re shut. Besides, mine are
only getting open."

"What do they see? Come, Lois, tell."

Lois stood still, resting on her broom handle.

"The world seems to me an immense battle-place, where wrong and right
have been struggling; always struggling. And sometimes the wrong seems
to cover the whole earth, like a flood, and there is nothing but
confusion and horror; and then sometimes the floods part and one sees a
little bit of firm ground, where grass and flowers might grow, if they
had a chance. And in those spots there is generally some great, grand
man, who has fought back the flood of wrong and made a clearing."

"Well, I do not understand all that one bit!" said Madge.

"I do not wonder," said Lois, laughing, "I do not understand it very
clearly myself. I cannot blame you. But it is very curious, Madge, that
the ancient Persians had just that idea of the world being a
battle-place, and that wrong and right were fighting; or rather, that
the Spirit of good and the Spirit of evil were struggling. Ormuzd was
their name for the good Spirit, and Ahriman the other. It is very
strange, for that is just the truth."

"Then why is it strange?" said downright Madge.

"Because they were heathen; they did not know the Bible."

"Is that what the Bible says? I didn't know it."

"Why, Madge, yes, you did. You know who is called the 'Prince of this
world'; and you know Jesus 'was manifested that he might destroy the
works of the devil'; and you know 'he shall reign till he has put all
enemies under his feet.' But how should those old Persians know so
much, with out knowing more? I'll tell you, Madge! You know, Enoch
knew?"--

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do! Enoch knew. And of course they all knew when they came
out of the ark"--

"Who--the Persians?"

Lois broke out into a laugh, and began to move her broom again.

"What have you been reading, to put all this into your head?"

The broom stopped.

"Ancient history, and modern; parts here and there, in different books.
Mrs. Barclay showed me where; and then we have talked"--

Lois began now to sweep vigorously.

"Lois, is _she_ like the people you used to see in New York? I mean,
were they all like her?"

"Not all so nice."

"But like her?"

"Not in everything. No, they were not most of them so clever, and most
of them did not know so much, and were not so accomplished."

"But they were like her in other things?"

"No," said Lois, standing still; "she is a he