re the intellectual
eye. We know that the friends, during the past summer, had participated
in these lectures, and, like the greater number, were full of
these subjects, from the contemplation of a drop of water, with its
innumerable animalculae, to the distance and magnitude of stars and
planets.

To most of us these are well-known doctrines; to the ladies, also, this
was nothing entirely new: nevertheless, it interested them; perhaps
partly owing to Otto's beautiful eloquence. The gray, rainy weather led
the conversation to the physical explanation of the origin of our globe,
as the friends, from Orsted's lectures, conceived it to have been.

"The Northern and Grecian myths agree also with it!" sail Otto. "We must
imagine, that in infinite space there floated an eternal, unending mist,
in which lay a power of attraction. The mist condensed itself now to
one drop--our globe was one enormous egg-shaped drop; light and warmth
operated upon this huge world egg, and hatched, not alone ONE creature,
but millions. These must die and give way to new ones, but their corpses
fell as dust to the centre: this grew; the water itself condensed, and
soon arose a point above the expanse of ocean. The warmth of the sun
developed moss and plants; fresh islands presented themselves;
for centuries did a more powerful development and improvement show
themselves, until the perfection was attained which we now perceive!"

"But the Bible does not teach us thus!" said Louise.

"Moses invented his account of the creation," answered Otto; "we keep to
Nature, who has greater revelations than man."

"But the Bible is to you a holy book?" asked Louise, and colored.

"A venerable book!" returned Otto. "It contains the profoundest
doctrines, the most interesting histories, but also much which belongs
not at all to a holy book."

"How can you say such things?" exclaimed Louise.

"Do not touch upon religion in her presence," said Sophie; "she is a
pious soul, and believes, without desiring to know wherefore."

"Yes," said Wilhelm, "this winter she became quite angry, and, as I
believe, for the first time angry with me, because I maintained that
Christ was a man."

"Wilhelm!" interrupted the young girl, "do not speak of that; I feel
myself unhappy at this thought; I can and will not see the Holy brought
down to my level, and to that of every-day life. It lies in my nature
that I commit a sin if I think otherwise than I have learned and than