The Wonderful Story of Ravalette

s absurdities on the world; nor had his peculiar system of morals made rogues of the one half of his deluded followers, or shameless harlots of the other; nor had lunatic asylums then been

lism had not broken in on the world, nor had the goblin philosophy made millions of fools and idiot fanatics out of material that God created for better purposes. In those days Joe Smith had not convinced thousands that harlotry is the straightest road to heaven; nor had Noyes founded his huge religious brothel in th

d did I become during the evening, that on one or two occasions I partially lost myself in a sort of semi-mesmeric coma, which gradually deepened as the discussion waxed warmer, unt

ror! The company were so engrossed with the matter before them, that no notice was taken of any change that might

us moment, and the present instantaneous, but positive agony-a sudden, sharp, tingling pang, like that of hot needles thrust in the flesh, shot through my brain. This was followed by a sinking sensation, as if the body had resigned itself to passive dissolutio

ease of hearing power accompanied this accretion of sight, and I heard a voice, precisely like that heard when my mother died, and when about to throw myself into the sea, which said, 'Awake! a lesson awaits you;' and with this there came a partial rousing from the lethargy, and I was l

on of those who die-who die, and live again-and of those who never taste of death. All this, and more, he told me; and he said that his design was to serve both himself and me; that he was familiar with certain mighty secrets, that had been claimed to be possessed, through many ages, by the wise and learned of earth-the Narek El Gebel, the Hermetists, the Pythagoreans, the three temples of the Rosie Cross, the medi?val and modern Rosicrucians, and the scattering delvers after mystery in all ages, times, and places. He said that among the things that I might learn from him, were the priceless secret of compounding the Elixir of Life, the drinking of which, by mortals, would confer perpetual youth and surprising beauty. Then there was the Lethean Draught, and

and activity of life never realized before, and knew for the first time what it was to be a human being. My freed spirit soared away into the superincumbent ether, and far, very far, beneath us rolled the great revolving globe; while far away in the black inane, twinkled myriads of fiery sparks-

ted our motion, and the cloud on which we seemed to float

s overcharged with lightnings; and their sombre shadows fell upon the plains below, heavy and pall-like, even as shrouds on the limbs of beauty, or the harsh critic's sentence upon the first fruits of budding and aspiring genius. 'It is nothing but a crowd,' said I; and the being at my side repeated, as if in

edifice was surmounted by a large and highly polished golden pyramid in miniature. On all of the faces of this pyramid was inscribed the Latin word Felicitas; I a

tain golden ball and staff which lay on a cushion of crimson velvet within the splendid open-sided monument on the mountain. In the midst of this lesser crowd, energetically striving to reach the ascending path, was one man who seemed to be endowed with far more strength and resolution-not of body, but of purpose-than those immediately around him. Bravely he urged his way toward the mountain's top, and, after almost incredible efforts, succeeded. Exultingly he approached the temple, by his side were hundreds more; he outran them, entered, reached forth to seize th

nally, 'that such hell-broth of vi

eater facility. No man is content to see another rise, except when such rising will assist his own elevation; and the man behind will stab the man in front, if he stands in his way. Human nature is infantile, childish, weak, passionate and desperately depraved, and as a rule, they are the greater villains who assume the most s

hands told me that it was exactly thirteen minutes since I had marked the hour on the dial. Since that hour I have had much similar

, in answer to questions propounded to him long bef