eople who were
seated far back could see only from the breast upwards. But those
nearer (Ralph, and George, and Rose among them) who could see not only
the whole figure, but the plinth and the pedestal upon which it stood,
saw that the inscription on the plinth was the same as that which had
been reported as upon the first image, the one set up in the Temple at
Jerusalem--"I AM, THAT I AM!"

A shudder passed over our trio, as they read the blasphemy.

Now, suddenly, a richly-robed priest, holding a silver bugle to his
lips, stood out on the altar steps. The shrill bugle call for
"silence" rang through the great building, and a tomb-like hush fell
upon the multitude.

Another priest, more gorgeously costumed than the first, came slowly
forward chanting clearly and distinctly:

"We believe in Man, in the Religion of Humanity, Man is God, and God is
man. We believe that all the excellencies which of old, were
attributed to the God of the Bible, were but sparks struck out of the
goodnesses that were within the man Himself. Hence we no longer need
to be Divine by proxy." [1]

The organ rolled out a gay note to which the gathered thousands chanted
a gay "Amen!"

"_We believe_," the priest went on in his chant--"_that the living God,
is the marriage of Force and matter, of Head and Hand. And we believe
that the product of this co-ordination is in our Great Superman, the
God of the Universe, Apleon, our Superior-God, and Him we worship and
adore--_"

The priest made a well-understood sign, and the whole mass of the
people _knelt_--they were too crowded to prostrate themselves. The
great organ pealed forth in some wondrous chordings, that were dying
down into zephyr-like breaths, when the voice of the priest broke the
comparative silence.

In harsh, commanding tones, he cried:

"You three rebels, kneel at once!"

The whole congregation lifted their eyes to see two men, and a
beautiful woman between them, standing proudly, fearlessly, amid the
great kneeling throng.

"Kneel, you apostate rebels!" thundered the priest.

For answer, Rose lifted her strong, powerful, beautiful voice, in a
God-inspired spontaneous burst of _true_ worship, singing:

"All Hail the power of Jesus' Name,
Let angels prostrate fall."

Ralph and her husband caught the inspiration and the musical key, and
the trio had reached the "Bring forth the Royal Diadem," before the
great congregation of blasphemers awoke to the full mea