Mademoiselle, had you not 
 better come in ? " 
 
 " When it begins to rain I will come in," she said, 
 without changing her posture. " I hear the singing so 
 well out here. Besides, I love the storm." 
 
 A tumultuous crash of thunder, tremendous for its 
 uproar and the length of time it was prolonged, made 
 us look at each other again with anxious faces. 
 
 "What are we waiting for? Oh, my heart I 
 Kiss me straight on the brows and part ! 
 Again 1 again, my heart, my heart ! 
 What are we waiting for, you and I ? 
 A pleading look — a stifled cry ! 
 Good-bye for ever " 
 
 272
 
 DEATH BY LIGHTNING 
 
 Horror! — what was that? A Hthe swift serpent 
 of fire twisting venomously through the dark heavens ! 
 Zara raised her arms, looked up, smiled, and fell — 
 senseless ! With such appalling suddenness that we 
 had scarcely recovered from the blinding terror of 
 that forked lightning-flash, when we saw her lying 
 prone before us on the balcony where one instant 
 before she had stood erect and smiling ! With ex- 
 clamations of alarm and distress we lifted and bore 
 her within the room and laid her tenderly down 
 upon the nearest sofa. At that moment a deafening, 
 terrific thunderclap — one only — as if a huge bomb- 
 shell had burst in the air, shook the ground under 
 our feet ; and then, with a swish and swirl of long 
 pent-up and suddenly-released wrath, down came the 
 rain. 
 
 Amy's voice died away in a last " Good-bye ! " and 
 she rushed from the piano, with pale face and trembling 
 lips, gasping out : 
 
 " What has happened? What is the matter? " 
 
 " She has been stunned by a lightning-flash," I said, 
 trying to speak calmly, while I loosened Zara's dress 
 and sprinkled her forehead with eau de Cologne from 
 a scent-bottle Mrs. Challoner had handed to me. " She 
 will recover in a few minutes." 
 
 But my limbs trembled under me, and tears, in spite 
 of myself, forced their way into my eyes. 
 
 Heliobas meanwhile — his countenance white and 
 set as a marble mask — shut the window fiercely, 
 pulled down the blind, and drew the heavy silken 
 curtains close. He then approached his sister's sense- 
 less form, and, taking her wrist tenderly, felt for her 
 pulse. We looked on in the deepest anxiety. The 
 Challoner girls shivered with terror, and began to 
 cry. Mrs. Everard, with more self-possession, dipped 
 
 273
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 a handkerchief in cold water and laid it on Zara's 
 temples: but no faint sigh parted the set yet smiling 
 lips — no sign of life was visible. All this while the 
 rain swept down in gusty torrents and rattled furiously 
 against the window-panes ; while the wind, no longer 
 a moan, had risen into a shriek, as of baffled yet 
 vindictive anger. At last Heliobas spoke. 
 
 " I should be glad of other medical skill than my 
 own," he said, in low and stifled accents. " This may 
 be a long fainting-fit." 
 
 Mr. Challoner at once proffered his services. 
 
 " I'll go for you anywhere }-ou like," he said cheerily ; 
 " and I think my wife and daughters had better come 
 with me. Our carriage is sure to be in waiting. It 
 will be necessary for the lady to have perfect quiet 
 when she recovers, and visitors are best away. You 
 need not be alarmed, I am sure. By her colour it is 
 evident she is only in a swoon. What doctor shall I 
 send ? " 
 
 Heliobas named one Dr. Morini, lo, Avenue de 
 I'Alma. 
 
 " Right I He shall be here straight. Come, wife — 
 come, girls I Mrs. Everard, we'll send back our carriage 
 for you and the Colonel. Good-night ! We'll call to- 
 morrow and inquire after mademoiselle." 
 
 Heliobas gratefully pressed his hand as he withdrew, 
 and his wife and daughters, with whispered farewells, 
 followed him. We who were left behind all remained 
 near Zara, doing everything we could think of to restore 
 animation to that senseless form. Some of the servants, 
 too, hearing what had happened, gathered in a little 
 cluster at the drawing-room door, looking with pale and 
 alarmed faces at the death-like figure of their beautiful 
 mistress. Half an hour or more must have passed in 
 this manner; within the room there was a dreadful 
 
 274
 
 DEATH BY LIGHTNING 
 
 silence — but outside the rain poured down in torrents, 
 and the savage wind howled and tore at the windows 
 like a besieging army. Suddenly Amy Everard, who 
 had been quietly and skilfully assisting me in rubbing 
 Zara's hands and bathing her forehead, grew faint, 
 staggered, and would have fallen had not her husband 
 caught her on his arm. 
 
 " I am frightened," she gasped. " I cannot bear it — 
 she looks so still, and she is growing — rigid, like a 
 corpse ! Oh, if she should be dead ! " And she hid her 
 face on her husband's breast. 
 
 At that moment we heard the grating of wheels on 
 the gravel outside ; it was the Challoners' carriage 
 returned. The coachman, after depositing his master 
 and family at the Grand Hotel, had driven rapidly back 
 in the teeth of the stinging sleet and rain to bring the 
 message that Dr. Morini would be with us as soon as 
 possible. 
 
 " Then," whispered Colonel Everard gently to me, 
 " I'll take Amy home. She is thoroughly upset, and 
 it's no use having her going off into hysterics. I'll call 
 with Challoner to-morrow ; " and with a kindly parting 
 nod of encouragement to us all, he slipped softly out of 
 the room, half leading, half carrying his trembling wife ; 
 and in a couple of minutes we heard the carriage again 
 drive away. 
 
 Left alone at last with Heliobas and Father Paul, I, 
 kneeling at the side of my darling Zara, looked into 
 their faces for comfort, but found none. The dry-eyed 
 despair on the countenance of Heliobas pierced me to 
 the heart ; the pitying, solemn expression of the vener- 
 able priest touched me as with icy cold. The lovely, 
 marble-like whiteness and stillness of the figure before 
 me filled me with a vague terror. Making a strong 
 effort to control my voice, I called in a low, clear tone : 
 
 275
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 "Zara! Zara!" 
 
 No sign — not the faintest flicker of an eyelash ! Only 
 the sound of the falling rain and the moaning wind — 
 the thunder had long ago ceased. Suddenly a some- 
 thing attracted my gaze, which first surprised and then 
 horrified me. The jewel — the electric stone on Zara's 
 bosom no longer shone! It was like a piece of dull 
 unpolished pebble. Grasping at the meaning of this, 
 with overwhelming instinctive rapidity, I sprang up and 
 caught the arm of Heliobas. 
 
 " You — you ! " I whispered hurriedly. " You can re- 
 store her ! Do as }-ou did with Prince Ivan ; you can — 
 you must ! That stone she wears — the light has gone 
 out of it. If that means — and I am sure it does — that 
 life has for a little while gone out of her, j'ou can bring 
 it back. Quick— quick ! You have the power ! " 
 
 He looked at me with burning grief-haunted eyes ; 
 and a sigh that was almost a groan escaped his lips. 
 
 " I have no power," he said. " Not over her. I told 
 you she was dominated by a higher force than mine. 
 What can / do ? Nothing — worse than nothing — I am 
 utterly helpless." 
 
 I stared at him in a kind of desperate horror. 
 
 " Do you mean to tell me," I said slowly, " that she is 
 dead — really dead ? " 
 
 Me was about to answer, when one of the watching 
 servants announced in a low tone : " Dr. Morini." 
 
 The new-comer was a wiry, keen-eyed little Italian ; 
 his movements were quick, decisive, and all to the point 
 of action. The first thing he did was to scatter the 
 little group of servants right and left, and send them 
 about their business. The next, to close the doors of 
 the room against all intrusion. He then came straight 
 up to Heliobas, and pressing his hand in a friendly 
 manner, said briefly — 
 
 276
 
 DEATH BY LIGHTNING 
 
 " How and when did this happen ? " 
 
 HeHobas told him in as few words as possible. 
 Dr. Morini then bent over Zara's lifeless form, and 
 examined her features attentively. He laid his ear 
 against her heart and listened. Finally, he caught 
 sight of the round, lustreless pebble hanging at her 
 neck suspended by its strings of pearl. Very gently 
 he moved this aside ; looked, and beckoned us to come 
 and look also. Exactly on the spot where the electric 
 stone had rested, a small circular mark, like a black 
 bruise, tainted the fair soft skin — a mark no larger than 
 a small finger-ring. 
 
 " Death by electricity," said Dr. Morini quietly. 
 *' Must have been instantaneous. The lightning-flash, 
 or downward electric current, lodged itself here, where 
 this mark is, and passed directly through the heart. 
 Perfectly painless, but of course fatal. She has been 
 dead some time." 
 
 And, replacing the stone ornament in its former 
 position, he stepped back with a suggestive glance at 
 Father Paul. I listened and saw — but I was in a state 
 of stupefaction. Dead? My beautiful, gay, strong 
 ZaLXdidead? Impossible! I knelt beside her; I called 
 her again and again by every endearing and tender 
 name I could think of; I kissed her sweet lips. Oh, 
 they were cold as ice, and chilled my blood ! As one 
 in a dream, I saw Heliobas advance ; he kissed her 
 forehead and mouth ; he reverently unclasped the pearls 
 from about her throat, and with them took off the 
 electric stone. Then Father Paul stepped slowly 
 forward, and in place of that once brilliant gem, now so 
 dim and destitute of fire, he laid a crucifix upon the 
 fair and gentle breast, motionless for ever. 
 
 At sight of this sacred symbol, some tense cord 
 seemed to snap in my brain, and I cried out wildly : 
 
 u 277
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 " Oh, no, no ! Not that ! That is for the dead ; 
 Zara is not dead ! It is all a mistake — a mistake ! She 
 will be quite well presently ; and she will smile and 
 tell you how foolish you were to think her dead ! 
 Dead ? She cannot be dead ; it is impossible — quite 
 impossible !" And I broke into a passion of sobs and 
 tears. 
 
 Very gently and kindly Dr. Morini drew me away, 
 and by dint of friendly persuasion, in which there was 
 also a good deal of firm determination, led me into the 
 hall, where he made me swallow a glass of wine. As 
 I could not control my sobs, he spoke with some 
 sternness : 
 
 " Mademoiselle, you can do no good by giv'ing way 
 in this manner. Death is a very beautiful and solemn 
 thing, and it is irreverent to show unseemly passion in 
 such a great Presence. You loved your friend — let it 
 be a comfort to you that she died painlessly. Control 
 yourself, in order to assist in rendering her the last 
 few gentle services necessary ; and try to console the 
 desolate brother, who looks in real need of en- 
 couragement." 
 
 These last words roused me. I forced back my 
 tears, and dried my eyes. 
 
 " I will, Dr. Morini," I said, in a trembling voice. 
 " I am ashamed to be so weak. I know what I ought 
 to do, and I will do it. You may trust me." 
 
 He looked at me approvingly. 
 
 " That is well," he said briefly. " And now, as I 
 am of no use here, I will say good-night. Remember, 
 excessive grief is mere selfishness ; resignation is 
 heroism." 
 
 He was gone. I nerved myself to the task I had 
 before me, and within an hour the fair casket of what 
 had been Zara lay on an open bier in the little chapel, 
 
 278
 
 DEATH BY LIGHTNING 
 
 lights burning round it and flowers strewn above it 
 in mournful profusion. 
 
 We left her body arrayed in its white satin garb ; 
 the cluster of orange-blossoms she had gathered still 
 bloomed upon the cold breast, where the crucifix lay ; 
 but in the tresses of the long dark hair I wove a wreath 
 of lilies instead of the pearls we had undone. 
 
 And now I knelt beside the bier absorbed in thought. 
 Some of the weeping servants had assembled, and 
 knelt about in little groups. The tall candles on the 
 altar were lit, and Father Paul, clad in m.ourning 
 priestly vestments, prayed there in silence. The storm 
 of rain and wind still raged without, and the windows 
 of the chapel shook and rattled with the violence of 
 the tempest. 
 
 A distant clock struck One ! with a deep clang that 
 echoed throughout the house. I shuddered. So short 
 a time had elapsed since Zara had been alive and 
 well ; now, I could not bear to think that she was 
 gone from me for ever. For ever, did I say ? No, 
 not for ever — not so long as love exists — love that 
 shall bring us together again in that far-off Sphere 
 where 
 
 Hush! what was that? The sound of the organ? 
 I looked around me in startled wonderment. There 
 was no one seated at the instrument ; it was shut close. 
 The lights on the altar and round the bier burnt 
 steadily ; the motionless figure of the priest before the 
 tabernacle ; the praying servants of the household — all 
 was unchanged. But certainly a flood of music rolled 
 grandly on the ear — music that drowned for a moment 
 the howling noise of the battering wind. I rose softly, 
 and touched one of the kneeling domestics on the 
 shoulder. 
 
 " Did you hear the organ ? " I said. 
 
 279
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 The woman looked up at me with tearful, alarmed 
 eyes. 
 
 " No, mademoiselle." 
 
 I paused, listening. The music grew louder and 
 louder, and surged round me in waves of melody. 
 Evidently no one in the chapel heard it but myself. 
 I looked about for Heliobas, but he had not entered. 
 He was most probably in his study, whither he had 
 retired to grieve in secret when we had borne Zara's 
 body to its present couch of dreamless sleep. 
 
 These sounds were meant for me alone, then ? I 
 waited, and the music gradually died away ; and as 
 I resumed my kneeling position by the bier all was 
 again silence, save for the unabated raging of the storm. 
 
 A strange calmness now fell on my spirits. Some 
 invisible hand seemed to hold me still and tearless, 
 Zara was dead. I realized it now. I began to con- 
 sider that she must have known her fate beforehand. 
 This was what she had meant when she said she was 
 going on a journey. The more I thought of this the 
 quieter I became, and I hid my face in my hands and 
 praj-ed earnestly. 
 
