“It is partly the result of sectarianism.”
“What do you mean by sectarianism?”
“The exclusive and narrow religious spirit of fools—the spirit that prompts a man to say, ‘You do not believe what I believe, therefore you are damned.’ ”
“Are there, then, such absurd persons in the world?”
“Hundreds, mostly Christian.”
“Christian!”
“By profession.”
“But not in spirit.”
“Hardly.”
The sky had grown more overcast and a certain heavy torpor in the air gave promise of thunder. Masses of purple clouds stood piled in the west, cratered with burning pits of fire. A vast vault of ebony was rising towards the sun. Now and again a sudden gusty wind came breathing about the house, making the trees shudder as though they feared a storm.