Page:Ben-Hur a tale of the Christ.djvu/458

Rh has not appeared to me since I met you in the tent of the good sheik; that is to say, I have not seen or heard it as formerly. I believe the voice that spoke to me in my dreams was it; but other than that I have no revelation.&quot;

&quot;I will recall the difference between us,&quot; said Ben-Hur, with deference. &quot;You were of opinion that he would be a king, but not as Cæsar is; you thought his sovereignty would be spiritual, not of the world.&quot;

&quot;Oh, yes,&quot; the Egyptian answered; &quot;and I am of the same opinion now. I see the divergence in our faith. You are going to meet a king of men, I a Saviour of souls.&quot;

He paused with the look often seen when people are struggling, with introverted effort, to disentangle a thought which is either too high for quick discernment or too subtle for simple expression.

&quot;Let me try, O son of Hur,&quot; he said, directly, &quot;and help you to a clear understanding of my belief; then it may be, seeing how the spiritual kingdom I expect him to set up can be more excellent in every sense than anything of mere Cæsarean splendor, you will better understand the reason of the interest I take in the mysterious person we are going to welcome.

&quot;I cannot tell you when the idea of a Soul in every man had its origin. Most likely the first parents brought it with them out of the garden in which they had their first dwelling. We all do know, however, that it has never perished entirely out of mind. By some peoples it was lost, but not by all; in some ages it dulled and faded; in others it was overwhelmed with doubts; but, in great goodness, God kept sending us at intervals mighty intellects to argue it back to faith and hope.

&quot;Why should there be a Soul in every man? Look, O son of Hur—for one moment look at the necessity of such a device. To lie down and die, and be no more no more—forever—time never was when man wished for such an end; nor has the man ever been who did not in his heart promise himself something better. The monuments of the nations are all protests against nothingness after death; so are statues and inscriptions; so is history. The