 A touch roused me — an imperative, burning touch. 
 An airy brightness, like a light cloud with sunshine 
 falling through it, hovered above Zara's bier! I gazed 
 breathlessly ; I could not move my lips to utter a sound. 
 A face looked at me — a face angelically beautiful ! It 
 smiled. I stretched out my hands ; I struggled for 
 speech, and managed to whisper: 
 
 " Zara, Zara ! you have come back ! " 
 
 Her voice, so sweetly familiar, answered me : 
 
 " To life? Ah, never, never again ! I am too happy 
 to return. But save him — save my brother ! Go to 
 him ; he is in danger; to you is given the rescue. Save 
 him ; and for me rejoice, and grieve no more ! " 
 
 280
 
 DEATH BY LIGHTNING 
 
 The face vanished, the brightness faded, and I sprang 
 up from my knees in haste. For one instant I looked 
 at the beautiful dead body of the friend I loved, with 
 its set mouth and placid features, and then I smiled. 
 This was not Zara — she was alive and happy; this 
 fair clay was but clay doomed to perish, but she was 
 imperishable! 
 
 " Save him — save my brother ! " These words rang 
 in my ears. I hesitated no longer — I determined to 
 seek Heliobas at once. Swiftly and noiselessly I 
 slipped out of the chapel. As the door swung behind 
 me I heard a sound that first made me stop in sudden 
 alarm, and then hurry on with increased eagerness. 
 There was no mistaking it — it was the clash of steel ! 
 
 281
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 A STRUGGLE FOR THE MASTERY 
 
 I RUSHED to the study-door, tore aside the velvet hang- 
 ings, and faced HcHobas and Prince Ivan Petroffsky. 
 They held drawn weapons, which they lowered at my 
 sudden entrance, and paused irresolutely. 
 
 "What are you doing?" I cried, addressing myself 
 to Heliobas. " With the dead body of your sister in 
 the house, you can fight ! You, too ! " and I looked 
 reproachfully at Prince Ivan; "you also can desecrate 
 the sanctity of death, and yet — you loved her ! " 
 
 The Prince spoke not, but clenched his sword-hilt 
 with a fiercer grasp, and glared wildly on his opponent. 
 His eyes had a look of madness in them — his dress 
 was much disordered — his hair wet with drops of rain 
 — his face ghastly white, and his whole demeanour was 
 that of a man distraught with grief and passion. But 
 he uttered no word. Heliobas spoke ; he was coldly 
 calm, and balanced his sword lightly on his open hand 
 as if it were a toy. 
 
 " This gentlevian" he said, with deliberate emphasis, 
 " happened, on his w ay hither, to meet Dr. Morini, 
 who informed him of the fatal catastrophe which has 
 caused my sister's death. Instead of respecting the 
 sacredness of my solitude under the circumstances, he 
 thrust himself rudely into my presence, and, before I 
 could address him, struck me violently in the face, and 
 
 282
 
 A STRUGGLE FOR THE MASTERY 
 
 accused me of being my sister's murderer. Such con- 
 duct can only meet with one reply. I gave him his 
 choice of weapons : he chose swords. Our combat 
 has just begun — we are anxious to resume it ; there- 
 fore if you, mademoiselle, will have the goodness to 
 retire " 
 
 I interrupted him. 
 
 " I shall certainly not retire," I said firmly. " This 
 behaviour on both your parts is positive madness. 
 Prince Ivan, please to listen to me. The circumstances 
 of Zara's death were plainly witnessed by me and 
 others — her brother is as innocent of having caused 
 it as I am." 
 
 And I recounted to him quietly all that had happened 
 during that fatal and eventful evening. He listened 
 moodily, tracing out the pattern of the carpet with the 
 point of his sword. When I had finished he looked up, 
 and a bitter smile crossed his features. 
 
 " I wonder, mademoiselle," he said, " that your 
 residence in this accursed house has not taught you 
 better. I quite believe all you say, that Zara, unfor- 
 tunate girl that she was, received her death by a 
 lightning-flash. But answer me this: Who made her 
 capable of attracting atmospheric electricity? Who 
 charged her beautiful delicate body with a vile 
 compound of electrical fluid, so that she was as a living 
 magnet, bound to draw towards herself electricity in 
 all its forms? Who tampered with her fine brain 
 and made her imagine herself allied to a spirit of air ? 
 Who but he — he ! — yonder unscrupulous wretch ! — 
 he, who in pursuit of his miserable science, practised 
 his most dangerous experiments on his sister, regard- 
 less of her health, her happiness, her life ! I say 
 he is her murderer — her remorseless murderer, and a 
 thrice-damned villain 1 " 
 
 283
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 And he sprang forward to renew the combat. I 
 stepped quietly, unflinchingly between him and 
 Heliobas. 
 
 " Stop ! " I exclaimed ; " this cannot go on. Zara 
 herself forbids it ! " 
 
 The Prince paused, and looked at me in a sort of 
 stupefaction, 
 
 "Zara forbids it!" he muttered. "What do you 
 mean ? " 
 
 " I mean," I went on, " that I have seen Zara since 
 her death; I have spoken to her. She herself sent 
 me here." 
 
 Prince Ivan stared, and then burst into a fit of wild 
 laughter. 
 
 " Little fool ! " he cried to me ; " he has maddened 
 you too, then ! You are also a victim ! Miserable 
 girl I Out of my path I Revenge — revenge ! while I 
 am yet sane ! " 
 
 Then pushing me roughly aside, he cast away his 
 sword, and shouted to Heliobas: 
 
 " Hand to hand, villain ! No more of these toy- 
 weapons ! Hand to hand ! " 
 
 Heliobas instantly threw down his sword also, and 
 rushing forward simultaneously, they closed together 
 in savage conflict. Heliobas was the taller and more 
 powerful of the two, but Prince Ivan seemed imbued 
 v.ith the spirit of a hundred devils, and sprang at 
 his opponent's throat with the silent breathless ferocity 
 of a tiger. At first Heliobas appeared to be simply 
 on the defensive, and his agile, skilful movements 
 were all used to parry and ward off the other's 
 grappling eagerness. Ikit as I watched the struggle, 
 myself speechless and powerless, I saw his face change. 
 Instead of its calm and almost indifferent expression, 
 there came a look which was completely foreign to it 
 
 284
 
 A STRUGGLE FOR THE MASTERY 
 
 — a look of savage determination bordering on positive 
 cruelty. In a moment I saw what was taking place 
 in his mind. The animal passions of the mere man 
 were aroused — the spiritual force was utterly forgotten. 
 The excitement of the contest was beginning to tell, 
 and the desire of victory was dominant in the breast 
 of him whose ideas were generally — and should have 
 been now — those of patient endurance and large 
 generosity. The fight grew closer, hotter, and more 
 terrible. Suddenly the Prince swerved aside and fell, 
 and within a second Heliobas held him down, pressing 
 one knee firmly against his chest. From my point 
 of observation I noted with alarm that little by little 
 Ivan ceased his violent efforts to rise, and that he 
 kept his eyes fixed on the overshadowing face of 
 his foe with an unnatural and curious pertinacity. I 
 stepped forward. Heliobas pressed his whole weight 
 heavily down on the young man's prostrate body, 
 while with both hands he held him by the shoulders, 
 and gazed with terrific meaning into his fast-paling 
 countenance. Ivan's lips turned blue ; his eyes ap- 
 peared to start from their sockets ; his throat rattled. 
 The spell that held me silent was broken ; a flash of 
 light, a flood of memory swept over my intelligence. 
 I knew that Heliobas was exciting the whole battery 
 of his inner electric force, and that thus employed for 
 r"he purposes of vengeance, it must infallibly cause 
 death. I found my speech at last. 
 
 " Heliobas ! " I cried. " Remember, remember Azul ! 
 When Death lies like a gift in your hand, withhold it ! 
 Withhold it, Heliobas ; and give Life instead ! " 
 
 He started at the sound of my voice, and looked 
 up. A strong shudder shook his frame. Very slowly, 
 very reluctantly, he relaxed his position ; he rose 
 from his kneeling posture on the Prince's breast — he 
 
 285
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 left him and stood upright. Ivan at the same moment 
 heaved a deep sigh, and closed his eyes, apparently 
 insensible. 
 
 Gradually one by one the hard lines faded out of 
 the face of Heliobas, and his old expression of soft 
 and grave beneficence came back to it as graciously 
 as sunlight after rain. He turned to me, and bent his 
 head in a sort of reverential salutation. 
 
 " I thank and bless you," he said ; " you reminded 
 me in time ! Another moment and it would have been 
 too late. You have saved me." 
 
 " Give him his life," I said, pointing to Ivan. 
 
 " He has it," returned Heliobas ; " I have not taken 
 it from him, thank God ! He provoked me ; I regret 
 it. I should have been more patient with him. He 
 will revive immediately. I leave him to your care. 
 In dealing with him, I ought to have remembered 
 that human passion like his, unguided by spiritual 
 knowledge, was to be met with pity and forbearance. 
 As it is, however, he is safe. For me, I will go and pray 
 for Zara's pardon, and that of my wronged Azul." 
 
 As he uttered the last words, he started, looked up, 
 and smiled. 
 
 "My beautiful one! Thou hast pardoned me? 
 Thou wilt love me still ? Thou art with me, Azul, 
 my beloved ? I have not lost thee, oh my best and 
 dearest ! Wilt thou lead me ? Whither ? Nay — no 
 matter whither — I come ! " 
 
 And as one walking in sleep, he went out of the 
 room, and I heard his footsteps echoing in the distance 
 on the way to the chapel. 
 
 Left alone with the Prince, I snatched a glass of 
 cold water from the table, and sprinkled some of it on 
 his forehead and hands. This was quite sufficient to 
 revive him ; and he drew a long breath, opened his 
 
 286
 
 A STRUGGLE FOR THE MASTERY 
 
 eyes, and stared wildly about him. Seeing no one but 
 me, he grew bewildered, and asked : 
 
 " What has happened ? " 
 
 Then catching sight of the drawn swords lying still 
 on the ground where they had been thrown, he sprang 
 to his feet, and cried : 
 
 " Where is the coward and murderer ? " 
 
 I made him sit down and hear with patience what I 
 had to say. I reminded him that Zara's health and 
 happiness had always been perfect, and that her brother 
 would rather have slain himself than her. I told him 
 plainly that Zara had expected her death, and had 
 prepared for it — had even bade me good-bye, although 
 then I had not understood the meaning of her words, 
 I recalled to his mind the day when Zara had used her 
 power to repulse him. 
 
 " Disbelieve as you will in electric spiritual force," I 
 said. " Your message to her then through me was — 
 Tell her I have seen her lover." 
 
 At these words a sombre shadow flitted over the 
 Prince's face. 
 
 " I tell you," he said slowly, " that I believe I was on 
 that occasion the victim of an hallucination. But I will 
 explain to you what I saw. A superb figure, like, and 
 yet unlike, a man, but of a much larger and grander 
 form, appeared to me, as I thought, and spoke. * Zara 
 is mine,* it said — ' mine by choice ; mine by freewill ; 
 mine till death ; mine after death ; mine through 
 eternity. With her thou hast naught in common ; 
 thy way lies elsewhere. Follow the path allotted to 
 thee, and presume no more upon an angel's patience.' 
 Then this strange majestic-looking creature, whose face, 
 as I remember it, was extraordinarily beautiful, and 
 whose eyes were like self-luminous stars, vanished. But, 
 after all, what of it ? The whole thing was a dream." 
 
 287
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 " I am not so sure of that," I said quietly. " But, 
 Prince Ivan, now that you are calmer and more 
 capable of resignation, will you tell me why you loved 
 Zara?" 
 
 " Why I " he broke out impetuously. " Why, because 
 it was impossible to help loving her." 
 
 •' That is no answer," I replied. " Think I You can 
 reason well if you like — I have heard you hold your 
 own in an argument. What made you love Zara ? " 
 
 He looked at me in a sort of impatient surprise, but 
 seeing I was very much in earnest, he pondered a 
 minute or so before repl\ing. 
 
 "She was the loveliest woman I have ever seen!" 
 he said at last, and in his voice there was a sound of 
 yearning and regret. 
 
 " Is that all?" I queried, with a gesture of contempt. 
 "Because her body was beautiful — because she had 
 sweet kissing lips and a soft skin ; because her hand 
 was like a white flower, and her dark hair clustering 
 over her brow reminded one of a misty evening cloud 
 hiding moonlight ; because the glance of her glorious 
 eyes made the blood leap through your veins and sting 
 you with passionate desire — are these the reasons of 
 your so-called love? Oh, give it some other and lower 
 name I For the worms shall feed on the fair flesh that 
 won your admiration — their wet and slimy bodies shall 
 trail across the round white arms and tender bosom — 
 unsightly things shall crawl among the tresses of the 
 glossy hair ; and nothing, nothing shall remain of what 
 you loved, but dust. Prince Ivan, you shudder ; but I 
 too loved Zara — I loved her, not the perishable casket 
 in which, like a jewel, she was for a time enshrined. I 
 love her still — and for the being I love there is no such 
 thing as death." 
 
 The Prince was silent, and seemed touched. I had 
 
 288
 
 A STRUGGLE FOR THE MASTERY 
 
 spoken with real feeling, and tears of emotion stood in 
 my eyes. 
 
 " I loved her as a man generally loves," he said, after 
 a little pause. " Nay — more than most men love most 
 women ! " 
 
 " Most men are too often selfish in both their loves 
 and hatreds," I returned. " Tell m.^ if there was any- 
 thing in Zara's mind and intelligence to attract j^ou ? 
 Did you sympathise in her pursuits ; did you admire 
 her tastes ; had you any ideas in common with her ? " 
 
 " Xo, I confess I had not," he answered readily. *' 1 
 considered her to be entirely a victim to her brother's 
 scientific experiments. I thought, by making her my 
 wife, to release her from such tyranny and give her 
 rescue and refuge. To this end, I found out all I could 
 from — him" — he approached the name of fleliobas with 
 reluctance — "and I made up my mind that her deli- 
 cate imagination had been morbidly excited ; but that 
 marriage and a life like that led by other women would 
 bring her to a more healthy state of mind." 
 
 I smiled with a little scorn. 
 
