“That theft, with all that followed, proved to us one thing, however:  that each part of her body, though separated from the rest, can be a central point or rallying place for the items or particles of her astral body.  That hand in my room could ensure her instantaneous presence in the flesh, and its equally rapid dissolution.

“Now comes the crown of my argument.  The purpose of the attack on me was to get the safe open, so that the sacred Jewel of Seven Stars could be extracted.  That immense door of the safe could not keep out her astral body, which, or any part of it, could gather itself as well within as without the safe.  And I doubt not that in the darkness of the night that mummied hand sought often the Talisman Jewel, and drew new inspiration from its touch.  But despite all its power, the astral body could not remove the Jewel through the chinks of the safe.  The Ruby is not astral; and it could only be moved in the ordinary way by the opening of the doors.  To this end, the Queen used her astral body and the fierce force of her Familiar, to bring to the keyhole of the safe the master key which debarred her wish.  For years I have suspected, nay, have believed as much; and I, too, guarded myself against powers of the Nether World.  I, too, waited in patience till I should have gathered together all the factors required for the opening of the Magic Coffer and the resurrection of the mummied Queen!” He paused, and his daughter’s voice came out sweet and clear, and full of intense feeling: 

“Father, in the Egyptian belief, was the power of resurrection of a mummied body a general one, or was it limited?  That is:  could it achieve resurrection many times in the course of ages; or only once, and that one final?”

“There was but one resurrection,” he answered.  “There were some who believed that this was to be a definite resurrection of the body into the real world.  But in the common belief, the Spirit found joy in the Elysian Fields, where there was plenty of food and no fear of famine.  Where there was moisture and deep-rooted reeds, and all the joys that are to be expected by the people of an arid land and burning clime.”

Then Margaret spoke with an earnestness which showed the conviction of her inmost soul: 

“To me, then, it is given to understand what was the dream of this great and far-thinking and high-souled lady of old; the dream that held her soul in patient waiting for its realisation through the passing of all those tens of centuries.  The dream of a love that might be; a love that she felt she might, even under new conditions, herself evoke.  The love that is the dream of every woman’s life; of the Old and of the New; Pagan or Christian; under whatever sun; in whatever rank or calling; however may have been the joy or pain of her life in other ways.  Oh!  I know it!  I know it!  I am a woman, and I know a woman’s heart.  What were the lack of food or the plenitude of it;