They are of the darkness: she of
the light. But perhaps," he added, "she is not of your race."

Thus the Thing for which Chandrapal had never ceased to watch since his
foot touched Western soil was first revealed to him; thus also the
secret of his own heart, which he had guarded so long from the intrusion
of the "wise," was first suffered to escape. He had lit his beacon and
seen the answering fire.

* * * * *

Several months elapsed, during which Chandrapal continued his travels,
visiting the capitals of Europe, interviewing German Professors, and
seeing more and more of the Great Illusion (for so he deemed it) which
is called "Progress" in the West. He met reformers everywhere, and
studied their schemes for amending the world; he heard debates in many
parliaments, and did obeisance to several kings; he visited the
institutions where day by day the wounded are brought from the battle,
and where medicaments are poured into the running sores of Society; he
went to churches, and heard every conceivable variety of Christian
doctrine; he sat in the lecture-halls of socialists, secularists,
anarchists, and irreconcilables of every sort; he made acquaintance with
the inventors of new religions; he saw the Modern Drama in London,
Paris, Berlin, and Vienna; he attended political meetings and listened
to great orators; he was taken to reviews and beheld the marching of
Armies and the manoeuvring of Fleets; he was shown an infinity of
devices for making wheels go round, and was told of coming inventions
that would turn them faster still. All these and many more such things
passed in vision before him; but nothing stirred his admiration, nothing
provoked his envy, nothing disturbed his fixed belief that Western
civilization was an air-born bubble and a consummation not to be
desired.

"The disease of this people is incurable," he thought, "because they are
ignorant of the Origin of Sorrow. Hence they heal their woe at one end
and augment its sources at the other. But as for me, I will hold my
peace; for there is none here, no, not even the wisest, who would hear
or understand. Never will the Light break forth upon them till the East
has again conquered the West."

A MIRACLE

II

When all these things had been accomplished Chandrapal was again in
Deadborough--a guest at the Rectory. It was Billy Rowe, an urchin of
ten, who informed me of the arrival. Billy had just been let out of
s