 " Your presumption was almost greater than your 
 folly, Prince," I said, " that with such ideas as these in 
 your mind you could dream of winning Zara for a wife. 
 Do you think she could have led a life like that of 
 other women ? A frivolous round of gaiety, a few fine 
 dresses and jewels, small-talk, society scandal, stale 
 compliments — you think such things would have suited 
 herf And would she have contented herself with a 
 love like yours ? Come ! Come and see how well she 
 has escaped you ! " 
 
 And I beckoned him towards the door. He hesi- 
 tated. 
 
 " Where would you take me ? " he asked. 
 
 " To the chapel Zara's body lies there." 
 
 2Sg
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 He shuddered, 
 
 " No, no — not there ! I cannot bear to look upon 
 her perished loveHness — to see that face, once so 
 animated, white and rigid — death in such a form is too 
 horrible ! " 
 
 And he covered his eyes with his hand — I saw tears 
 slowly drop through his fingers. I gazed at him, half 
 in wonder, half in pity. 
 
 " And yet you are a brave man ! " I said. 
 
 These words roused him. He met my gaze with 
 such a haggard look of woe that my heart ached for 
 him. What comfort had he now ? What joy could 
 he ever expect? All his happiness was centred in 
 the fact of being alive — alive to the pleasures of living, 
 and to the joys the world could offer to a man who was 
 strong, handsome, rich, and accomplished — how could 
 he look upon death as otherwise than a loathsome 
 thing — a thing not to be thought of in the heyday of 
 youthful blood and jollity — a doleful spectre, in whose 
 bony hands the roses of love must fall and wither ! 
 With a sense of deep commiseration in me, I spoke 
 again with great gentleness. 
 
 " You need not look upon Zara's corpse unless you 
 wish it, Prince," I said. " To you, the mysteries of the 
 Hereafter have not been unlocked, because there is 
 something in your nature that cannot and will not 
 believe in God. Therefore to you, death must be 
 repellent. I know you are one of those for whom the 
 present alone exists — you easily forget the past, and 
 take no trouble for the future. Paris is your heaven, or 
 St. Petersburg, or Vienna, as the fancy takes you ; and 
 the modern atheistical doctrines of French demorali- 
 zation are in }-our blood. Nothing but a heaven-sent 
 miracle could make you other than you are, and 
 miracles do not exist for the materialist. But let me 
 
 290
 
 A STRUGGLE FOR THE MASTERY 
 
 say two words more before you go from this house. 
 Seek no more to avenge yourself for your love-dis- 
 appointment on Heliobas — for you have really nothing 
 to avenge. By your own confession you only cared 
 for Zara's body — that body was always perishable, and 
 it has perished by a sudden but natural catastrophe. 
 With her soul, you declare you had nothing in 
 common — that was herself — and she is alive to us who 
 love her as she sought to be loved. Heliobas is 
 innocent of having slain her body ; he but helped to 
 cultivate and foster that beautiful Spirit which he knew 
 to be Her — for that he is to be honoured and com- 
 mended. Promise me, therefore, Prince Ivan, that you 
 will never approach him again except in friendship — 
 indeed, you owe him an apology for your unjust 
 accusation, as also your gratitude for his sparing your 
 life in the recent struggle." 
 
 The Prince kept his eyes steadily fixed upon me all 
 the time I was speaking, and as 1 finished, he sighed 
 and moved restlessly. 
 
 " Your words are compelling, mademoiselle," he said ; 
 " and you have a strange attraction for me. I know I 
 am not wrong in thinking that you are a disciple of 
 Heliobas, whose science I admit, though I doubt his 
 theories. I promise you willingly what you ask — nay, 
 I will even offer him my hand if he will accept it." 
 Overjoyed at my success, I answered : 
 " He is in the chapel, but I will fetch him here." 
 Over the Prince's face a shadow of doubt, mingled 
 with dread, passed swiftly, and he seemed to be forming 
 a resolve in his own mind which was more or less 
 distasteful to him. Whatever the feeling was he 
 conquered it by a strong effort, and said with firm- 
 ness ; 
 
 " No : I will go to him myself. And I will look 
 
 291
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 again upon — upon the face I loved. It is but one pang 
 the more, and why should I not endure it? " 
 
 Seeing him thus inclined, I made no effort to dissuade 
 him, and without another word I led the way to the 
 chapel. I entered it reverently, he following me closely, 
 with slow hushed footsteps. All was the same as I had 
 left it, save that the servants of the household had gone 
 to take some needful rest before the morning light 
 called them to their daily routine of labour. P'^ather 
 Paul, too, had retired, and Heliobas alone knelt beside 
 all that remained of Zara, his figure as motionless as 
 though carved in bronze, his face hidden in his hands. 
 As we approached, he neither stirred nor looked up, 
 therefore I softly led the Prince to the opposite side 
 of the bier, that he might look quietly on the perished 
 loveliness that lay there at rest for ever. Ivan trembled, 
 yet steadfastly gazed at the beautiful reposeful form, at 
 the calm features on which the smile with which death 
 had been received, still lingered — at the folded hands, 
 the fading orange-blossoms — at the crucifix that lay on 
 the cold breast like the final seal on the letter of life. 
 Impulsively he stooped forward, and with a tender awe 
 pressed his lips on the pale forehead, but instantly 
 started back with the smothered exclamation : 
 
 " O God ! how cold ! " 
 
 At the sound of his voice Heliobas rose up erect, and 
 the two men faced each other, Zara's dead bod)' lying 
 like a barrier betwixt them. 
 
 A pause followed — a pause in which I heard my 
 own heart beating loudly, so great was my anxiety. 
 Heliobas suffered a few moments to elapse, then 
 stretched his hand across his sister's bier. 
 
 "In Her name, let there be peace between us, 
 Ivan," he said in accents that were both gentle and 
 solemn. 
 
 292
 
 A STRUGGLE FOR THE MASTERY 
 
 The Prince, touched to the quick, responded to 
 these kindly words with eager promptness, and they 
 clasped hands over the quiet and lovely form that 
 lay there — a silent, binding witness of their recon- 
 ciliation. 
 
 " I have to ask your pardon, Casimir," then 
 whispered Ivan. " I have also to thank you for my 
 life." 
 
 " Thank the friend who stands beside you," returned 
 Heliobas, in the same low tone, with a slight gesture 
 towards me. " She reminded me of a duty in time. 
 As for pardon, I know of no cause of offence on 
 your part save what was perfectly excusable. Say 
 no more; wisdom comes with years, and you are yet 
 young." 
 
 A long silence followed. We all remained looking 
 wistfully down upon the body of our lost darling, in 
 thought too deep for words or weeping. I then noticed 
 that another humble mourner shared our watch — a 
 mourner whose very existence I had nearly forgotten. 
 It was the faithful Leo. He lay couchant on the stone 
 floor at the foot of the bier, almost as silent as a doe of 
 marble; the only sign of animation he gave being a 
 deep sigh which broke from his honest heart now and 
 then. I went to him and softly patted his shaggy coat. 
 He looked up at me with big brown eyes full of tears, 
 licked my hand meekly, and again laid his head down 
 upon his two fore-paws with a resignation that was 
 most pathetic. 
 
 The dawn began to peer faintly through the chapel 
 windows — the dawn of a misty, chilly morning. The 
 storm of the past night had left a sting in the air, and 
 the rain still fell, though gently. The wind had almost 
 entirely sunk into silence. I re-arranged the flowers 
 that were strewn on Zara's corpse, taking away all 
 
 X 293
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 those that had sh"ghtly faded. The orange-blossom 
 
 was almost dead, but I left that where it was — where 
 
 the living Zara had herself placed it. As I performed 
 
 this slight service, I thought, half mournfully, half 
 
 gladly — 
 
 " Yes, Heaven is ihinc, but this 
 
 Is a world of sweets and sours — 
 Our flowers are merely flowers ; 
 And the shadow of thy perfect bliss 
 Is the sunshine of ours.' 
 
 Prince Ivan at last roused himself as from a deep 
 Find melancholy reverie, and, addressing himself to 
 Heliobas, said softly : 
 
 " I will intrude no longer on your privacy, Casimir, 
 Farewell ! I shall leave Paris to-nii/ht." 
 
 For all answer Heliobas beckoned him and me also 
 out of the chapel. As soon as its doors closed behind 
 us, and we stood in the centre hall, he spoke with 
 affectionate and grave earnestness : 
 
 " Ivan, something tells me that you and I shall not 
 meet again for many years, if ever. Therefore, when 
 you say ^fareivell,' the word falls upon my ears with 
 double meaning. We are friends — our friendship is 
 sanctified by the dead presence of one whom we both 
 loved, in different ways; therefore you will take in good 
 part what I now say to you. You know, — you cannot 
 disguise from yourself that the science I study is 
 fraught with terrible truth and marvellous discoveries ; 
 the theories I deduce from it you disbelieve, because 
 you are nearly a materialist. I say nearly — not quite. 
 That ' not quite ' makes me love you, Ivan : I would 
 save the small bright spark that flickers within you 
 from both escape and extinction. But I cannot — at 
 least, not as yet. Still, in order that you may know 
 that there is a power in me higher than ordinary human 
 
 294
 
 A STRUGGLE FOR THE MASTERY 
 
 reason, before you go from me to-night hear my 
 prophecy of your career. The world waits for you, 
 Ivan — the world, all agape and glittering with a 
 thousand sparkling toys ; it waits, greedy for your 
 presence, ready to fawn upon you for a smile, willing to 
 cringe to you for a nod of approval. And why? 
 Because wealth is yours — vast, illimitable wealth. Aye 
 • — you need not start or look incredulous — you will find 
 it as I say. You, whose fortune up to now has barely 
 reached a poor four thousand per annum — you are at 
 this moment the possessor of millions. Only last night 
 a relative of yours, whose name you scarcely know, 
 expired, leaving all his hoarded treasures to you. 
 Before the close of this present day, on whose threshold 
 we now stand, you will have the news. When you 
 receive it remember me, and acknowledge that at least 
 for once I knew and spoke the truth. Follow the 
 broad road, Ivan, laid out before you — a road wide 
 enough not only for you to walk in, but for the crowd 
 of toadies and flatterers also, who will push on swiftly 
 after you and jostle you on all sides ; be strong of heart 
 and merry of countenance ! Gather the roses ; press 
 the luscious grapes into warm red wine, that, as you 
 quaff it, shall make your blood dance a mad waltz in 
 your veins, and fair women's faces shall seem fairer to 
 you than ever, their embraces more tender, their kisses 
 more tempting ! Spin the ball of Society like a toy in 
 the palm of your hand ! I see your life stretching 
 before me like a brilliant, thread-like ephemeral ray of 
 light 1 But in the far distance across it looms a shadow 
 — a shadow that your power alone can never lift. 
 Mark me, Ivan ! When the first dread chill of that 
 shadow makes itself felt, come to me — I shall yet be 
 living. Come ; for then no wealth can aid you — at that 
 dark hour no boon companions can comfort. Come ; 
 
 295
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 and by our friendship so lately sworn — by Zara's pure 
 soul — by God's existence, I will not die till I have 
 changed that darkness over you into light eternal ! — 
 Fare you well ! " 
 
 He caught the Prince's hand, and wrung it hard ; then, 
 without further word, look, or gesture, turned and 
 disappeared again within the chapel. 
 
 His words had evidently made a deep impression on 
 the young nobleman, who gazed after his retreating 
 figure with a certain awe not un mingled with fear. 
 
 I held out my hand in silent farewell. Ivan took it 
 gently, and kissed it with graceful courtesy. 
 
 " Casimir told me that your intercession saved my 
 life, mademoiselle," he said. " Accept my poor thanks. 
 If his present prophet-like utterances be true " 
 
 " Why should you doubt him ? " I asked, with some 
 impatience. " Can you believe in nothing?'' 
 
 The Prince, still holding my hand, looked at me in a 
 sort of grave perplexity. 
 
 " I think you have hit it," he observed quietly. " I 
 doubt everything except the fact of my own existence, 
 and there are times when I am not even sure of that. 
 But if, as I said before, the prophecy of my Chaldean 
 friend, whom I cannot help admiring with all my 
 heart, turns out to be correct, then my life is more 
 valuable to me than ever with such wealth to balance 
 it, and I thank you doubly for having saved it by a 
 word in time." 
 
 I withdrew my hand gently from his. 
 
 "You think the worth of your life increased by 
 wealth?" I asked. 
 
 " Naturally ! Money is power." 
 
 " And what of the shadow also foretold as inseparable 
 from your fate ? " 
 
 A fp'nt smile crossed his features. 
 
 296
 
 A STRUGGLE FOR THE MASTERY 
 
 "Ah, pardon me! That is the only portion ot 
 Casimir's fortune-telHng that I am indined to disbelieve 
 thoroughly." 
 
 " But," I said, " if you are willing to accept the 
 pleasant part of his prophecy, why not admit the 
 possibility of the unpleasant occurring also?" 
 
 He shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 " In these enlightened times, mademoiselle, we only 
 believe what is agreeable to us, and what suits our own 
 wishes, tastes, and opinions, fa va sans dire. We 
 cannot be forced to accept a Deity against our reason. 
 That is a grand result of modern education." 
 
 "Is it?" and I looked at him with pity. "Poor 
 human reason ! It will reel into madness sometimes 
 for a mere trifle — an overdose of alcohol will sometimes 
 upset it altogether — what a noble omnipotent thing is 
 human reason ! But let me not detain you. Good-bye, 
 and — as the greeting of olden times used to run — God 
 save you ! " 
 
 He bent his head with a light reverence. 
 
 " I believe you to be a good, sweet woman," he said, 
 " therefore I am grateful for your blessing. My mother," 
 and here his eyes grew dreamy and wistful — " poor soul ! 
 she died long ago — my mother would never let me 
 retire to rest without signing the cross on my brow. 
 Ah well, that is past ! I should like, mademoiselle," and 
 his voice sank very low, " to send some flowers for — her 
 — you understand ? " 
 
 I did understand, and readily promised to lay what- 
 ever blossoms he selected tenderly above the sacred 
 remains of that earthly beauty he had loved, as he 
 himself said, " more than most men love most women." 
 
