glowing, teasing, agonising
principle of being, and makes us and beasts and trees and flowers all
kindred!"

"That is all very beautiful and fresh," said Lefevre, "but--"

"But," interrupted Julius, "it is not a new truth: the poet divined it
ages ago! Buddha, thousands of years ago, perceived it, and taught that
'all life is linked and kin;' so did the Egyptians and the Greeks, when
they worshipped the principle of life everywhere; and so did our own
barbaric ancestors, when the woods--the wonderful, mystic woods!--were
their temples. Life--the spirit of life!--is always beautiful; always to
be desired and worshipped!"

"Yes," said old Dr Rippon, who had listened to this astonishing rhapsody
with evident interest, with sympathetic and intelligent eye; "but a time
will come even to you, when death will appear more beautiful and
friendly and desirable than life."

Courtney was silent, and looked for a second or two deadly sick. He cast
a searching eye on Dr Rippon.

"That's the one thought," said he, "that makes me sometimes feel as if I
were already under the horror of the shade. It's not that I am afraid of
dying--of merely ceasing to live; it is that life may cease to be
delightful and friendly, and become an intolerable, decaying burden."

He filled a glass with Burgundy, and set himself attentively to drink
it, lingering on the bouquet and the flavour. Lefevre beheld him with
surprise, for he had never before seen Julius take wine: he was wont to
say that converse with good company was intoxicating enough for him.

"Why, Julius," said Lefevre, "that's a new experience you are
trying,--is it not?"

Julius looked embarrassed an instant, and then replied, "I have begun it
very recently. I did not think it wise to postpone the experience till
it might become an absolute necessity."

Old Dr Rippon watched him empty the glass with a musing eye. "'I sought
in mine heart,'" said he, gravely quoting, "'to give myself unto wine,
yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom.'"

"True," said Julius, considering him closely. "But, for completeness'
sake, you ought to quote also, 'Whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not
from them; I withheld not my heart from any joy.'"

Lefevre looked from the one to the other in some darkness of perplexity.

"You appear, John," said the old doctor, with a smile, "not to know one
of the oldest and greatest of books: you will find it included in your
Bible. Mr Courtney clearly knows it.