My suspicions with regard to Stilton and Miss Fetters were confirmed by a number of circumstances which I need not describe.  That he should treat his wife in a harsh, ironical manner, which the poor woman felt, but could not understand, did not surprise me; but at other times there was a treacherous tenderness about him.  He would dilate eloquently upon the bliss of living in accordance with the spiritual harmonies.  Among us, he said, there could be no more hatred or mistrust or jealousy,—­nothing but love, pure, unselfish, perfect love.  “You, my dear,” (turning to Mrs. Stilton,) “belong to a sphere which is included within my own, and share in my harmonies and affinities; yet the soul-matter which adheres to you is of a different texture from mine.  Yours has also its independent affinities; I see and respect them; and even though they might lead our bodies—­our outward, material lives—­away from one another, we should still be true to that glorious light of Jove which permeates all soul-matter.”

“Oh, Abijah!” cried Mrs. Stilton, really distressed, “how can you say such a thing of me?  You know I can never adhere to anybody else but you!”

Stilton would then call in my aid to explain his meaning, asserting that I had a faculty of reaching his wife’s intellect, which he did not himself possess.  Feeling a certain sympathy for her painful confusion of mind, I did my best to give his words an interpretation which soothed her fears.  Then she begged his pardon, taking all the blame to her own stupidity, and received his grudged, unwilling kiss with a restored happiness which pained me to the heart.

I had a growing presentiment of some approaching catastrophe.  I felt, distinctly, the presence of unhallowed passions in our circle; and my steadfast love for Agnes, borne thither in my bosom, seemed like a pure white dove in a cage of unclean birds.  Stilton held me from him by the superior strength of his intellect.  I began to mistrust, even to hate him, while I was still subject to his power, and unable to acquaint him with the change in my feelings.  Miss Fetters was so repulsive that I never spoke to her when it could be avoided.  I had tolerated her, heretofore, for the sake of her spiritual gift; but now, when I began to doubt the authenticity of that gift, her hungry eyes, her thin lips, her flat breast, and cold, dry hands excited in me a sensation of absolute abhorrence.

The doctrine of Affinities had some time before been adopted by the circle, as a part of the Spiritual Truth.  Other circles, with which we were in communication, had also received the same revelation; and the ground upon which it was based, in fact, rendered its acceptance easy.  Even I, shielded as I was by the protecting arms of a pure love, sought in vain for arguments to refute a doctrine, the practical operation of which, I saw, might be so dangerous.  The soul had a right to seek its kindred soul:  that I could not deny.  Having found, they belonged to each other.  Love is the only law which those who love are bound to obey.  I shall not repeat all the sophistry whereby these positions were strengthened.  The doctrine soon blossomed and bore fruit, the nature of which left no doubt as to the character of the tree.