"Moreover, most of his companions mocked him, but a few listened, even those who had some foretaste of his gift, and these believed that he was a god.
"As his fame spread abroad, men came from the ends of the earth to learn, if possible, the language that needed no signs, that passed mysteriously and invisibly from brain to brain. He found it possible to awaken in a few of these the dormant sense which all possessed, and such were able to work miracles among their fellows.
"And the savants stormed, and then when they found it impossible any longer to ignore the new power, they themselves began to give names to the mysteries; and having done this they were consoled, considering that they had thereby exorcised the supernatural.
"But the waves beat no longer unheard upon the beach; and the birds are loved by many for their voices as well as for their plumage. The mother hears her child's cry, and the lover the footstep of the beloved.
"Some, however, are still deaf, and others have not yet learned the language which is breathed so sweetly in the music of the fairies' songs."
PART II
CHAPTER VII
It was some weeks before Alan Sydney again returned to the story of his life. We often met, however, during this interval, both at his house and at mine. He seemed anxious to let me become better acquainted with his views and strange philosophy before describing any more of his experiences. So interesting did I find these discussions that, though still wishing to hear the conclusion of the tale, I did not press him to continue it. One evening, however, our conversation led back to the subject. We had been for some time discussing Buddhism; I had pointed out that many of the conclusions at which he had arrived resembled in certain ways the views professed by Eastern adepts.
"Truth is to be found in every faith," he replied, "and these occult philosophers have cultivated one side of knowledge which has been overlooked by European scientists. At the same time any one who has taken the trouble personally to examine the foundation on which the reports of marvellous powers possessed by certain Orientals are based will, I feel sure, have arrived at the following conclusions--
"Firstly, the metaphysical knowledge of these men is far in advance of their physical power to make use of it. In other words, they know many secret laws of nature, but usually fail in manipulating these laws to any useful purpose, often to any purpose at all. The reason for this is obvious. They have cultivated one part only of the sixth sense, and have done even this at the expense both of body and mind; instead of perfecting every faculty and keeping their personality evenly balanced, they have become deformed. It is as if a man hitherto deaf and suddenly conscious of the sense of hearing, should shut himself tip in a dark room and refuse to receive any impressions save those conveyed by sound; he would probably make considerable progress in hearing, but he would necessarily suffer deterioration in his other faculties.