pportunity worthy of its recognition."

"That is but the mechanical law of cause and effect," I ventured;
"where does self-sacrifice come in?"

"I do not quite understand," she replied; "self-sacrifice is the first
law of the soul."

"What I mean," I said, "is this--having discovered your counterpart,
do you adore despite the circumstances of fortune?"

"Most certainly," she replied; "there is the divinest self-sacrifice
on both sides as far as the fortunes of each will permit. Ideally, the
sacrifice is unlimited, but practically is limited as to time,
opportunity and other circumstances."

"Is the counterpart soul loved in spite of disparity of circumstances,
or is an equality of circumstances, such as rank, wealth and
nationality, etc., a factor in the case?" I inquired.

"Outward circumstances have nothing whatever to do with the matter,"
said Lyone. "Friends, wealth, rank, everything is thrown aside in
favor of the inward circumstance that the two souls are one."

"But," I urged, "you expose your spiritual creed to very violent
shocks at times. The king of to-day may be a beggar to-morrow, and,
besides, one or both of two souls may before they have known each
other have been freighted with lifelong responsibilities. How, then,
do you prevent a catastrophe to some one?"

"I admit," she said, "that as far as the every-day world is concerned,
there are serious difficulties to contend with. But we avoid these by
creating a little world of our own, exclusively for the cultivation of
the spiritual soul. Just as some people apply themselves to physical
culture to become athletes and show how grand the physical man may
become, so we set apart a number of people as soul-priests to develop
spirituality, or power over themselves and others and power over
matter. It was for this object that Egyplosis was founded, to form a
fitting environment for those who have achieved the ideal life. This
life fully ripened, with its fresh and glorious enjoyment, can be
maintained for a hundred years without diminution or loss of ecstasy."

"And do you mean that, after living one hundred years, beginning with
your twentieth birthday, you are still only commencing your
twenty-first year?"

"That is exactly what I mean," said Lyone. "I myself have lived ten
years of Nirvana, and am yet only twenty years old."

I could well believe that such glorious freshness and beauty as hers
was quite as young as she had represented it; but it w