De L'Ester—We fear that we may have taxed your amiability and patience, but, after consideration, we decided to afford Gentola̤ a view of certain of earth's regions with which she was unacquainted, so that she might compare them with regions of a corresponding latitude and longitude of Ento. The youth who accompanies us is the son of Gentola̤, who four years ago passed into our spirit world and this is his first visit to Ento. Bernard, dear boy, this is our esteemed Ento friend, Zenesta̤ Ha̤o, once a Professor of Languages in this Galarēsa̤.
Bernard—Sir, I am happy in making your acquaintance, and deeply grateful that these dear friends have allowed me to accompany my mother to your planet.
Zenesta Hao—Inidora̤, Genessano and I, as representatives of our people, with much good will offer the son of Gentola̤ a cordial welcome to Ento.
Bernard—For which you and they have my thanks.
Zenesta Hao—Friends, previous to my coming here, I visited the invalid at Da̤o. Dano's arrival has stimulated Valloa̤'s life forces, and a ray of hope lights up Omanas Fûnha̤'s despairing heart. It is but the fitful burning of the expiring flame and the young creature can survive but for a brief time. As the union between herself and her physical body weakens, she grows more spiritualized and sensitive; so also does Prince Dano, who does not deceive himself with false hopes of Valloa̤'s recovery, and both gladly are growing into a clearer understanding of the wondrous truth that life is continuous. With timorous joy they whisper of a time when they may be reunited to part no more, but it is pitiful to listen to their murmured words of love, of sorrow and of the newly born hope which yet is too marvellous to be fully realized. With tears in my eyes and tenderest pity in my heart I turned from them, for I remembered, aye, I remembered when my beloved Armena̤'s life went out and left me desolate and despairing.
De L'Ester—For your report which partakes of both joy and sorrow, we thank you, and we will so shape our movements as to meet all emergencies.
Gentola̤, you are aware that early in the present century there lived a man of Scotch birth named Hugh Miller, who was so orthodox that he found himself unequal to the feat of balancing the Bible in one scale, and the results of his geological investigations in the other. Despairingly he abandoned the futile attempt, and suddenly crossed over the Scottish border into a world, not of effects, but of causes. Come forward, sir, and afford me the pleasure of introducing to you our intrepid medium Gentola̤.
Hugh Miller—Madame, this is a strange meeting between one who was, and one who yet is an inhabitant of our Earth plane, where once I earnestly, anxiously, prayerfully strove to go toward the light. During my investigations evidences, which I could neither dispute or explain away, so perplexed me that I fell into a vortex of doubt and dismay that whirled me into the world of spirits. I perceive that you do not know my story. I pray you acquaint yourself with it.
While in the physical body the study of geology was with me a positive passion, and when in the world of spirits I recovered from my temporary aberration of mind, gladly and naturally I continued my favorite pursuit.
Yes, madame, I was greatly surprised, I may say overwhelmed, when upon regaining full consciousness I found the spirit world so unlike all my preconceived notions, but as real, as substantial, as the old red sandstone which had so perplexed and upset all my ideas concerning the creation of our world. I had been taught and did believe that in six days God created the heavens and the earth, and all that was therein, but geology told another story. It related that the Earth had not been created, but that through ages and ages it had evolved from cosmic matter into a measurable world, which through other ages had become fitted for the abode of myriad life forms. As a thoroughly orthodox believer my very Soul revolted against these evidences of nature, and finally under blows of a small hammer upon a leaf of God's revelation in stone my reason reeled, and I—— But no more retrospection.