Page:Dealings with the dead.djvu/230

 ''those who Try, and trying for a time, at length become victors and enter in. Man fails because of feeble, sleeping, idle Will—succeeds, because he wakes it up and ever keeps it wakeful!"''

In an instant I turned to find whence these spoken words proceeded; and a sight of rare, surpassing beauty, such as ravished every sense of my inner being, fell upon my gaze. A female of regal aspect floated on beside the form of Thotmor; her radiant mien, beauty of form, loveliness of expression, and the grace of her every movement, were such that the language we apply to embodied woman can never convey an adequate idea of the peerless Queen before me. It was from her lips that the spoken words had come. As I gazed in utter bewilderment upon the houri, Thotmor smiled, and said: "This is Cynthia, whose sun I am; my moon she is: she is mine—I am hers—! On earth her body sleeps; here her soul is awake, and tuned to the melodies of Heaven. We are working for the World, and in that work find pleasure and excellent joy; but we only reached the bliss by Trying. Do thou the same, and tell thy earthly brothers to do likewise!" Thus recalled to mental effort, I strove to conquer my admiration for the woman, and address myself to thought; albeit the task was very difficult. We are human beings still, whether in or out of the body; and the same surmises, guesses and wonderments possess us, wheresoever we are. Thus, I could hardly help envying the Egyptian his glorious prize, nor wondering if he did not see much trouble and come to deep grief on her account. Certain it is, that no man on earth could rest quiet with such a treasure of beauty