lamp, which lit up not the
room only, but Calladon's mind likewise, so that the more it shone
upon him, the better he understood his studies. And the lamp was warm
as well as bright; so warm, that not only did it make the room
comfortable, but it warmed Calladon's heart likewise, and made him
loving and generous. In the ceiling of the room a large ball of
crystal was hung on a sort of pivot, on which it could be turned at
pleasure. This crystal ball had the power of reflecting all the places
best worth seeing in the world, and casting the reflections on a white
disc arranged for the purpose underneath. It was by this means that
Calladon had studied geography, and he had enjoyed the study more than
most boys do. At other times, the ball would bring the images of the
stars on the disc, so that you would have thought you were aloft in
the sky, watching all the myriad worlds of light, and their movements.
It may be imagined, therefore, that although Abra did not appear to be
a large room, yet it must have been larger than it looked, since it
was able to contain within itself the whole earth and heaven. Beyond
doubt, Abra was a wonderful place, which everybody ought to see at
some time of their lives. The air you breathed there had a delicate
but powerful fragrance, as if it were life itself; and strangely
beautiful chords of music sounded ever and anon through the room,
coming from no visible instrument, but seeming to arise from the
harmony and happiness in the heart of him who listened to it.
Moreover, although there was not much furniture in the room, nor many
toys to play with, yet whenever Calladon needed anything, he was sure
to find it ready to his hand. It is true that he seldom wished for
anything that he ought not to have, and if he did, the pressure of the
golden sash across his heart warned him to forbear. In short, nothing
could be more delightful and satisfactory than were all the
arrangements in Abra; and, up to the time he was seven years old,
Calladon had never wished for anything that it could not give him.

Sometimes he would amuse himself with looking through the alabaster
walls into the outer rooms, Cada and Bra. These had a beauty of their
own, but it was easy to see that they were less beautiful than Abra.
The best use of them was, perhaps, to let it be known that Abra was
better than they. Calladon once asked the Master about this, and he
answered:

'If it were not for Abra, there could be no Cada