nd I adore you; but, believe me, you alone
could do very little. One has already come and taught us how to love and
cherish each other, that the strong should help the weak, the rich give
to the poor, and the happy comfort the wretched. His followers believe
that He came from Heaven, and yet after nineteen hundred years I am
afraid that some of them do not fully understand the plain meaning of
His words, or else find it convenient to ignore them."

"But many of us will go there. We will bring the sinful and the
suffering over here to Womla and make them happy."

"I am touched by your simple faith in us, dearest It does you honour,
but I fear it is mistaken. What would you say if the very people you had
saved and befriended were to turn round and take your country from you,
perhaps even destroy you? Such ingratitude is not unknown in our
world."

"If they are so wicked they have the more need of help."

"In any case, darling, I cannot take you with me, for the vessel we came
in is too small; but I will come back as soon as possible and stay with
you in Womla. How happy we shall be!"

"In Womla--no. We should not be quite at rest."

"Then we shall seek out some desert star where we can live only for each
other."

"You do not understand me. Neither in Womla nor in a desert star could
we be happy in a selfish love, knowing that others were in pain."

"Better I had not spoken of my world at all."

"No, a thousand times no!" cried Alumion with fervour. "For you have
opened up to me a new source of happiness--of blessedness which I have
never known before. Only let us go together to your world and minister
to the unfortunate."

"Well, darling, we will think of it; but see! the sun has set and you
are free again. I came to marry you, but since I must return so soon to
my own world, perhaps it would be well to postpone the ceremony until I
come back here."

"Why should we do that?"

Evidently she had no idea of the dangers of the journey, or how long it
would take.

"If anything should happen to me. If I should die and never return."

"Ah! do not speak of that. The Giver will preserve you."

"But life is uncertain."

"Beloved, I shall never love another but you; therefore, let us unite
ourselves, as we are already united in heart and soul, henceforth and
forever. Come!"

With these words she turned and glided towards the sacred grotto. I held
aside the flowering creeper which hung over the entrance like a c