“No, Carmen, the meaning is spiritual––mental; it is not physically tangible. It is not seen with the fleshly eyes.”
“The meaning of a word is the inside of it, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is the inside, the soul, of the word.”
“And we don’t see the word, either, do we?” She shook her brown curls in vigorous negation.
“No, little one, we see only written or printed symbols; or hear only sounds that convey to us the words. But the words themselves are mental. We do not see them.”
“No, we think them.” She meditated a while. “But, Padre dear,” she continued, “the inside, or soul, of everything is mental. We never see it. We have to think it.”
“Yes, you are right. The things we think we see are only symbols. They stand for the real things.”
“Padre, they don’t stand for anything!” she replied abruptly.
Josè looked down at her in surprise. He waited.