“On the contrary it is, so far as that point goes,” said Alwyn with sudden heat—­“I tell you I am amazed,—­utterly amazed, that you, with your intelligence, should uphold such a barbaric idea as the Divinity of Christ!  Human reason revolts at it,—­and after all, make as light of it as you will, reason is the only thing that exalts us a little above the level of the beasts.”

“Nay—­the beasts share the gift of reason in common with us,” replied Heliobas, “and Man only proves his ignorance if he denies the fact.  Often indeed the very insects show superior reasoning ability to ourselves, any thoroughly capable naturalist would bear me out in this assertion.”

“Well, well!” and Alwyn grew impatient—­“reason or no reason, I again repeat that the legend on which Christianity is founded is absurd and preposterous,—­why, if there were a grain of truth in it, Judas Iscariot instead of being universally condemned, ought to be honored and canonized as the first of saints!”

“Must I remind you of your early lesson days?” asked Heliobas mildly.  “You will find it written in a Book you appear to have forgotten, that Christ expressly prophesied, ‘Woe to that man’ by whom He was betrayed.  I tell, you, little as you credit it, there is not a word that the Sinless One uttered while on this earth, that has not been or shall not be in time fulfilled.  But I do not wish to enter into any controversies with you; you have told me your story,—­I have heard it with interest,—­and I may add with sympathy.  You are a poet, struck dumb by Materialism because you lacked strength to resist the shock,—­you would fain recover your singing-speech—­and this is in truth the reason why you have come to me.  You think that if you could gain some of the strange experiences which others have had while under my influence, you might win back your lost inspiration—­though you do not know why you think this—­neither do I—­I can only guess.”

“And your guess is ... ?” demanded Alwyn with an air of affected indifference.

“That some higher influence is working for your rescue and safety,” replied Heliobas.  “What influence I dare not presume to imagine, but—­there are always angels near!”

“Angels!” Alwyn laughed aloud.  “How many more fairy tales are you going to weave for me out of your fertile Oriental imagination?  Angels! ...  See here, my good Heliobas, I am perfectly willing to grant that you may be a very clever man with an odd prejudice in favor of Christianity,—­but I must request that you will not talk to me of angels and spirits or any such nonsense, as if I were a child waiting to be amused, instead of a full-grown man with ...”

“With so full-grown an intellect that it has out-grown God!” finished Heliobas serenely.  “Quite so!  Yet angels, after all, are only immortal Souls such as yours or mine when set free of their earthly tenements.  For instance, when I look at you thus,” and he raised his eyes with a lustrous, piercing glance—­“I see the proud, strong, and rebellious Angel in you far more distinctly than your outward shape of man ... and you ... when you look at me—­”