of abode in that hour!"

The voice ceased. Awed, yet consoled, I listened for it again. There
was no more sound. Around me was illimitable light--illimitable
silence. But a strange scene unfolded itself swiftly before me--a sort
of shifting dream that was a reality, yet so wonderfully unreal--a
vision that impressed itself on every portion of my intelligence; a
kind of spirit-drama in which I was forced to enact the chief part, and
where a mystery that I had deemed impenetrable was made perfectly clear
and simple of comprehension.

CHAPTER XI.

A MINIATURE CREATION.

In my heaven-uplifted dream, I thought I saw a circular spacious garden
in which all the lovely landscapes of a superior world appeared to form
themselves by swift degrees. The longer I looked at it, the more
beautiful it became, and a little star shone above it like a sun. Trees
and flowers sprang up under my gaze, and all stretched themselves
towards me, as though for protection. Birds flew about and sang; some
of them tried to get as near as possible to the little sun they saw;
and other living creatures began to move about in the shadows of the
groves, and on the fresh green grass. All the wonderful workings of
Nature, as known to us in the world, took place over again in this
garden, which seemed somehow to belong to me; and I watched everything
with a certain satisfaction and delight. Then the idea came to me that
the place would be fairer if there were either men or angels to inhabit
it; and quick as light a whisper came to me:

"CREATE!"

And I thought in my dream that by the mere desire of my being,
expressed in waves of electric warmth that floated downwards from me to
the earth I possessed, my garden was suddenly filled with men, women
and children, each of whom had a small portion of myself in them,
inasmuch as it was I who made them move and talk and occupy themselves
in all manner of amusements. Many of them knelt down to me and prayed,
and offered thanksgivings for having been created; but some of them
went instead to the little star, which they called a sun, and thanked
that, and prayed to that instead. Then others went and cut down the
trees in the garden, and dug up stones, and built themselves little
cities, where they all dwelt together like flocks of sheep, and ate and
drank and made merry with the things I had given them. Then I thought
that I increased their intelligence and quickness of perception, and
by-and-by the