Page:A thousand years hence. Being personal experiences (IA thousandyearshen00gree).djvu/390

 artificial conditions, the Upper Solar existence in any threatened case. But, as they calmly argue, why enter upon any such forced and inferior conditions! There is ever, accordingly, perfect resignation to the final extinction of the race in each successive case. And again, it would be within the power of their science to effect a timely escape to other suns, more or less perfectly suited to them, and having yet millions of generations of life before them, which are in full communion with them, and where they would be loyally welcomed. But each solar world accepts its own destiny and fate, and this escape-resource has never been adopted. They reflect that the comparative handful of their particular section of the race will not be missed in the many millions of the peopled suns of Upper Solar life attainment; and that there is a still more satisfying eternity for all of them in that spiritual life of the future, which is the common heritage of man.

And now it was for Brown and me to wonder how we, the Peri of a lower world, were to be dealt with at the gate of this paradise, to which we were approaching. I must say that, even in spite of sundry comic sensations, I felt penetrated by a profound respect and awe, as the bright, keen, all-speaking pair of eyes concentrated upon me, the short squat figure having first raised itself to my level by mounting a chair. There was further a mysterious uncomfortable glitter about those small upper eyes in the forehead, whose jet-black extremities were