id not seem to interest her. He felt that it jarred
somehow, and that she was wishing him away.

"But why," he asked, "should angels paint a marriage? They neither
marry----" He stopped, feeling that she might think him flippant if he
quoted the text.

"Because it is the best thing to paint," she said.

"How the best?"

"Well, just the best human thing: everyone knows that."

"Has her marriage been so gloriously happy?" said Caius to himself as
the soft assurance of her tones reached his ears, and for some reason or
other he felt desolate, as a soul might upon whom the door of paradise
swung shut. Then irritably he said: "_I_ don't know it. Most marriages
seem to me----" He stopped, but she had understood.

"But if this picture crumbles to pieces, that does not alter the fact
that the angels made it lovely." (Her slight accent, because it made the
pronunciation of each word more careful, gave her speech a quaint
suggestion of instruction that perhaps she did not intend.) "The idea is
painted on our hearts in just the same way; it is the best thing we can
think of, except God."

"Yet," urged Caius, "even if it is the best from our point of view, you
will allow that it is written that it is not a heavenly institution. The
angels should try to teach us to look at something higher."

"The words do not mean that. I don't believe there is anything higher
for us. I don't believe people are not married in heaven."

With sweet unreason she set aside authority when it clashed with her
opinion. To Caius she had never been so attractive as now, when, for the
first time to him, she was proving herself of kin to ordinary folk; and
yet, so curiously false are our notions of sainthood that she seemed to
him the less devout because she proved to be more loving.

"You see"--she spoke and paused--"you see, when I was at school in a
convent I had a friend. I was perfectly happy when I was with her and
she with me; it was a marriage. When we went in the garden or on the
sea, we were only happy when we were with each other. That is how I
learned early that it is only perfect to be two. Ah, when one knows what
it is to be lonely, one learns that that is true; but many people are
not given grace to be lonely--they are sufficient to themselves. They
say it is enough to worship God; it is a lie. He cannot be pleased; it
is selfish even to be content to worship God alone."

"The kind of marriage you think of, that perhaps may be made