I rose from my couch,—­and the first impression I had was that of a singular ease and lightness—­a sense of physical strength and well-being that was delightful beyond expression.  The loveliness and peace of the room in which I was enchanted me,—­everything my eyes rested upon suggested beauty.  The windows were shaded with rose silk hangings—­and when I drew these aside I looked out on a marble loggia or balcony overhung with climbing roses,—­this, in its turn, opened on an exquisite glimpse of garden and blue sea.  There was no clock anywhere to tell me the time of day, but the sun was shining, and I imagined it must be afternoon.  Adjoining this luxurious apartment was an equally luxurious bathroom, furnished with every conceivable elegance,—­the bath itself was of marble, and the water bubbled up from its centre like a natural spring, sparkling as it came.  I found all my clothes, books and other belongings arranged with care where I could most easily get at them, and to my joy the book ‘The Secret of Life,’ which I thought I had lost on my last perilous adventure, lay on a small table by itself like a treasure set apart.

I bathed and dressed quickly, allowing myself no time to think upon any strange or perplexing point in my adventures, but giving myself entirely up to the joy of the new and ecstatic life which thrilled through me.  A mirror in the room showed me my own face, happy and radiant,—­my own eyes bright and smiling,—­no care seemed to have left a trace on my features, and I was fully conscious of a perfect strength and health that made the mere act of breathing a pleasure.  In a very short time I was ready to receive Aselzion, and I touched the bell he had indicated as a signal.  Then I sat down by the window and looked out on the fair prospect before me.  How glorious was the world, I thought!—­how full of perfect beauty!  That heavenly blue of sky and sea melting into one—­the tender hues of the clambering roses against the green of the surrounding foliage—­the lovely light that filtered through the air like powdered gold!—­were not all these things to be thankful for? and can there be any real unhappiness so long as our Souls are in tune with the complete harmony of Creation?

Hearing a step behind me, I rose—­and with a glad smile stretched out my hands to Aselzion, who had just then entered.  He took them in his own and pressed them lightly—­then drawing a chair opposite to mine, he sat down.  His face expressed a certain gravity, and his voice when he began to speak was low and gentle.

“I have much to tell you”—­he said—­“but I will make it as brief as I can.  You came here to pass a certain psychic ordeal—­and you have passed it successfully—­all but the last phase.  Of that we will speak presently.  For the moment you are under the impression that you have been through certain episodes of a more or less perplexing and painful nature.  So you have—­but not in the way you think.  Nothing whatever has happened to you, save in your own mind—­your adventures have been purely mental—­and were the result of several brains working on yours and compelling you to see and to hear what they chose.  There!—­do not look so startled!”—­for I had risen with an involuntary exclamation—­“I will explain everything quite clearly, and you will soon understand.”