Minna’s imagination seconded this illusion, under the dominion of which all persons would assuredly have fallen,—­an illusion which gave to Seraphitus the appearance of a vision dreamed of in happy sleep.  No known type conveys an image of that form so majestically made to Minna, but which to the eyes of a man would have eclipsed in womanly grace the fairest of Raphael’s creations.  That painter of heaven has ever put a tranquil joy, a loving sweetness, into the lines of his angelic conceptions; but what soul, unless it contemplated Seraphitus himself, could have conceived the ineffable emotions imprinted on his face?  Who would have divined, even in the dreams of artists, where all things become possible, the shadow cast by some mysterious awe upon that brow, shining with intellect, which seemed to question Heaven and to pity Earth?  The head hovered awhile disdainfully, as some majestic bird whose cries reverberate on the atmosphere, then bowed itself resignedly, like the turtledove uttering soft notes of tenderness in the depths of the silent woods.  His complexion was of marvellous whiteness, which brought out vividly the coral lips, the brown eyebrows, and the silken lashes, the only colors that trenched upon the paleness of that face, whose perfect regularity did not detract from the grandeur of the sentiments expressed in it; nay, thought and emotion were reflected there, without hindrance or violence, with the majestic and natural gravity which we delight in attributing to superior beings.  That face of purest marble expressed in all things strength and peace.

Minna rose to take the hand of Seraphitus, hoping thus to draw him to her, and to lay on that seductive brow a kiss given more from admiration than from love; but a glance at the young man’s eyes, which pierced her as a ray of sunlight penetrates a prism, paralyzed the young girl.  She felt, but without comprehending, a gulf between them; then she turned away her head and wept.  Suddenly a strong hand seized her by the waist, and a soft voice said to her:  “Come!” She obeyed, resting her head, suddenly revived, upon the heart of her companion, who, regulating his step to hers with gentle and attentive conformity, led her to a spot whence they could see the radiant glories of the polar Nature.

“Before I look, before I listen to you, tell me, Seraphitus, why you repulse me.  Have I displeased you? and how? tell me!  I want nothing for myself; I would that all my earthly goods were yours, for the riches of my heart are yours already.  I would that light came to my eyes only though your eyes just as my thought is born of your thought.  I should not then fear to offend you, for I should give you back the echoes of your soul, the words of your heart, day by day,—­as we render to God the meditations with which his spirit nourishes our minds.  I would be thine alone.”

“Minna, a constant desire is that which shapes our future.  Hope on!  But if you would be pure in heart mingle the idea of the All-Powerful with your affections here below; then you will love all creatures, and your heart will rise to heights indeed.”