"Yet it may please him to have guardian spirits there as well as here,—about that we know not. In the Revelation, you know, an angel is spoken of as 'standing in the sun,' and from that Milton took his idea. Part of the description is very beautiful, at least;—
'So spake the false dissembler unperceived;
For neither man nor angel can discern
Hypocrisy, the only evil that walks
Invisible, except to God alone,
By his permissive will, through heaven and earth.
And oft though wisdom wake, suspicion sleeps
At wisdom's gate, and to simplicity
Resigns her charge, while goodness thinks no ill,
Where no ill seems: which now for once beguiled
Uriel, though regent of the sun, and held
The sharpest sighted spirit of all in heaven.'"
"Who is the person spoken of in the first line, Mr. Linden?"
"Satan—applying to Uriel for guidance to the new created earth and its inhabitants, on the same plea that Herod presented to the wise men."
"But that's a story?" said Faith.
"Yes. The Bible only tells the work done by him after he got here."
"Mr. Linden, will you read that over once more for me."
She listened with a face of absorbed intentness while it was read; then looked away from the book with an unconscious but very audible sigh.
"Well?" Mr. Linden said, smiling as he looked at her.
"I like it very much!" was Faith's answer.