“And Mary? I haven’t heard about her for some time.”
“She is very much changed. You would hardly know her. She was in bed nearly a month after Ben’s death. But I’ve thought she looked better lately.”
“Youth is strong,” said Clayton; “it can survive much. But I am surprised that Mrs. Dudley has called there.”
When Justin had nothing further to communicate Clayton turned again to his writing. But that night he called Justin into his study, a place in which Justin had passed many pleasant hours. Clayton was hollow-cheeked and nervous. The news of the coming of Sibyl to Paradise Valley had not been without its evil effect.
“You are well, Justin?” he inquired solicitously.
“Quite well,” said Justin, with some show of surprise.
“I hoped so; but things have gone so wrong here lately that I worry about every one.”
He took up some sheets of paper on which he had been writing.
“In our latest talk I was telling you something about the new views I have worked out concerning spiritual matters. I told you I had come to the conclusion that the laws which apply to the material world apply also to the spiritual world. In the material world we have the law of evolution. We do not know how life begins, but we know how it develops. Applying this to the spiritual world, we may say that though we cannot know how spiritual life begins it must develop after it begins. And development implies different grades or orders of beings; name them angels, or what you will.”
“You know I said I wasn’t able to agree with you about all those things,” Justin reminded, gently.