There will be room for all at once. The idea of an individual, all whose
personalities are contemporaneous, may there be realized, and such an
individual would be, by any earthly measurement, a god.

"But there are many individuals," he pursued after a pause, "of which we
cannot imagine a blending of the successive persons to be possible.
There, for instance, are cases where there exist radical and bitter
oppositions and differences of character, and propensity between the
youth and the manhood of the individual. In the case of such ill-assorted
personalities a divorce _ex vinculo individui_ may be the only remedy;
and, possibly, the parties to it may be sent back to earth, to take their
chances of finding more congenial companions."

Ida had not said a word during the time they had sat at table. She had,
indeed, scarcely lifted her eyes from her plate.

As they rose she challenged Paul to a game at croquet, for which the
twilight left ample opportunity.

Miss Ludington and Dr. Hull sat upon the piazza in full view of the
players.

"What do you call her?" he asked, abruptly, after a pause in their
conversation.

"Why, we call her Ida, of course," replied Miss Ludington, with some
surprise. "What else could we call her? Is not her name Ida Ludington?"

"On my own account," said Dr. Hull, "I should not have needed to ask you,
because I am acquainted with the circumstances of the reassumption of her
earthly life and name, but how would you introduce her to one who was not
so acquainted--to any one, in fact, besides yourself, your nephew, and
myself?"

"In the same way, I suppose," replied Miss Ludington.

"Precisely," said the doctor "but if they were acquainted with your
family, or if they took any special interest in her, would they not want
to know what was the nature of her relationship to you? She could not be
your daughter. They would ask what was her connection with your family.
To tell them the truth would be of no use at all, for no one on earth
would believe what we know to be true, nor could I blame them, for I,
myself, would not have believed it if I had not been a witness."

Miss Ludington was silent a while. Then she said: "It does not matter; we
see few, I may say no strangers, or even acquaintances; we live alone. It
is enough that we know her."

"Yes," replied the doctor. "It is, indeed, quite another thing to what it
would be if you had a large circle of acquaintances. So long as you live,
it