 He thanked me earnestly, and seemed relieved and 
 satisfied. Casting a look of farewell around the familiar 
 hall, he wafted a parting kiss towards the chapel — an 
 
 297
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 action which, though light, was full of tenderness and 
 regret. Then, with a low salute, he left me. The street- 
 door opened and closed after him in its usual noiseless 
 manner. Me was gone. 
 
 The morning had now fairly dawned, and within the 
 H6tel Mars the work of the great mansion went on in 
 its usual routine ; but a sombre melancholy was in the 
 atmosphere — a melancholy that not all my best efforts 
 could dissipate. The domestics looked sullen and 
 heavy-eyed ; the only ones in their number who pre- 
 served their usual equanimity were the Armenian men- 
 servants and the little Greek page. Preparations for 
 Zara's funeral went on apace ; they were exceedingly 
 simple, and the ceremony was to be quite private in 
 character. Ileliobas issued his orders, and saw to the 
 carrying out of his most minute instruction in his usual 
 calm manner ; but his eyes looked heavy, and his fine 
 countenance was rendered even more majestic by the 
 sacred, resigned sorrow that lay upon it like a deep 
 shadow. His page served him with breakfast in his 
 private room ; but he left the light meal untasted. One 
 of the women brought mc coffee ; but the very thought 
 of eating and drinking seemed repulsive, and I could not 
 touch anything. My mind was busy with the considera- 
 tion of the duty I had to perform — namely, to see the 
 destruction of Zara's colossal statue, as she had requested. 
 After thinking about it for some time, I went to I leliobas 
 and told him what I had it in charge to do. He listened 
 attentively. 
 
 " Do it at once," he said decisively. " Take my 
 Armenians ; they are discreet, obedient, and they ask 
 no questions — with strong hammers they w^ill soon 
 crush the clay. Stay ! I will come with you." Then 
 looking at me scrutinisingly, he added kindly: "You 
 have eaten nothing, my child? You cannot? But 
 
 298
 
 A STRUGGLE FOR THE MASTERY 
 
 your strength will give way — here, take this." And he 
 held out a small glass of a fluid whose revivifying 
 properties 1 well knew to be greater than any sustenance 
 provided by an ordinary meal. I swallowed it obedi- 
 ently, and as I returned the empty glass to him he 
 said : " 1 also have a commission in charge from 
 Zara. You know, I suppose, that she was prepared for 
 her death ? " 
 
 " I did not know ; but I think she must have been," 
 I answered. 
 
 " She was. We both were. We remained together 
 in the chapel all day, saying what parting words we had 
 to say to one another. We knew her death, or rather 
 her release, was to occur at some hour that night ; but 
 in what way the end was destined to come, we knew 
 not. Till I heard the first peals of thunder, I was in 
 suspense ; but after that 1 was no longer uncertain. 
 You were a witness of the whole ensuing scene. No 
 death could have been more painless than hers. But 
 let me not forget the message she gave me for you." 
 Here he took from a secret drawer the electric stone 
 Zara had always worn. " This jewel is yours," he said. 
 " You need not fear to accept it — it contains no harm ; 
 it will bring you no ill-fortune. You see how all the 
 sparkling brilliancy has gone out of it? Wear it, and 
 within a few minutes it will be as lustrous as ever. 
 The life throbbing in your veins warms the electricity 
 contained in it ; and with the flowing of your blood, 
 its hues change and glow. It has no power to attract ; 
 it can simply absorb and shine. Take it as a re- 
 membrance of her who loved you and who loves you 
 still." 
 
 I was still in my evening dress, and my neck was 
 bare. I slipped the chain, on which hung the stone, 
 round my throat, and watched the strange gem with 
 
 299
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 some curiosity. In a few seconds a pale streak of 
 fiery topaz flashed through it, which deepened and 
 glowed into a warm crimson, like the heart of a red 
 rose; and by the time it had become thoroughly 
 warmed against my flesh, it glittered as brilliantly as 
 ever. 
 
 "I will always wear it," I said earnestly. "I believe 
 it will bring me good fortune." 
 
 " I believe it will," returned Heliobas simply. " And 
 now let us fulfil Zara's other commands." 
 
 On our way across the hall wc were stopped by the 
 page, who brought us a message of inquiry after Zara's 
 health from Colonel Everard and his wife, and also 
 from the Challoners. Heliobas hastily wrote a few 
 brief words in pencil, explaining the fatal result of the 
 accident, and returned it to the messenger, giving orders 
 at the same time that all the blinds should be pulled 
 down at the windows of the house, that visitors might 
 understand there was no admittance. We then pro- 
 ceeded to the studio, accompanied by the Armenians 
 carrying heavy hammers. Reverently, and with my 
 mind full of recollections of Zara's living presence, I 
 opened the familiar door. The first thing that greeted 
 us was a most exquisitely wrought statue in white 
 marble of Zara herself, full length, and arrayed in her 
 customary graceful Eastern costume. The head was 
 slightly raised ; a look of gladness lighted up the 
 beautiful features ; and within the loosely clasped hands 
 was a cluster of roses. Round the pedestal were carved 
 the words, "Omnia vincit Amor," with Zara's name 
 and the dates of her birth and death. A little slip of 
 paper lay at the foot of the statue, which Heliobas 
 perceived, and taking it, he read and passed it to 
 me. The lines were in Zara's handwriting, and ran as 
 follows : 
 
 300
 
 A STRUGGLE FOR THE MASTERY 
 
 "To my beloved Casimir — my brother, my friend, 
 my guide and teacher, to whom I owe the supreme 
 happiness of my Hfe in this world and the next — let 
 this poor figure of his grateful Zara be a memento of 
 happy days that are gone, only to be renewed with 
 redoubled happiness hereafter," 
 
 I handed back the paper silently, with tears in my 
 eyes, and we turned our attention to the colossal figure 
 we had come to destroy. It stood at the extreme end 
 of the studio, and was entirely hidden by white linen 
 drapery. Heliobas advanced, and by a sudden dexter- 
 ous movement succeeded in drawing off the coverings 
 with a single effort, and then we both fell back and 
 gazed at the clay form disclosed in amazement. What 
 did it represent? A man? a god? an angel? or all 
 three united in one vast Figure ? 
 
 It was an unfinished work. The features of the face 
 were undeclared, save the brow and eyes ; and these 
 were large, grand, and full of absolute wisdom and 
 tranquil consciousness of power. I could have gazed 
 on this wonderful piece of Zara's handiwork for hours, 
 but Heliobas called to the Armenian servants, who 
 stood near the door awaiting orders, and commanded 
 them to break it down. For once these well-trained 
 domestics showed signs of surprise, and hesitated. 
 Their master frowned. Snatching a hammer from one 
 of them, he himself attacked the great statue as if it 
 were a personal foe. The Armenians, seeing he was in 
 earnest, returned to their usual habits of passive 
 obedience, and aided him in his labour. Within a few 
 minutes the great and beautiful figure lay in fragments 
 on the floor, and these fragments were soon crushed 
 into indistinguishable atoms. I had promised to witness 
 this work of destruction, and witness it I did, but it was 
 
 301
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 with pain and regret. When all was finished, Heliobas 
 commanded his men to carry the statue of Zara's self 
 down to his own private room, and then to summon all 
 the domestics of the household in a body to the great 
 hall, as he wished to address them. I heard him give 
 this order with some surprise, and he saw it. As the 
 Armenians slowly disappeared, carrying with great care 
 the marble figure of their late mistress, he turned to 
 me, as he locked up the door of the studio, and said 
 quietly : 
 
 " These ignorant folk, who serve me for money and 
 food — money that they have eagerly taken, and food 
 that they have greedily devoured — they think that I am 
 the devil or one of the devil's agents, and I am going to 
 prove their theories entirely to their satisfaction. Come 
 and see ! " 
 
 1 followed him, somewhat mystified. On the way 
 downstairs he said : 
 
 " Do you know why Zara wished that statue 
 destroyed ? " 
 
 " No," I said frankly ; " unless for the reason that it 
 was incomplete." 
 
 "It always would have been incomplete," returned 
 Heliobas ; "even had she lived to work at it for years. 
 It was a daring attempt, and a fruitless one. She was 
 trying to make a clay figure of one who never wore 
 earthly form — the Being who is her Twin-Soul, who 
 dominates her entirely, and who is with her now. As 
 well might she have tried to represent in white marble 
 the prismatic hues of the rainbow ! " 
 
 We had now reached the hall, and the servants 
 were assembling by twos and threes. They glanced at 
 their master with looks of awe, as he took up a com- 
 manding position near the fountain, and faced them 
 with a glance of calm scrutiny and attention. I drew a 
 
 302
 
 A STRUGGLE FOR THE MASTERY 
 
 chair behind one of the marble columns and seated 
 myself, watching everything with interest. Leo appeared 
 from some corner or other, and laid his rough body 
 down close to his master's feet. 
 
 In a few minutes all the domestics, some twenty in 
 number, were present, and Heliobas, raising his voice^ 
 spoke with a clear deliberate enunciation : 
 
 " I have sent for you all this morning, because I am 
 perfectly aware that you have all determined to give me 
 notice." 
 
 A stir of astonishment and dismay ensued on the 
 part of the small audience, and I heard one voice near 
 me whisper: 
 
 " He is the devil, or how could he have known it ? " 
 
 The lips of Heliobas curled in a fine sarcastic smile. 
 He went on : 
 
 " I spare you this trouble. Knowing your intentions, 
 I take upon myself to dismiss you at once. Naturally, 
 you cannot risk your characters by remaining in the 
 service of the devil. For my own part, I wonder the 
 devil's money has not burnt your hands, or his food 
 turned to poison in your mouths. My sister, — your kind 
 and ever-indulgent mistress, — is dead. You know this, 
 and it is your opinion that I summoned up the thunder- 
 storm which caused her death. Be it so. Report it so, 
 if you will, through Paris ; your words do not affect me. 
 You have been excellent machines, and for your services 
 many thanks ! As soon as my sister's funeral is over, 
 your wages, with an additional present, will be sent to 
 you. You can then leave my house when you please ; 
 and, contrary to the usual custom of accepted devils, I 
 am able to say, without perishing in the eiTort — God 
 speed you all 1 " 
 
 The faces of those he addressed exhibited various 
 emotions while he spoke — fear contending with a good 
 
 303
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 deal of shame. The little Greek page stepped forward 
 timidly. 
 
 " The master knows that I will never leave him," he 
 murmured, and his large eyes were moist with tears. 
 
 Heliobas laid a gentle hand on the boy's dark curls, 
 but said nothing. One of the four Armenians advanced, 
 and with a graceful rapid gesture of his right hand, 
 touched his head and breast. 
 
 " My lord will not surely dismiss us who desire to 
 devote ourselves to his service? We arc willing to 
 follow my lord to the death if need be, for the sake of 
 the love and honour we bear him." 
 
 Heliobas looked at him very kindly. 
 
 " I am richer in friends than I thought myself to be," 
 he said quietly. " Stay then, by all means, Afra, you 
 and your companions, since you have desired it. And 
 you, my boy," he went on, addressing the tearful page, 
 "think you that I would turn adrift an orphan, whom a 
 dying mother trusted to my care? Nay, child, I am as 
 much your servant as you are mine, so long as your 
 love turns towards me." 
 
 For all answer the page kissed his hand in a sort of 
 rapture, and flinging back his clustering hair from his 
 classic brows, surveyed the domestics, who had taken 
 their dismissal in silent acquiescence, with a pretty 
 scorn. 
 
 " Go, all of you, scum of Paris ! " he cried in his clear 
 treble tones — " you who know neither God nor devil ! 
 You will have your money — more than your share — 
 what else seek you ? You have served one of the 
 noblest of men ; and because he is so great and wise 
 and true, you judge him a fiend ! Oh, so like the 
 people of Paris — they who pervert all things till they 
 think good evil and evil good ! Look you ! you have 
 worked for your wages ; but I have worked for Jiim — I 
 
 304
 
 A STRUGGLE FOR THE MASTERY 
 
 would starve with him, I would die for him ! For to 
 me he is not fiend, but Angel ! " 
 
 Overcome by his own feelings the boy again kissed 
 his master's hand, and Heliobas gently bade him be 
 silent. He himself looked round on the still motionless 
 group of servants with an air of calm surprise. 
 
 " What are you waiting for ? " he asked. " Consider 
 yourselves dismissed, and at liberty to go where you 
 please. Any one of you that chooses to apply to me 
 for a character shall not lack the suitable recommenda- 
 tion. There is no more to say." 
 
 A lively-looking woman with quick restless black 
 eyes stepped forward. 
 
 " I am sure," she said, with a mincing curtsey, " that 
 we are very sorry if we have unintentionally wronged 
 monsieur ; but monsieur, who is aware of so many 
 things, must know that many reports are circulated 
 about monsieur that make one to shudder ; that madame 
 his sister's death so lamentable has given to all, what 
 one would say, the horrors ; and monsieur must consider 
 that poor servants of virtuous reputation " 
 
 " So, Jeanne Claudet ! " interrupted Heliobas, in a 
 thrilling low tone. " And what of the child — the little 
 waxen-faced helpless babe left to die on the banks of 
 the Loire ? But it did not die, Jeanne — it was rescued ; 
 and it shall yet live to loathe its mother ! " 
 
 The woman uttered a shriek, and fainted. 
 
 In the feminine confusion and fuss that ensued, 
 Heliobas, accompanied by his little page and the dog 
 Leo, left the hall and entered his own private room, 
 where for some time I left him undisturbed. 
 
 In the early part of the afternoon a note was brought 
 to me. It was from Colonel Everard, entreating me 
 to come as soon as possible to his wife, who was 
 very ill. 
 
 305
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 " Since she heard of the death of that beautiful young 
 lady, a death so fearfully sudden and unexpected," 
 wrote the Colonel, "she has been quite unlike herself — 
 nervous, hysterical, and thoroughly unstrung. It will 
 be a real kindness to her if you will come as soon 
 as }'ou can — she has such a strong desire for your 
 company." 
 
