been, and that is within the mind, which must have a continuance of
existence to retain its knowledge."

"Ah! Very good! But Dr. Medjora has just announced that he is
preparing to bequeath his knowledge to you, who are to be his heir in
that respect. How do you make that conform to your curious theory?

"You misapprehend the true condition. Dr. Medjora does not purpose
giving me his knowledge, as one gives money, thereby lessening his own
store. He merely intends to cultivate my own intellect, training it in
grooves parallel with those which he himself has followed. He might
live until I know as much as he does now, yet he would be no less wise
than he is. Rather, he would have grown wiser himself in having
acquired the experience of teaching another."

"You should study law instead of medicine. If you grow tired of the
Doctor, you must come to me. Only, let me ask you one more question.
If, according to your tenets, the wisest man is most certain of a
future life, what of the most idiotic?"

"He is most apt to meet with annihilation. But he would cease to
exist, only as to his individuality. I have not thought very deeply in
that direction, but as my mind cannot conceive of the actual
annihilation of anything that is existent, I have surmised that
perhaps the minds of many idiots may become coalescent, so that a new
individual might he created, who would possess sufficient
intellectuality at birth in the world, to realize the importance to
himself of mental cultivation."

"Ha! Ha! Doctor," said the Judge, laughing. "If two idiots may
eventually be rolled into one, there is some hope for you and me. We
may be joined together in the next world, and what a fellow we would
be on our next trip to this old-fashioned planet! But seriously, Mr.
Grath, your theories interest me. We will talk together again. You
must come to our house some day. But I have not time for theology now.
My daughter has a little bet on the first race, and if I delay longer
she will miss seeing it. She has been making impatient signs to me for
some time."

"Father!" exclaimed Agnes, deprecatingly; then turning to Leon, she
continued: "Mr. Grath, you must not lay too much stress upon what my
father says, when he is not upon the bench. When acting in his
official capacity, his word is law, but at other times----"

"My daughter's is," interrupted the Judge, with a good-humored laugh.

"At other times," Agnes resumed, "he often prevaricates. He is