xactly as the petals of a water-lily close
over the yellow crown in stormy weather; but when the sun at
midday pierces through the funnel in the dome and lights upon
the golden flower, the petals open and reveal the hidden mystery,
only to close again when the ray has passed.

Nor is this all. Standing in semicircles at equal distances
from each other on the north and south of the sacred place are
ten golden angels, or female winged forms, exquisitely shaped
and draped. These figures, which are slightly larger than life-size,
stand with bent heads in an attitude of adoration, their faces
shadowed by their wings, and are most imposing and of exceeding
beauty.

There is but one thing further which calls for description
in this altar, which is, that to the east the flooring in front
of it is not of pure white marble, as elsewhere throughout the
building, but of solid brass, and this is also the case in front
of the other two altars.

The eastern and western altars, which are semicircular in shape,
and placed against the wall of the building, are much less imposing,
and are not enfolded in golden petals. They are, however, also
of gold, the sacred fire burns on each, and a golden-winged figure
stands on either side of them. Two great golden rays run up
the wall behind them, but where the third or middle one should
be is an opening in the wall, wide on the outside, but narrow
within, like a loophole turned inwards. Through the eastern
loophole stream the first beams of the rising sun, and strike
right across the circle, touching the folded petals of the great
gold flower as they pass till they impinge upon the western altar.
In the same way at night the last rays of the sinking sun rest
for a while on the eastern altar before they die away into darkness.
It is the promise of the dawn to the evening and the evening
to the dawn.

With the exception of those three altars and the winged figures
about them, the whole space beneath the vast white dome is utterly
empty and devoid of ornamentation -- a circumstance that to my
fancy adds greatly to its splendour.

Such is a brief description of this wonderful and lovely building,
to the glories of which, to my mind so much enhanced by their
complete simplicity, I only wish I had the power to do justice.
But I cannot, so it is useless talking more about it. But when
I compare this great work of genius to some of the tawdry buildings
and tinsel ornamentation produced in