 I showed this note at once to Ileliobas. He read it, 
 and said : 
 
 " Of course you must go. Wait till our simple funeral 
 ceremony is over, and then — we part. Not for ever ; I 
 shall see you often again. For now I have lost Zara, 
 you are my only female disciple, and I shall not 
 willingly lose sight of you. You will correspond with 
 me?" 
 
 " Gladly and gratefully," I replied. 
 
 "You shall not lose by it. I can initiate you into 
 many secrets that will be useful to you in your career. 
 As for your friend I\Irs. Everard, you will find that your 
 presence will cure her. You have progressed greatly in 
 electric force ; the mere touch of your hand will soothe 
 her, as you will find. I5ut never be tempted to try any 
 of the fluids of which you have the recipes on her, or on 
 anybody but j'ourself, unless you write to me first about 
 it, as Cellini did when he tried an experiment on you. 
 As for your own bodily and spiritual health, you know 
 thoroughly what to do — keep the secret ; and make a step 
 in advance every day. By and by you will have double 
 work." 
 
 " How so ? " I asked. 
 
 "In Zara's case, her soul became dominated by a 
 Spirit whose destiny was fulfilled and perfect, and who 
 never could descend to imprisonment in earthly clay. 
 Now, you will not be dominated — you will be simply 
 equalized; that is, you will find the exact counterpart 
 
 306
 
 A STRUGGLE FOR THE MASTERY 
 
 of your own soul dwelling also in human form, and you 
 will have to impart your own force to that other soul, 
 which will, in its turn, impart to yours a corresponding 
 electric impetus. There is no union so lovely as such 
 an one — no harmony so exquisite ; it is like a perfect 
 chord, complete and indissoluble. There are sevenths 
 and ninths in music, beautiful and effective in their 
 degrees ; but perhaps none of them are so absolutely 
 satisfying to the ear as the perfect chord. And this is 
 your lot in life and in love, my child — be grateful for it 
 night and morning on your bended knees before the 
 Giver of all good. And walk warily — your own soul 
 with that other shall need much higher thought and 
 humble prayer. Aim onward and upward — you know 
 the road — you also know, and you have partly seen, 
 what awaits you at the end." 
 
 After this conversation we spoke no more in private 
 together. The rest of the afternoon was entirely 
 occupied with the final preparations for Zara's funeral, 
 which was to take place at Pere-la-Chaise early the 
 next morning. A large and beautiful wreath of white 
 roses, lilies, and maiden-hair arrived from Prince Ivan ; 
 and, remembering my promise to him, I went myself 
 to lay it in a conspicuous place on Zara's corpse. That 
 fair body was now laid in its coffin of polished oak, and 
 a delicate veil of filmy lace draped it from head to foot. 
 The placid expression of the features remained un- 
 changed, save for a little extra rigidity of the flesh; 
 the hands, folded over the crucifix^ were stiff, and looked 
 as though they were moulded in wax. I placed the 
 wreath in position and paused, looking wistfully at that 
 still and solemn figure. Father Paul, slowly entering 
 from a side door, came and stood beside me. 
 
 " She is happy ! " he said ; and a cheerful expression 
 irradiated his venerable features. 
 
 307
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 " Did }'oii also know she would die that night ? " 1 
 asked softly. 
 
 " Her brother sent for me, and told me of her expected 
 dissolution. She herself told me, and made her last 
 confession and communion. Therefore I was prepared." 
 
 " But did }'ou not doubt — were you not inclined to 
 think they might be wrong?" I inquired, with some 
 astonishment, 
 
 " I knew Heliobas as a child," the priest returned. 
 " I knew his father and mother before him ; and I have 
 been always perfectly aware of the immense extent of 
 his knowledge, and the value of his discoveries. If I 
 were inclined to be sceptical on spiritual matters, I 
 should not be of the race I am ; for I am also a 
 Chaldean." 
 
 I said no more, and Father Paul trimmed the tapers 
 burning round the coffin in devout silence. Again I 
 looked at the fair dead form before me ; but somehow I 
 could not feel sad again. All my impulses bade me 
 rejoice. Why should I be unhappy on Zara's account ? 
 — more especially when the glories of the Central 
 Sphere were yet fresh in my memory, and when I knew 
 as a positive fact that her happiness was now perfect. 
 I left the chapel with a light step and lighter heart, and 
 went to my own room to pack up my things that all 
 might be in readiness for m)' departure on the morrow. 
 On my table I found a volume whose quaint binding I 
 at once recognised — " The Letters of a Dead Musician." 
 A card lay beside it, on which was written in pencil : 
 
 " Knowing of your wish to possess this book, I here- 
 with offer it for }'our acceptance. It teaches }-ou a 
 cheerful devotion to Art, and an indifference to the 
 world's opinions — both of which are necessary to you 
 in your career. — IlELlOBAS." 
 
 308
 
 A STRUGGLE FOR THE MASTERY 
 
 Delighted with this gift, I opened the book, and found 
 my name written on the fly-leaf, with the date of the 
 month and year, and the words : 
 
 " La musica e il lamento dell' amove o la prcghiera a 
 gh Dei!' (Music is the lament of love, or a prayer to 
 the Gods.) 
 
 I placed this treasure carefully in the corner of my 
 portmanteau, together with the parchment scrolls con- 
 taining " The Electric Principle of Christianity," and 
 the valuable recipes of Heliobas ; and as I did so, I 
 caught sight of myself in the long mirror that directly 
 faced me. I was fascinated, not by my own reflection, 
 but by the glitter of the electric gem I wore. It flashed 
 and glowed like a star, and was really lovely — far more 
 brilliant than the most brilliant cluster of fine diamonds. 
 I may here remark that I have been asked many 
 questions concerning this curious ornament whenever 
 1 have worn it in public, and the general impression has 
 been that it is some new arrangement of ornamental 
 electricity. It is, however, nothing of the kind ; it is 
 simply a clear pebble, common enough on the shores 
 of tropical countries, which has the property of absorb- 
 ing a small portion of the electricity in a human body, 
 sufficient to make it shine with prismatic and powerful 
 lustre — a property which has only as yet been dis- 
 covered by Heliobas, who asserts that the same capa- 
 bility exists in many other apparently lustreless stones 
 which have been untried, and are therefore unknown. 
 The "healing-stones," or amulets, still in use in the 
 East, and also in the remote parts of the Highlands (see 
 notes to Archibald Clerk's translation of Ossian), are 
 also electric, but in a different way — they have the 
 property of absorbing disease and destroying it in certain 
 cases ; and these, after being worn a suitable length of 
 time, naturally exhaust what virtue they originally pos- 
 
 Y 309
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 sessed, and are no longer of any use. Stone amulets are 
 considered nowadays as a mere superstition of the vulgar 
 and uneducated ; but it must be remembered that super- 
 stition itself has always had for its foundation some 
 grain, however small and remote, of fact. I could give 
 a very curious explanation of the formation of orchids, 
 those strange plants called sometimes " Freaks of 
 Nature," as if Nature ever indulged in a "freak" of 
 any kind ! But I have neither time nor space to enter 
 upon the subject now ; indeed, if I were once to begin 
 to describe the wonderful, amazing and beautiful vistas 
 of knowledge that the wise Chaldean, who is still my 
 friend and guide, has opened up and continues to ex- 
 tend before my admiring vision, a work of twenty 
 volumes would scarce contain all I should have to say. 
 But I have written this book merely to tell those who 
 peruse it, about Heliobas, and what I myself experi- 
 enced in his house ; beyond this I may not go. For, as 
 I observed in my Introduction, I am perfectly aware 
 that few, if any, of my readers will accept my narrative 
 as more than a mere visionary romance — or that they 
 will admit the mysteries of life, death, eternity, and all 
 the wonders of the Universe to be simply the natural 
 and scientific outcome of a Ring of Everlasting Electric 
 Heat and Light ; but whether they agree to it or no, I 
 can say with Galileo, '^ E pur si muoveJ" 
 
 310
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 CONCLUSION 
 
 It was a very simple and quiet procession that moved 
 next day from the Hotel Mars to Pere-la-Chaise. Zara's 
 coffin was carried in an open hearse, and was covered 
 with a pall of rich white velvet, on which lay a royal 
 profusion of flowers — Ivan's wreath, and a magnificent 
 cross of lilies sent by tender-hearted Mrs. Challoner, 
 being most conspicuous among them. The only thing 
 a little unusual about it was that the funeral car was 
 drawn by two stately white horses ; and Heliobas told 
 me this had been ordered at Zara's special request, 
 as she thought the solemn pacing through the streets 
 of dismal black steeds had a depressing effect on the 
 passers-by. 
 
 " And why," she had said, " should anybody be sad, 
 when / in reality am so thoroughly happy ? " 
 
 Prince Ivan Petroffsky had left Paris, but his carriage, 
 drawn by two prancing Russian steeds, followed the 
 hearse at a respectful distance, as also the carriages of 
 Dr. Morini and some other private persons known to 
 Heliobas. A few people attended it on foot, and these 
 were chiefly from among the very poor, some of whom 
 had benefited by Zara's charity or her brother's medical 
 skill, and had heard of the calamity through rumour, or 
 through the columns of the Figaro, where it was re- 
 ported with graphic brevity. The weather was still 
 
 311
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 misty, and the fiery sun seemed to shine through tears 
 as Father Paul, with his assistants, read in solemn yet 
 cheerful tones the service for the dead according to the 
 Catholic ritual. One of the chief mourners at the grave 
 was the faithful Leo ; who, without obtruding himself 
 in anyone's way, sat at a little distance, and seemed, by 
 the confiding look with which he turned his eyes upon 
 his master, to thoroughly understand that he must 
 henceforth devote his life entirely to him alone. The 
 coffin was lowered, the " Requiem aeternam " spoken — 
 all was over. Those assembled shook hands quietly 
 with Heliobas, saluted each other, and gradually dis- 
 persed. I entered a carriage and drove back to the 
 Hotel Mars, leaving Heliobas in the cemetery to give 
 his final instructions for the ornamentation and decora- 
 tion of his sister's grave. 
 
 The little page served me with some luncheon in my 
 own apartment, and by the time all was ready for my 
 departure, Heliobas returned. I went down to him in 
 his study, and found him sitting pensively in his arm- 
 chair, absorbed in thought. He looked sad and solitary, 
 and my whole heart went out to him in gratitude and 
 sympathy. I knelt beside him as a daughter might 
 have done, and softly kissed his hand. He started as 
 though awakened suddenly from sleep, and seeing me, 
 his eyes softened, and he smiled gravely. 
 
 "Are you come to say 'Good-bye,' my child?" he 
 asked, in a kind tone. "Well!— your mission here is 
 ended ! " 
 
 " Had I any mission at all," I replied, with a grateful 
 look, " save the very selfish one which was comprised in 
 the natural desire to be restored to health? " 
 
 Heliobas surveyed me for a few moments in silence. 
 
 "Were I to tell you," he said at last, "by what 
 mystical authority and influence you were compelled 
 
 312
 
 CONCLUSION 
 
 to come here, by what a marvellously linked chain of 
 circumstances you became known to me long before I 
 saw you ; how I was made aware that you were the 
 only woman living to whose companionship I could 
 trust my sister at a time when the society of one of her 
 own sex became absolutely necessary to her ; how you 
 were marked out to me as a small point of light by 
 which possibly I might steer my course clear of the 
 darkness which threatened me — I say, were I to tell you 
 all this, you would no longer doubt the urgent need of 
 your presence here. It is, however, enough to tell you 
 that you have fulfilled all that was expected of you, even 
 beyond my best hopes ; and in return for your services, 
 the worth of which you cannot realize, whatever guid- 
 ance I can give you in the future for your physical and 
 spiritual life, is yours. I have done something for you, 
 but not much — I will do more. Only, in communicat- 
 ing with me, I ask you to honour me with your full 
 confidence in all matters pertaining to yourself and 
 your surroundings — then I shall not be liable to errors 
 of judgment in the opinions I form or the advice I 
 give." 
 
 " I promise most readily," I replied gladly, for it 
 seemed to me that I was rich in possessing as a 
 friend and counsellor such a man as this student of the 
 loftiest sciences. 
 
 " And now one thing more," he resumed, opening 
 a drawer in the table near which he sat. " Here is a 
 pencil for you to write your letters to me with. It 
 will last about ten years, and at the expiration of 
 that time you can have another. Write with it on 
 any paper, and the marks will be like those of an 
 ordinary drawing-pencil ; but as fast as they are written 
 they disappear. Trouble not about this circumstance 
 — write all you have to say, and when you have 
 
 313
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 finished your letter your closely covered pages shall 
 seem blank. Therefore, were the eye of a stranger to 
 look at them, nothing could be learned therefrom. 
 But when they reach me, I can make the writing 
 appear and stand out on these apparently unsullied 
 pages as distinctly as though your words had been 
 printed. My letters to you will also, when you receive 
 them, appear blank ; but you will only have to press 
 them for about ten minutes in this" — and he handed 
 me what looked like an ordinary blotting-book — "and 
 they will be perfectly legible. Cellini has these little 
 writing implements ; he uses them whenever the 
 distances are too great for us to amuse ourselves with 
 the sagacity of Leo — in fact, the journeys of that 
 faithful animal have principally been to keep him in 
 training." 
 
 " But," I said, as I took the pencil and book from his 
 hand, " why do you not make these convenient writing 
 materials public property ? They would be so useful." 
 
 " Why should I build up a fortune for some needy 
 stationer?" he asked, with a half-smile. "Besides, 
 they are not new things. They were known to the 
 ancients, and many secret letters, laws, histories, and 
 poems were written with instruments such as these. 
 In an old library, destroyed more than two centuries 
 ago, there was a goodly pile of apparently blank parch- 
 ment. Had I lived then and known what I know 
 now, I could have made the white pages declare their 
 mystery." 
 
