doctrine of the Inner Light rose superior to Christianity. "Owing to
Judaic tradition and influence," as his Incandescence Albernspiel had
truly pointed out, "the Christian Church had never enjoyed the eminent
advantage of women's ministration. Even the Greeks had been wiser than
this. And thus much of an essential character in all true religion had
always been absent from Christianity, owing to this proscription of
feminine influence." (_The Doctrine of the Inner Light_, Vol. II., p.
1303.)

There was only one Temple in England, at which all the faithful met once
a year, and that was at Liverpool. It was hoped that other churches
would be built sooner or later in other big centres, but
meanwhile,--that is to say, pending the collecting of the necessary
building fund,--all the faithful outside Liverpool were recommended to
meet once a month at each other's houses, where one of the Incandescents
would hold a service.

The Incandescent for London was a pale and feverish looking little man,
Gerald Tribe by name, with false teeth and large, bony red hands, who
lived as a sort of non-paying guest at the house of Miss Mallowcoid,
Mrs. Delarayne's elder sister, at Hampstead. It was a perfectly orderly
arrangement, because, apart from the fact that he had his young wife
with him, he was in any case such a learned and pure-minded young man,
that, as Miss Mallowcoid declared, even if he had not been married, she
would have regarded it as a privilege to live under the same roof with
him. She admitted, of course, that his wife was so far beneath him as to
present an almost insufferable objection to the arrangement; but Miss
Mallowcoid regarded this creature as the trial and chastisement sent by
the supreme Incandescence, to bring both her own and Gerald Tribe's
inner light to ever greater prodigies of brilliance and power.

Miss Mallowcoid, who had been responsible for her sister, Mrs.
Delarayne's conversion to the Inner Light, was expected that afternoon,
as were also Sir Joseph Bullion, and all the London faithful. Lord Henry
had also reluctantly agreed to attend this one meeting after months of
persuasion from Mrs. Delarayne.

If Mrs. Delarayne had been asked why she had joined the cult of the
Inner Light, she would have probably replied that it was a simple
doctrine. Light was the beginning, Light would be the end. Life on earth
was simply the struggle of Light against Darkness. When you died, you
became one with the Etern