of the wilfully ignorant is Legion,—­the age is one of the grossest Mammon worship, and coarsest Atheism,—­and the noblest teachings of the noblest teacher, were he even another Shakespeare, must of necessity be but a casting of pearls before swine.  Still”—­and his rare sweet smile brightened the serene dignity of his features—­“fling out the pearls freely all the same,—­the swine may grunt at, but cannot rend you,—­and a poet’s genius should be like the sunlight, that falls on rich and poor, good and bad, with glorious impartiality!  If you can comfort one sorrow, check one sin, or rescue one soul from the widening quicksand of the Atheist world, you have sufficient reason to be devoutly thankful.”

By this time their walk had led them imperceptibly to one of the gates of egress from the Park, and Heliobas, pointing to a huge square building opposite, said: 

“There is the hotel at which I am staying—­one of the Americanized monster fabrics in which tired travellers find much splendid show, and little rest!  Will you lunch with me?—­I am quite alone.”

Alwyn gladly assented,—­he was most unwilling to part at once from this man, to whom in a measure he felt he owed his present happy and tranquil condition of body and mind; besides, he was curious to find out more about him—­to obtain from him, if possible, an entire explanation of the actual tenets and chief characteristics of the system of religious worship he himself practiced and followed.  Heliobas seemed to guess his thoughts, for suddenly turning upon him with a quick glance, he observed: 

“You want to ‘pluck out the heart of my mystery,’ as Hamlet says, do you not, my friend?”—­and he smiled—­“Well, so you shall, if you can discover aught in me that is not already in yourself!  I assure you there is nothing preternatural about me,—­my peculiar ‘eccentricity’ consists in steadily adapting myself to the scientific spiritual, as well as scientific material, laws of the Universe.  The two sets of laws united make harmony,—­hence I find my life harmonious and satisfactory,—­this is my ‘abnormal’ condition of mind,—­and you are now fully as ‘abnormal’ as I am.  Come, we will discuss our mutual strange non-conformity to the wild world’s custom or caprice over a glass of good wine,—­ observe, please, that I am neither a ‘total abstainer’ nor a ‘vegetarian,’ and that I have a curious fashion of being temperate, and of using all the gifts of beneficent Nature equally, and without prejudice!’ While he spoke, they had crossed the road, and they now entered the vestibule of the hotel, where, declining the hall-porter’s offer of the “lift,” Heliobas ascended the stairs leisurely to the second floor, and ushered his companion into a comfortable private sitting-room.