 " Has this also to do with electricity? " I asked. 
 " Certainly — with what is called vegetable electricity. 
 There is not a plant or herb in existence, but has 
 almost a miracle hidden away in its tiny cup or 
 spreading leaves — do you doubt it ? " 
 
 " Not I ! " I answered quickly. " I doubt nothing!' 
 
 3H
 
 CONCLUSION 
 
 Heliobas smiled gravely. 
 
 " You are right ! " he said. " Doubt is the destroyer 
 of beauty — the poison in the sweet cup of existence — 
 the curse which mankind have brought on themselves. 
 Avoid it as you would the plague. Believe in any- 
 thing or everything miraculous and glorious — the 
 utmost reach of your faith can with difficulty grasp 
 the majestic reality and perfection of everything you 
 can see, desire, or imagine. Mistrust that volatile 
 thing called Human Reason, which is merely a name 
 for whatever opinion we happen to adopt for the 
 time — it is a thing which totters on its throne in a 
 fit of rage or despair — there is nothing infinite about 
 it. Guide yourself by the delicate Spiritual Instinct 
 within you, which tells you that with God all things 
 are possible, save that He cannot destroy Himself 
 or lessen by one spark the fiery brilliancy of His 
 ever-widening circle of productive Intelligence. But 
 make no attempt to convert the world to your way 
 of thinking — it would be mere waste of time." 
 
 " May I never try to instruct anyone in these 
 things ? " I asked. 
 
 " You can try, if you choose ; but you will find most 
 human beings like the herd of swine in the Gospel, 
 possessed by devils that drive them headlong into the 
 sea. You know, for instance, that angels and aerial 
 spirits actually exist; but were you to assert your 
 belief in them, philosophers (so-called) would scout 
 your theories as absurd, — though their idea of a lonely 
 God, who yet is Love, is the very acme of absurdity. 
 For Love must have somewhat to love, and must create 
 the beauty and happiness round itself and the things 
 beloved. But why point out these simple things to 
 those who have no desire to see? Be content, child, 
 that jj'<??^ have been deemed worthy of instruction — it is 
 
 315
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 a higher fate for you than if you had been made a 
 Queen." 
 
 The little page now entered, and told me that the 
 carriage was at the door in waiting. As he disappeared 
 again after delivering this message, Heliobas rose from 
 his chair, and taking my two hands in his, pressed them 
 kindly. 
 
 " One word more, little friend, on the subject of your 
 career. I think the time will come when you will feel 
 that music is almost too sacred a thing to be given 
 away for money to a careless and promiscuous public. 
 However this may be, remember that scarce one of the 
 self-styled artists who cater for the crowd deserves to 
 be called Musician in the highest sense of the word. 
 Most of them seek not music, but money and applause ; 
 and therefore the art they profess is degraded by them 
 into a mere trade. But you, when you play in public, 
 must forget that persons with little vanities and lesser 
 opinions exist. Think of what you saw in your journey 
 with Azul ; and by a strong effort of your will, you 
 can, if you choose, compel certain harmonies to sound 
 in your ears — fragments of what is common breathing 
 air to the Children of the Ring, some of whom you 
 saw — and you will be able to reproduce them in 
 part, if not in entirety. But if you once admit a 
 thought of Self to enter your brain, those aiirial sounds 
 will be silenced instantly. By this means, too, you 
 can judge who are the true disciples of Music in this 
 world— those who, like Schubert and Chopin, suffered 
 the heaven-born melodies to descend through thera as 
 though they were mere conductors of sound ; or those 
 who, feebly imitating other composers, measure out 
 crotchets and quavers by rule and line, and flood the 
 world with inane and perishable, and therefore useless, 
 productions. And now, — farewell 1 " 
 
 316
 
 CONCLUSION 
 
 " Do you remain in Paris ? " I asked. 
 
 " For a few days only. I shall go to Egypt, and 
 in travelling accustom myself to the solitude in which 
 I must dwell, now Zara has left me." 
 
 " You have Azul," I ventured to remark. 
 
 " Ah ! but how often do I see her ? Only when my 
 soul for an instant is clear from all earthly and gross 
 obstruction ; and how seldom I can attain to this result 
 while weighted with my body ! But she is near me — 
 that I know — faithful as the star to the mariner's 
 compass ! " 
 
 He raised his head as he spoke, and his eyes flashed. 
 Never had I seen him look more noble or kingly. 
 The inspired radiance of his face softened down into 
 his usual expression of gentleness and courtesy, and 
 he said, offering me his arm : 
 
 " Let me see you to the carriage. You know, it is 
 not an actual parting with us — I intend that we shall 
 meet frequently. For instance, the next time we 
 exchange pleasant greetings will be in Italy." 
 
 I suppose I looked surprised ; I certainly felt so, for 
 nothing was further from my thoughts than a visit to 
 Italy. 
 
 Heliobas smiled, and said in a tone that was almost 
 gay: 
 
 " Shall I draw the picture for you ? I see a fair city, 
 deep embowered in hills and sheltered by olive-groves. 
 Over it beams a broad sky, deeply blue ; many soft 
 bells caress the summer air. Away in the Cascine 
 Woods a gay party of people are seated on the velvety 
 moss ; they have mandolines, and they sing for pure 
 gaiety of heart. One of them, a woman with fair hair, 
 arrayed in white, with a red rose at her bosom, is 
 gathering the wild flowers that bloom around her, and 
 weaving them into posies for her companions. A 
 
 1^7
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 stranger, pacing slowly, book in hand, through tne 
 shady avenue, sees her — her eyes meet his. She 
 springs up to greet him ; he takes her hand. The 
 woman is yourself; the stranger no other than your 
 poor friend, who now, for a brief space, takes leave 
 of you ! " 
 
 So rapidly had he drawn up this picture, that the 
 impression made on me was as though a sudden vision 
 had been shown to me in a magic glass. I looked at 
 him earnestly. 
 
 "Then our next meeting will be happy?" I said 
 inquiringly. 
 
 "Of course. Why not? And the next — and the 
 next after that also ! " he answered. 
 
 At this reply, so frankly given, I was relieved, and 
 accompanied him readily through the hall towards the 
 street-door. Leo met us here, and intimated, as plainly 
 as a human being could have done, his w'ish to bid me 
 good-bye. I stooped and kissed his broad head and 
 patted him affectionately, and was rewarded for these 
 attentions by seeing his plume-like tail wave slowly to 
 and fro — a sign of pleasure the poor animal had not 
 betrayed since Zara's departure from the scene of her 
 earthly imprisonment. 
 
 At the door the pretty Greek boy handed me a huge 
 basket of the loveliest flowers. 
 
 " The last from the conservatory," said Heliobas. 
 " I shall need no more of these luxuries." 
 
 As I entered the carriage he placed the flowers beside 
 mc, and again took my hand. 
 
 " Good-bye, my child ! " he said, in earnest and kindly 
 tones. " I have your address, and will write you all my 
 movements. In any trouble, small or great, of your own, 
 send to me for advice without hesitation. I can tell you 
 already that I foresee the time when you will resign 
 
 318
 
 CONCLUSION 
 
 altogether the precarious and unsatisfactoiy life of a 
 mere professional musician. You think no other career 
 would be possible to you ? Well, you will see ! A few 
 months will decide all. Good-bye again ; God bless 
 you!" 
 
 The carriage moved off, and Heliobas stood on the 
 steps of his mansion watching it out of sight. To the 
 last I saw his stately figure erect in the light of the 
 winter sunshine — a figure destined from henceforth to 
 occupy a prominent position in my life and memory. 
 The regret I felt at parting from him was greatly 
 mitigated by the assurance he gave me of our future 
 meeting, a promise which has since been fulfilled, and is 
 likely soon to be fulfilled again. That I have such a 
 friend is an advantageous circumstance for me, for 
 through his guidance I am able to judge accurately of 
 many things occurring in the course of the daily life 
 around me — things which, seemingly trivial, are the 
 hints of serious results to come, which I am thus per- 
 mitted in part to foresee. There is a drawback, of course, 
 and the one bitter drop in the cup of knowledge is, that 
 the more I progress under the tuition of Heliobas, the 
 less am I deceived by graceful appearances. I perceive 
 with almost cruel suddenness the true characters of all 
 those whom I meet. No smile of lip or eye can delude 
 me into accepting mere surface-matter for real depth, 
 and it is intensely painful for me to be forced to behold 
 hypocrisy in the expression of the apparently devout — • 
 sensuality in the face of some radiantly beautiful and 
 popular woman — vice under the mask of virtue — self- 
 interest in the guise of friendship, and spite and malice 
 springing up like a poisonous undergrowth beneath the 
 words of elegant flattery or dainty compliment. I 
 often wish I could throw a rose-coloured mist of 
 illusion over all these things, and still more earnestly do 
 
 319
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 I wish I could in a single instance find myself mistaken. 
 But alas ! the fatal finger of the electric instinct within me 
 points out unerringly the flaw in every human diamond, 
 and writes " Sham " across many a cunningly contrived 
 imitation of intelligence and goodness. Still, the grief 
 I feel at this is counterbalanced in part by the joy with 
 which I quickly recognise real virtue, real nobility, real 
 love ; and when these attributes flash out upon me from 
 the faces of human beings, my own soul warms, and I 
 know I have seen a vision as of angels. The capability 
 of Heliobas to foretell future events proved itself in his 
 knowledge of the fate of the famous English hero, 
 Gordon, long before that brave soldier met his doom. 
 At the time the English Government sent him out on 
 his last fatal mission, a letter from Heliobas to me con- 
 tained the following passage : 
 
 " I see Gordon has chosen his destiny and the 
 manner of his death. Two ways of dying have been 
 offered him — one that is slow, painful, and inglorious ; 
 the other sudden, and therefore sweeter to a man of his 
 temperament. He himself is perfectly aware of the 
 approaching end of his career ; he will receive his 
 release at Khartoum. England will lament over him for 
 a little while, and then he will be declared an inspired 
 madman who rushed recklessly on his own doom ; while 
 those who allowed him to be slain will be voted the 
 wisest, the most just and virtuous in the realm." 
 
 This prophecy was carried out to the letter, as I 
 fully believe certain things of which I am now informed 
 will also be fulfilled. But though there are persons who 
 pin their faith on " Zadkicl," I doubt if there are any 
 who will believe in such a thing as electric divination. 
 The one is mere vulgar imposture, the other is per- 
 
 320
 
 CONCLUSION 
 
 formed on a purely scientific basis in accordance with 
 certain existing rules and principles ; yet I think there 
 can be no question as to which of the two the public 
 en masse is likely to prefer. On the whole, people do 
 not mind being deceived ; they hate being instructed, 
 and the trouble of thinking for themselves is almost too 
 much for them. Therefore " Zadkiel " is certain to 
 flourish for many and many a long day, while the 
 lightning instinct of prophecy dormant in every human 
 being remains unused and utterly forgotten except by 
 the rare few. 
 
 * 
 
 I have little more to say. I feel that those among 
 my readers who idly turn over these pages, expecting 
 to find a " novel " in the true acceptation of the term, 
 may be disappointed. My narrative is simply an 
 " experience ; " but I have no wish to persuade others 
 of the central truth contained in it — namely, the existence 
 of powerful electric orgatis in every human beings which 
 with proper cultivation are capable of marvellous spiritual 
 force. The time is not yet ripe for this fact to be 
 accepted. 
 
 The persons connected with this story may be dis- 
 missed in a few words. When I joined my friend Mrs, 
 Everard, she was suffering from nervous hysteria. My 
 presence had the soothing effect Heliobas had assured 
 me of, and in a very few days we started from Paris in 
 company for England, She, with her amiable and 
 accomplished husband, went back to the States a few 
 months since to claim an immense fortune, which they 
 are now enjoying as most Americans enjoy wealth. 
 Amy has diamonds to her heart's content, and toilettes 
 galore from Worth's ; but she has no children, and from 
 the tone of her letters to me, I fancy she would part 
 
 321
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 with one at least of her valuable necklaces to have a 
 small pair of chubby arms round her neck, and a soft 
 little head nestling against her bosom. 
 
 Raffacllo Cellini still lives and works ; his paintings 
 are among the marvels of modern Italy for their rich- 
 ness and warmth of colour — colour which, in spite of his 
 envious detractors, is destined to last through ages. He 
 is not very rich, for he is one of those who give av/ay 
 their substance to the poor and the distressed ; but 
 where he is known he is universally beloved. None of 
 his pictures have yet been exhibited in England, and he 
 is in no hurry to call upon the London critics for their 
 judgment. He has been asked several times to sell his 
 large picture, " Lords of our Life and Death," but he 
 will not. I have never met him since our intercourse at 
 Cannes, but I hear of him frequently through Heliobas, 
 who has recently forwarded me a proof engraving of the 
 picture " L'Improvisatrice," for which I sat as model. 
 It is a beautiful work of art, but that it is like me I am 
 not vain enough to admit. I keep it, not as a portrait 
 of myself, but as a souvenir of the man through whose 
 introduction I gained the best friend I have. 
 
 News of Prince Ivan Petroffsky reaches me frequently. 
 Pie is the possessor of the immense wealth foretold by 
 Heliobas ; the eyes of Society greedily follow his move- 
 ments ; his name figures conspicuously in the " Fashion- 
 able Intelligence;" and the magnificence of his recent 
 marriage festivities was for some time the talk of the Con- 
 tinent. He has married the only daughter of a PVench 
 Duke — a lovely creature, as soulless and heartless as a 
 dressmaker's stuffed model ; but she carries his jewels 
 well on her white bosom, and receives his guests with 
 as much dignity as a well-trained major-domo. These 
 qualities suffice to satisfy her husband at present ; how 
 long his satisfaction will last is another matter. He 
 
 322
 
 CONCLUSION 
 
 has not quite forgotten Zara ; for on every recurring 
 Jour des Morts, or Feast of the Dead, he sends a garland 
 or cross of flowers to the simple grave in Pere-la- 
 Chaise. Heliobas watches his career with untiring 
 vigilance; nor can I myself avoid taking a certain 
 interest in the progress of his fate. At the moment I 
 write he is one of the most envied and popular noble- 
 men in all the Royal Courts of Europe ; and no one 
 thinks of asking him whether he is happy. He " must" 
 be happy, says the world ; he has everything that is 
 needed to make him so. Everything ? yes — all except 
 one thing, for which he will long when the shadow of 
 the end draws near. 
 
