fect lover; that their union will be eternal, but that until it is
accomplished each must remain incomplete--a work in two volumes of which
one is missing."

"Would you then revive the Eleusinian Mysteries?"

"Why not?"

"You would scandalise society!"

"In other words become the pet of the petty. You care as little for the
institution called 'Society' as I do, Mr. Mario. Moreover, there is no
Society nowadays. Murray's has taken its place."

Again the lightning flashed--less vividly; and in the glimpse thus
afforded him of the speaker's face Paul derived the impression that
Jules Thessaly was laughing, but of this he could not be sure. The
thunder when it came spoke with a muted voice, for the storm was
speeding coastward, and a light cool breeze stole through the aisles of
the hills. A grey eerie light began to spread ghostly along the gallery.
The ebon cloud was breaking, but torrents of rain continued to descend.
Paul's keen intuition told him that Jules Thessaly was indisposed to
pursue the Orphic discussion further at the moment, but he realised that
the owner of Babylon Hall was no ordinary man, but one who had delved
deeply into lore which had engaged much of his own attention. He found
himself looking forward with impatient curiosity to his visit to the
home of this new acquaintance.

"You are comparatively a new-comer in Lower Charleswood, Mr. Thessaly?"

"Yes, Babylon Hall had been vacant for some years, having formerly
belonged to a certain Major Rushin, a retired Anglo-Indian of
sixty-five, with a nutmeg liver and a penchant for juvenile society. He
was drowned one morning in the lake which lies beyond the house, whilst
bathing with three young ladies who were guests of his at the time. He
was one of the pillars of the late Sir Jacques' church."

Paul laughed outright. "Do you quarrel with the whole of humanity, Mr.
Thessaly?"

"Not at all. I love every creature that has life; I share the very
tremors of the sheep driven to the slaughter-house. Human sorrow affects
me even more profoundly."

"But you are hotly intolerant of human hypocrisy? So am I."

"Yet it may be one of the principles of nature. Witness the leaf
insect."

"You don't believe it to be, though. You probably regard it as a hateful
disguise imposed upon man by a moral code contrary to that of nature."

"Mr. Mario, your words contain the germ of a law upon the acceptance of
which I believe humanity's spiritual survival to depen