The Secret Power

your object, what is the us

all aerial form of Morgana, clad in summer garments of pure white, her golden head uncovered to the strong Sicilian sunshine which came piercing in sword-like

limit of known possibility-suppose your air-ship to be invulnerable, and surpassing in speed and safety everything ever experienced,-suppose it could travel to hei

abruptly in her

t seems to me that there are remedies for most of our evils in the very composition of the elements-if we were not ignorant and stupid enough to discourage our discoverers on the verge of discovery. My application of a certain substance, known to scientists, but scarcely understood, is an attempt to solve the problem of swift aerial motion by light and heat-light and heat being the chiefest supports of life. To use a force giving out light

hy

der pity in it. Morgana looked up at him wi

obody is really happy, and I cannot expect

walk to and fro, and she

ess is?" he asked, then-"Have you

kly-"But only at rare i

e"-and he moved towards a stone bench which fronted an ancient disused well in the middle square of the cloistered co

n the silver crucifix he wore, giving it the gleam

as this little lady's first experience of

nergy-"That was anything but happiness! I

his eyebrows in su

ds-and red cheeks,-and red lips with a silly smile on them! Of course they are given to girl-children to encourage the 'maternal instinct' as it is c

a baby yourself once!"

swept ove

cted all children of either disease or wickedness, and imagined I would catch infection of body or of soul by association with them. I was always alone-alone!-yet not lonely!" She broke off

look at her, but said

! I have seen it many times since, but not with all the wonder and ecstasy of the first revelation. I was so young, too! I told a renowned professor at one of the American colleges just what I saw, and he was so amazed and confounded at my description of rays that had taken the best scientists years to discover, that he begged to be allowed to examine my eyes! He thought there must be something unusual about them. In fact there IS!-and after his examination he seeme

n heaven?" asked

hesi

I was only a child, and heaven was a real pla

have lost

ttle gesture

wered-"I did not lose

features expressed a certain g

resu

tland. Oh, it is such a wild corner of the world! Beautiful craggy hills and dark, deep lakes-rough moorlands purple with heather and such wonderful skies at sunset! The cottage where my father had lived as a boy when he herded sheep is still there-I have bought it for myself now,-it is a little stone hut of three rooms,-and another one about a mile off where he took my mother to live, and where I came into the world!-I have bought that too. Yes-I felt a great thrill of happiness when I stood the

smile. "If old Alison has anything to do

er and grandfather-she came to my father's cottage the night I was born, and said strange things about a 'May child'-I was born in May. We went-as I tell you-to see her, and found her spinning. She looked up from her wheel as we entered-but she did not seem surprised at our coming. Her eyes

erstand it now?

wonderful thing to be born 'fey'! But it is a k

eaven and earth' which are beyond our immediate knowledge? That there are women strangely endowed with premonitory instincts land preternatural gifts? Dear

o his, and a little s

you!-the clue is given into your hand,-the secret is disclosed-and the spirits of air and fire and water have opened a door that you may enter in! Hark!-I can hear their voices calling "Morgana! Morgana!" Go your ways, child!-go hence and far!-the world is too small for your wings!' She looked so fierce and grand and terrible that I was frightened-I was only a girl of sixteen, and I ran to my father and caught his hand. He spoke quite gently to Alison, but she seemed quite beyond herself and unable to listen. 'Your way lies down a different road, John Royal'-she said-'You that herded sheep on these hills and that now hoard millions of money-of what use to you is your wealth? You are but the worker,-gathering gold for HER-the "fey" child born in an hour of May moonlight! You must go, but she must stay,-her own folk have work for her to do!' Then my father said, 'Dear Alison, don't frighten the child!' and she suddenly changed in her t

ss?" said Don Aloysius, wonderingly-"What happiness

n a world of my own-" she paused, and her eyes grew dark and pensive, "and I have lived in it ever since. That is why I say my visit t

alive

ten fancy she

ossing over to the old well, studied the crimson passion-

id-"And they seem to serve no pu

res"-said Aloysius-"To give joy and re-c

d at him

ighed-"I can neither g

with all y

they resent it-they think you are doing it because you are afraid of them! Perhaps the worst of all things to do is to help artists-artists of every kind!-for THEY say you want to advertise yourself as a 'generous patron'! Oh, I've tried it all and it's no use. I was just crazy to hel

man!" said Aloys

. When I first met him, my whole heart gave itself in one big pulsation-but like a wave of the sea, the pulsation recoiled, and never again beat on the grim rock of human egoism

the priest's grave eyes

change the face of the world. But he is fooling with fire! I tell you I tried to help him-for he is deadly poor. But he

sius was

he Northern Highlands is in my blood,-never a love for me-

e there passed a quiv

wer of which you appear to be unconscious-a great, a terrible power!-you compel interest-you a

sed, a

-the blue lightning glea

whispered-"I know

us rose to

-in God's name do not

defence. Morgana looked at him wonderingly for a moment,-then drooped her head with a strange little air of

should not-you should not break the heart of-of-th

yes again and fi

d-set watch-bracelet on her wrist-"How late it is!-nearly all the morning gone! I have kept you so long listening to my talk-forg

e echoed

al of happiness between this world and the next,

eful!-marred by sin at every moment! A priest of the Church must learn to do without happiness such as

t him, sweet

t it is not worth a regret! Good-bye!

sun. Don Aloysius watched her till she had vanished,-then turned aside into a small chapel opening out on the cloistered square-a chapel which formed part of the monastic house to wh