 And now what else remains ? A brief farewell to 
 those who have perused this narrative, or a lingering 
 parting word ? 
 
 In these days of haste and scramble, when there is 
 no time for faith, is there time for sentiment ? I think 
 not. And therefore there shall be none between my 
 readers and me, save this — a friendly warning. Belief 
 — belief in God — belief in all things noble, unworldly, 
 lofty, and beautiful, is rapidly being crushed underfoot 
 by — what ? By mere lust of gain ! Be sure, good 
 people, be very sure that you are right in denying 
 God for the sake of man — in abjuring the spiritual for 
 the material — before you rush recklessly onward ! The 
 end for all of you can be but death ; and are you quite 
 positive after all that there is no Hereafter ? Is it sense 
 to imagine that the immense machinery of the Universe 
 has been set in motion for nothing? Is it even common 
 reason to consider that the Soul of Man, with all its 
 high musings, its dreams of unseen glory, its longings 
 after the Infinite, is a mere useless vapour, or a set of 
 shifting molecules in a perishable brain ? The mere 
 fact of the existence of a desire clearly indicates an 
 
 323
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 equally existing capacity for the gratification of that 
 desire ; therefore, I ask, would the wisJi for a future 
 state of being, which is secretly felt by every one of us, 
 have been permitted to find a place in our natures, ij 
 there were no possible means of gi-anting itl Why all 
 this discontent with the present — why all this universal 
 complaint and despair and world-weariness, if there be 
 no Jiercafter? For my own part, I have told you frankly 
 what I have seen and what I knoiv ; but I do not ask 
 you to believe mc. I only say, IF — if you admit to 
 yourselves the possibility of a future and eternal state 
 of existence, would it not be well for you to inquire 
 seriously how you are preparing for it in these wild 
 days? Look at society around you. and ask your- 
 selves : Whither is our " Progress " tending — Forward 
 or Backward — Upward or Downward? Which way? 
 Fight the problem out ! Do not glance at it casually, 
 or put it away as an unpleasant thought, or a considera- 
 tion involving too much trouble — struggle with it bravely 
 till you resolve it, and whatever the answer may be, 
 abide by it. If it leads you to deny God and the im- 
 mortal destinies of your own souls, and you find here- 
 after, when it is too late, that both God and immortality 
 exist, you have only yourselves to blame. We are the 
 arbiters of our own fate, and that fact is the most 
 important one of our lives. Our WiLL is positively 
 unfettered ; it is a rudder put freely into our hands, 
 and with it we can steer wJierever we choose. God \\\\\ 
 not compel our love or obedience. We must ourselves 
 desire to love and obey — desire it above ail things in the 
 world. 
 
 As for the Electric Origin of the Universe, a time 
 is coming when scientific men will acknowledge it to 
 be the only theory of Creation worthy of acceptance. 
 All the wonders of Nature arc the result of light and 
 
 324
 
 CONCLUSION 
 
 heat alone — i.e.^ are the work of the Electric Ring I 
 have endeavoured to describe, which must go on pro- 
 ducing, absorbing, and reproducing worlds, suns, and 
 systems for ever and ever. The Ring, in its turn, is 
 merely the outcome of God's own personality — the 
 atmosphere surrounding the World in which He has 
 His existence — a World created by Love and for Love 
 alone. I cannot force this theory on public attention, 
 which is at present claimed by various learned pro- 
 fessors, who give ingenious explanations of " atoms " 
 and " molecules ; " yet, even regarding these same 
 " atoms," the mild question may be put : Where did 
 the first " atom " come from ? Some may answer : " We 
 call the first atom GOD." Surely it is as well to call 
 Him a Spirit of pure Light as an Atom? However, 
 the fact of one person's being convinced of a truth will 
 not, I am aware, go very far to convince others. I have 
 related my " experience " exactly as it happened at 
 the time, and my readers can accept or deny the 
 theories of Heliobas as they please. Neither denial, 
 acceptance, criticism, nor incredulity can affect me 
 personally, inasmuch as I am not Heliobas, but simply 
 the narrator of an episode connected with him ; and 
 as such, my task is finished. 
 
 325
 
 APPENDIX 
 
 [In publishing these selections from letters received 
 concerning the " Romance," I am in honour bound not 
 to disclose the names of my correspondents, and this 
 necessary reticence will no doubt induce the incredulous 
 to declare that they are not genuine epistles, but mere 
 inventions of my own. I am quite prepared for such a 
 possible aspersion, and in reply, I can but say that I 
 hold the originals in my possession. I may add that 
 my correspondents are all strangers to me personally — 
 not one of them have I ever met. A few have indeed 
 asked me to accord them interviews, but this request I 
 invariably deny, not wishing to set myself forward in 
 any way as an exponent of high doctrine in which I am 
 as yet but a beginner and student. — AUTHOR.] 
 
 LETTER I 
 
 " Dear Madam, 
 
 "You must receive so many letters that I feel 
 it is almost a shame to add to the number, but I cannot 
 resist writing to tell you how very much your book, 
 * The Romance of Two Worlds,' has helped me. My 
 
 dear friend Miss F , who has written to you lately 
 
 I believe, first read it to me, and I cannot tell }-ou what 
 a want in my life it seemed to fill up. I have been 
 always interested in the so-called Supernatural, feeling 
 very conscious of depths in my own self and in others 
 that are usually ignored. ... I have been reading as 
 
 326
 
 APPENDIX 
 
 many books as I could obtain upon Theosophy, but 
 though thankful for the high thoughts I found in them, 
 I still felt a great want — that of combining this occult 
 knowledge with my own firm belief in the Christian 
 religion. Your book seemed to give me just what I 
 wanted — it has deepened and strengthened tny belief ijt 
 and love to God, and has made the New Testament a new 
 book to vie. Things which I could not understand before 
 seem clear in the light which your * Vision ' has thrown 
 upon them, and I cannot remain satisfied without ex- 
 pressing to you my sincere gratitude. May your book 
 be read by all who are ready to receive the high truths 
 that it contains ! With thanks, I remain, dear Madam, 
 
 " Yours sincerely. 
 
 " M. S." 
 « j^ « « « « 
 
 LETTER II 
 
 " Madam, 
 
 " I am afraid you think it very presumptuous of 
 a stranger to address you, but I have lately read your 
 book, ' A Romance of Two Worlds,' and have been much 
 struck with it. It has opened my mind to such new 
 impressions, and seems to be so much what I have been 
 groping for so long, that I thought if you would be kind 
 enough to answer this, I might get a firmer hold on 
 those higher things and be at anchor at last. If you 
 have patience to read so far, you will imagine I must be 
 very much in earnest to intrude myself on you like this, 
 but from the tone of your book I do not believe you 
 would withdraw your hand where you could do good. 
 ... I never thought of or read of the electric force 
 (or spirit) in every human being before, but I do believe 
 in it after reading your book, and you have made the next 
 world a living thing to me, and raised my feelings above 
 the disappointments and trials of this life. . . . Your 
 book was put into my hands at a time when I was 
 deeply distressed and in trouble about my future ; but 
 you have shown me how small a thing this future o^ our 
 
 327
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 life is. .' . . Would it be askinf^too much of you to name 
 any books you think might help me in this new vein ot 
 thought you have given me? Apologizing for having 
 written, believe me yours sincerely, 
 
 " B. W. L." 
 
 [I answered to the best of my ability the writer 
 of the above, and later on received another letter as 
 follows :] 
 
 " Forgive my writing to you again on the subject of 
 your * Romance,' but I read it so often and think of it so 
 much. I cannot say the wonderful change your book 
 has wrought in my life, and though very likely you are 
 constantly hearing of the good it has done, yet it cannot 
 but be the sweetest thing you can hear — that the seed 
 you have planted is bringing forth so much fruit. . . . 
 The Bible is a new book to me since your work came 
 into my hands." 
 
 **♦*♦♦ 
 
 LETTER III 
 
 [The following terribly pathetic avowal is from a 
 clergyman of the Church of England :] 
 
 " Madam, 
 
 " Your book, the ' Romance of Two Worlds,' has 
 stopped me on the brink of w hat is doubtless a crime, 
 and yet I had come to think it the only way out of im- 
 pending madness. I speak of self-destruction — suicide. 
 And while writing the word, I beg of you to accept my 
 gratitude for the timely rescue of my soul. Once I 
 believed in the goodness of God — but of late years the 
 cry of modern scientific atheism, ' There is no God,' has 
 rung in my ears till my brain has reeled at the desolation 
 and nothingness of the Universe. No good, no hope, 
 no satisfaction in anj'thing — this world only with all its 
 mockery and failure — and afterwards annihilation ! 
 Could a God design and create so poor and cruel a jest? 
 So I thought — and the misery of the thought was more 
 
 328
 
 APPENDIX 
 
 than I could bear. I had resolved to make an end. No 
 one knew, no one guessed my intent, till one Sunday 
 afternoon a friend lent me your book. I began to read, 
 and never left it till I had finished the last page — then I 
 knew I was saved. Life smiled again upon me in con- 
 soling colours, and I write to tell you that whatever 
 other good your work may do and is no doubt doing, 
 you have saved both the life and reason of one grateful 
 human being. If you will write to me a few lines I 
 shall be still more grateful, for I feel you can help me, 
 I seem to have read Christ's mission wrong — but with 
 patience and prayer it is possible to redeem my errcru 
 Once more thanking you, I am, 
 
 " Yours with more thankfulness than I can write, 
 
 "L. E. F." 
 
 [I lost no time in replying to this letter, and since 
 then have frequently corresponded with the writer, from 
 whose troubled mind the dark cloud has now entirely 
 departed. And I may here venture to remark that the 
 evils of " modern scientific atheism " are far more widely 
 spread and deeply rooted than the majority of persons 
 are aware of, and that many of the apparently in- 
 explicable cases of self-slaughter on which the formal 
 verdict, " Suicide during a state of temporary insanity," 
 is passed, have been caused by long and hopeless 
 brooding on the "nothingness of the Universe" — which, 
 if it were a true theory, would indeed make of Creation 
 a bitter, nay, even a senseless jest. The cruel preachers 
 of such a creed have much to answer for. The murderer 
 who destroys human life for wicked passion and 
 wantonness is less criminal than the proudly learned, 
 yet egotistical, and therefore densely ignorant scientist, 
 who, seeking to crush the soul by his feeble, narrow- 
 minded arguments, and deny its imperishable nature, 
 dares to spread his poisonous and corroding doctrines 
 of despair through the world, draining existence of all 
 its brightness, and striving to erect barriers of distrust 
 between the creature and the Creator. No sin can be 
 greater than this; for it is impossible to estimate the 
 
 329
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 measure of evil that may thus be brought into otherwise 
 innocent and hapi)y lives. The attitude of devotion 
 and faith is natural to Humanity, while nothing can be 
 more ////-natural and disastrous to civilization, morality 
 and law than deliberate and determined Atheism. — 
 Author.] 
 
 LETTER IV 
 
 " Dear Madam, 
 
 *' I daresay you have had many letters, but I 
 must add mine to the number to thank you for your 
 book, the ' Romance of Two Worlds.' I am deeply 
 interested in the wonderful force we possess, all in a 
 greater or lesser degree — call it influence, electricity, 
 or what you will. I have thought much on Theosophy 
 and Physical Research — but what struck me in your 
 book was the glorious selflessness inculcated and the 
 perfect Majesty of the Divin.ity clear throughout — no 
 sweeping away of the Crucified One. I felt a better 
 woman for the reading of it twice ; and I know others, 
 too, who are higher and better women for such noble 
 thoughts and teaching. . . . People for the most part 
 dream away their lives ; one meets so few who really 
 believe in electrical affinity, and I have felt it so often 
 and for so long. Forgive my troubling )'ou with this 
 letter, but I am grateful for your labour of love towards 
 raising men and women. 
 
 " Sincerely yours, 
 
 " R. H." 
 
 LETTER V 
 
 " I should like to know if Marie Corelli honestly 
 believes the theory which she enunciates in her book, 
 ' The Romance of Two Worlds ; ' and also if she has 
 any proof on which to found that same theory? — if so, 
 the authoress will greatly oblige an earnest seeker after 
 Truth if she will give the information sought to 
 
 " A. S." 
 
 330
 
 APPENDIX 
 
 [I sent a brief affirmative answer to the above note ; 
 the " proof" of the theories set forth in the " Romance" 
 is, as I have aheady stated, easily to be found in the 
 New Testament. But there are those who do not and 
 will not believe the New Testament, and for them there 
 are no " proofs " of any existing spirituality in earth or 
 heaven. " Having eyes they see not, and hearing they do 
 not zcnde7'stand." — Author.] 
 
 LETTER VI 
 
 " Dear Madam, 
 
 " I have lately been reading with intense pleasure 
 your * Romance of Two Worlds,' and I must crave your 
 forbearance towards me when I tell you that it has 
 filled me with envy and wonder. I feel sure that many 
 people must have plied you with questions on the 
 subject already, but I am certain that you are too 
 earnest and too sympathetic to feel bored by what is in 
 no sense idle curiosity, but rather a deep and genuine 
 longing to know the truth. . . . To some minds it would 
 prove such a comfort and such a relief to have their 
 vague longings and beliefs confirmed and made tangible, 
 and, as you know, at the present day so-called Religion, 
 which is often a mere mixture of dogma and supersti- 
 tion, is scarcely sufficient to do this. ... I might say 
 a great deal more and weary your patience, which has 
 already been tried, I fear. But may I venture to hope 
 that you have some words of comfort and assurance 
 out of your own experience to give me? With your 
 expressed belief in the good influence which each may 
 exert over the other, not to speak of a higher and holier 
 incentive in the example of One (in whom you also 
 believe) who bids us for His sake to ' Bear one another's 
 burdens,' you cannot, I think, turn away in impatience 
 from the seeking of a very earnest soul. 
 
