at the words cannot
be put together; on certain pages the writing often seems so pale, so
blurred, that only a blank leaf appears. The wiser a man becomes, the
more he will read; and the wisest read most. He knew how to unite the
sunlight and the moonlight with the light of reason and of hidden
powers; and through this stronger light many things came clearly
before him from the page. But in the division of the book whose title
is "Life after Death" not even one point was to be distinctly seen.
That pained him. Should he not be able here upon earth to obtain a
light by which everything should become clear to him that stood
written in the Book of Truth?

[Illustration: THE BOOK OF TRUTH.]

Like the wise King Solomon, he understood the language of the animals,
and could interpret their talk and their songs. But that made him none
the wiser. He found out the forces of plants and metals--the forces to
be used for the cure of diseases, for delaying death--but none that
could destroy death. In all created things that were within his reach
he sought the light that should shine upon the certainty of an eternal
life; but he found it not. The Book of Truth lay before him with
leaves that appeared blank. Christianity showed itself to him in the
Bible with words of promise of an eternal life; but he wanted to read
it in _his_ book; but here he saw nothing written on the subject.

He had five children--four sons, educated as well as the children of
the wisest father could be, and a daughter, fair, mild, and clever,
but blind; yet this appeared no deprivation to her--her father and
brothers were outward eyes to her, and the vividness of her feelings
saw for her.

Never had the sons gone farther from the castle than the branches of
the tree extended, nor had the sister strayed from home. They were
happy children in the land of childhood--in the beautiful fragrant
Tree of the Sun. Like all children, they were very glad when any
history was related to them; and the father told them many things that
other children would not have understood; but these were just as
clever as most grown-up people are among us. He explained to them what
they saw in the pictures of life on the castle walls--the doings of
men and the march of events in all the lands of the earth; and often
the sons expressed the wish that they could be present at all the
great deeds and take part in them; and their father then told them
that out in the world it was difficu