 " Yours sincerely, « -p -pv „ 
 
 [I have received about fifty letters written in precisely 
 the same tone as the above — all more or less complain - 
 
 331
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 ing of the Insufficiency of " so-called Religion, which is 
 often a mere mixture of dogma and superstition " — and 
 I ask — What are the preachers of Christ's clear message 
 about that there should be such plaintively eager 
 anxious souls as these, who are evidently ready and 
 willing to live noble lives if helped and encouraged ever 
 so little? Shame on those men who presume to take 
 up the high vocation of the priesthood for the sake of 
 self-love, self-interest, worldly advancement, money or 
 position ! These things are not among Christ's teach- 
 ings. If there are members of the clergy who can 
 neither plant faith, nor consolation, nor proper com- 
 prehension of God's infinite Beauty and Goodness in 
 the hearts of their hearers, I say that their continuance 
 in such sacred office is an offence to the Master whom 
 they profess to serve. " It must needs be that offences 
 come, but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh ! " 
 To such may be addressed the words, "Hypocrites! 
 for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men ; ye 
 neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are 
 entering to go in." — AUTHOR.] 
 
 LETTER VII 
 
 " Madam, 
 
 " I hope you will not think it great presumption 
 my writing to you. My excuse must be that I so much 
 want to believe in the Great Spirit that ' makes for 
 righteousness,' and I cannot ! Your book puts it all so 
 clearly that if I can only know it to be a true experience 
 of your own, it will go a long way in dispersing the fog 
 that modern writings surround one with. . . . 
 
 •' Apologising for troubling you, I am, faithfully yours, 
 
 "C. M. E." 
 
 LETTER VIII 
 
 -* Madam, 
 
 " I trust you will pardon the liberty I take in 
 writing to )'ou. My excuse must be the very deep 
 
 332
 
 APPENDIX 
 
 interest your book, ' A Romance of Two Worlds,' has 
 excited in me. I, of course, understand that the story 
 itself is a romance, but in reading it carefully it seems 
 to me that it is a book written with a purpose. . . . 
 The Electric Creed respecting Religion seems to explain 
 so much in Scripture which has always seemed to me 
 impossible to accept blindly without explanation of any 
 kind ; and the theory that Christ came to die and to 
 suffer for us as an Example and a means of communi- 
 cation with God, and not as a Sacrifice, clears up a point 
 which has always been to me personally a stumbling- 
 block. I cannot say how grateful I shall be if you can 
 tell me any means of studying this subject further ; 
 and trusting you will excuse me for troubling you, I 
 
 am, Madam, 
 
 " Yours truly, 
 
 " H. B." 
 
 [Once more I may repeat that the idea of a sacrifice 
 to appease God's anger is purely Jciuish, and has 
 nothing whatever to do with Christianity according to 
 Christ. He Himself says, " I am the Way, the Truth, 
 and the Life ; no man cometh to the Father but by Me." 
 Surely these words are plain enough, and point unmis- 
 takably to a means of communication through Christ 
 between the Creator and this world. Nowhere does the 
 Divine Master say that God is so furiously angry that 
 He must have the bleeding body of His own messenger, 
 Christ, hung up before Him as a human sacrifice, as 
 though He could only be pacified by the scent of blood ! 
 Horrible and profane idea ! and one utterly at variance 
 with the tenderness and goodness of "Our Father" as 
 pictured by Christ in these gentle words — "Fear not, 
 little flock; it is your Father's good pleasure to give 
 you the Kingdom." Whereas that Christ should come 
 to draw us closer to God by the strong force of His 
 own Divinity, and by His Resurrection prove to us the 
 reality of the next life, is not at all a strange or ungod- 
 Hke mission, and ought to make us understand more 
 surely than ever how infinitely pitying and forbearing 
 
 333
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 is the All-loving One, that lie should, as it were, with 
 
 such extreme affection show us a way by which to 
 
 travel through darkness unto liidit. To those who 
 
 cannot see this perfection of goijdncss depicted ni 
 
 Christ's own words, I would say in the terse Oriental 
 
 maxim : 
 
 " Diving, and finding no pearls in the sea, 
 Blame not the ocean, the fault is in //lec." 
 
 Author.] 
 
 LETTER IX. 
 
 " Dear Madam, 
 
 " I have lately been reading your remarkable book, 
 ' A Romance of Two Worlds,' and I feel that I must 
 write to you about it, I have never viewed Christianity 
 in the broadly transfigured light >'OU throw upon it, and 
 I have since been studying carefully the four Gospels 
 and comparing them with the theories in your book. 
 The result has been a complete and happy change in 
 my ideas of religion, and I feel now as if I had, like a 
 leper of old, touched the robe of Christ and been healed 
 of a long-standing infirmity. Will you permit me to 
 ask if you have evolved this new and beneficent lustre 
 from the Gospel yourself? or whether some experienced 
 student in mystic matters has been your instructor ? I 
 hear from persons who have seen you that you are quite 
 young, and I cannot understand how one of your sex 
 and age seems able so easily to throw light on what 
 to many has been, and is still, impenetrable darkness. 
 I have been a preacher for some }-ears, and I thought 
 the Testament was old and familiar to me ; but you 
 have made it a new and marvellous book full of most 
 precious meanings, and I hope I may be able to impart 
 to those whom it is my duty to instruct, something of 
 the great consolation and hope your writing has filled 
 me with. 
 
 " Believe me. 
 
 Gratefully yours, 
 
 "T. M." 
 
 334
 
 APPENDIX 
 
 LETTER X. 
 
 " Madam, 
 
 "Will you tell me what ground you have for the 
 foundation of the religious theory contained in your 
 book, * A Romance of Two Worlds'? Is it a part of 
 your own belief? I am most anxious to know this, and 
 I am sure you will be kind enough to answer me. Till 
 I read your book I thought myself an Agnostic, but 
 now I am not quite sure of this. I do not believe in 
 the Deity as depicted by the Churches. I cannot. 
 Over and over again I have asked myself — If there is a 
 God, why should He be angry? It would surely be 
 easy for Him to destroy this world entirely as one 
 would blow away an offending speck of dust, and it 
 would be much better and braver for Him to do this 
 than to torture His creation. For I call life a torture, 
 and certainly a useless and cruel torture if it is to end 
 in annihilation. I know I seem to be blasphemous in 
 these remarks, yet if you only knew what I suffer some- 
 times ! I desire, I long to believe. Yott seem so certain 
 of your Creed — a Creed so noble, reasonable and 
 humane — the God you depict so worthy of the adoration 
 of a Universe. I beg of you to tell me — do you feel 
 sure of this beneficent all-pervading Love concerning 
 which you write so eloquently ? I do not wish to seem 
 an intruder on your most secret thought. I want to 
 believe thdityou believe — and if I felt this, the tenor of 
 my whole life might change. Help me if you can — I 
 stand in real need of help. You may judge I am very 
 deeply in earnest, or I should not have written to you. 
 
 " Yours faithfully, 
 
 "A. W. L." 
 
 [Of such letters as these 1 have received enough to 
 make a volume of themselves ; but I think the ten I 
 have selected are sufficient to show how ardent and 
 inextinguishable is the desire or straining tipzvard like a 
 flower to the light, of the human Soul for those divine 
 
 335
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 things which nourish it. Scarcely a day passes without 
 my receiving more of these earnest and often pathetic 
 appeals for a little help, a little comfort, a little 
 guidance, enough to make one's heart ache at the 
 thought of so much doubt and desolation looming 
 cloud-like over the troubled minds of many who would 
 otherwise lead not only happy but noble and useful 
 lives. When will the preachers learn to preach Christ 
 simply — Christ without human dogmas or differences ? 
 When shall we be able to enter a building set apart 
 for sacred worship — a building of finest architectural 
 beauty, "glorious without and within," like the "King's 
 Daughter" of David's psalm — glorious with light, music, 
 flowers, and art of the noblest kind (for Art is God's 
 own inspiration to men, and through it He should be 
 served), there to hear the pure, unselfish doctrine of 
 Christ as He Himself preached it? For such a temple, 
 the time has surely come — a nook sacred to God, and 
 untainted by the breath of Mammon, where we could 
 adore our Creator " in spirit and in truth." The evils 
 of nineteenth-century cynicism and general flippancy of 
 thought — great evils as they are and sure prognostica- 
 tions of worse evils to come — cannot altogether crush 
 out the Divine flame burning in the "few" that are 
 " chosen," though these few are counted as fools and 
 dreamers. Yet they shall be proved wise and watchful 
 ere long. The signs of the times are those that indicate 
 an approaching great upheaval and change in human 
 destinies. This planet we call ours is in some respects 
 like ourselves : it was born ; it has had its infancy, its 
 youth, its full prime ; and now its age has set in, and 
 with age the first beginnings of decay. Absorbed once 
 more into the Creative Circle IT MUST BE ; and when 
 again thrown forth among its companion-stars, our race 
 will no more inhabit it. We shall have had our day — 
 our little chance — wc shall have lost or won. Christ 
 said, " This generation shall not pass away till all My 
 words be fulfilled," the word "generation" thus used 
 meaning simply the human race. We ])ut a very 
 narrow limit to the significance of the Saviour's utter- 
 
 336
 
 APPENDIX 
 
 ance when we imagine that the generation He alluded 
 to implied merely the people living in His own day. 
 In the depths of His Divine wisdom He was 
 acquainted with all the secrets of the Past and Future ; 
 He had no doubt seen this very world peopled by 
 widely different beings to ourselves, and knew that 
 what we call the human race is nothing but a passing 
 tribe permitted for a time to sojourn here. What a 
 strangely presumptuous idea is that which pervades the 
 minds of the majority of persons — namely, that Man- 
 kind, as we know it, must be the highest form of 
 creation, simply because it is the highest form tve can 
 see! How absurd it is to be so controlled by our 
 limited vision, when we cannot even perceive the 
 minute wonders that a butterfly beholds, or pierce the 
 sunlit air with anything like the facility possessed by 
 the undazzled eyes of an upward-soaring bird ! Nay, 
 we cannot examine the wing of a common house-fly 
 without the aid of a microscope — to observe the facial 
 expression of our own actors on the stage we look 
 through opera-glasses — to form any idea of the wonders 
 of the stars we construct telescopes to assist our feeble 
 and easily deluded sight ; and yet — yet we continue to 
 parcel out the infinite gradations of creative Force and 
 Beauty entirely to suit our own private opinions, and 
 conclude that We are the final triumph of the Divine 
 Artist's Supreme Intelligence ! Alas ! in very truth we 
 are a sorry spectacle both to our soberly thinking selves 
 and the Higher Powers, invited, as it were, to spend 
 our life's brief day in one of God's gardens as His 
 friends and guests, who certainly are not expected to 
 abuse their Host's hospitality, and, ignoring Him, call 
 themselves the owners and masters of the ground ! For 
 we are but wanderers beneath the sun ; a " generation " 
 which must most surely and rapidly "pass away" to 
 make room for another; and as the work of the 
 Universe is always progressive, that other will be of 
 nobler capacity and larger accomplishment. So while 
 we are here, let us think earnestly of the few brief 
 chances remaining to us — they grow fewer every hour. 
 
 337
 
 A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS 
 
 On one side is the endless, glorious heritage of the 
 purely aspiring, Immortal Spirit ; on the other the 
 fleeting Mirage of this our present Existence; and, 
 midway between the two, the swinging pendulum of 
 Human Will, which decides our fate. God docs not 
 choose for us, or compel our love — we are free to fashion 
 out our own futures ; but in making our final choice we 
 cannot afR^rd to waste one moment of our precious, un- 
 returning time.] 
 
 POSTSCRIPT 
 
 I MAY here add that the remarkable discovery of the 
 Rontgen Ray which has astonished the world in general, 
 has not presented itself as a novelty to me, though I 
 have rejoiced at seeing one of the "proofs positive" of 
 the theories I have endeavoured to inculcate made 
 publicly and scientifically manifest. In a recent inter- 
 view with Professor Rontgen at Wurzburg, described in 
 McLure's Magazine for March 1896, the Professor 
 frankly confesses his ignorance of the nature of the light 
 in question. 
 
 " Is it light? " he was asked. 
 
 " No." 
 
 "Is it electricity?" 
 
 "Not in any known form." 
 
 "What is it?" 
 
 " I don't know." 
 
 True, he doesn't know, because as yet he has not 
 substantiated the facts of the external electricity, i.e. the 
 light and heat force, surrounding each one of our 
 individual bodies, or the internal electricity which forms 
 the Soul or Spiritual 13eing after death. 
 
 " Is it electricity? " he is asked. 
 
 " Not in any known form," he replies. 
 
 I maintain precisely the same position which he 
 assumes. The electricity of soul and body which I 
 speak of is not electricity "in any known form," — 
 nevertheless, it is electricity. And were it not for 
 that essentially luminous and electric vital essence
 
 APPENDIX 
 
 surrounding each one of us, moving with our move- 
 ments and making a way for itself as it moves, thus 
 creating influences sympathetic or antipathetic, depend- 
 ing on the other similar essences with which it comes 
 in contact, the Rontgen Ray would never have flashed 
 on the startled eyes of the gifted Professor, who is all 
 the more a worthy instrument in the hands of God for 
 the reason that he "declines to admire himself, and 
 laughs at the idea of being famous." The greater and 
 wider the discoveries of Science, the nearer shall we 
 feel the actual presence of God, and the more certainly 
 shall we know that what we call the "Miracles" of 
 the New Testament are not "legends" or "historical 
 coincidences," as Professor Max Miiller has recently 
 observed, but eternal truths, — the most splendid and 
 positive truth of all being the Resurrection of Christ, 
 which was intended as the lasting symbol and open 
 manifestation of the fact that each one of us holds the 
 eternal germ of Spirit within him, and that for that 
 individual and conscious Spirit there is no such thing 
 as death. 
 
 Marie Corelli. 
 
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 31 
 
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 I CROWN THEE KING. 
 
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