First of all, for the sake of health, another walk along the beach seemed practical, and obeying the impulse, Villard soon found himself strolling leisurely over the path leading to the waters of the bay. He could hear the heavy intonation of the milling tide as it broke upon the sands, long before he reached his destination. Its deep muffled roar was not unlike the reveille of a drum corps in a far-away encampment. As he neared his destination, such was his serenity of mind that he felt himself in tune with all nature from earth to sky. His whole being thrilled at the wonderful message from his dead love. "There is no death!" he murmured--and then, in lower tone, almost a whisper, he repeated--"there is no death--my beloved knows the truth!" "Oh, Winifred," he cried aloft, "speak again to me! Tell me that you are near--that I may hope--that I may----" and then a chilling blast swept over the sands that sent a shiver through his body. A voice shouted--a voice he knew and loved so well. It seemed to say--"Life never dies!"--as clear as ever a human tongue could bear a message. It was the same sweet voice as of old, but all-pervading, seeming to completely encompass the eager man on all sides--and from below, and from above. His eyes opened wide in amazement as he put forth his whole strength to control his senses. A man of iron will, he would not fail himself at such a supreme moment! Near unto him was the spirit of his dead, the soul of his loved one--a second visitation. "Speak on, my Winifred!" he whispered hoarsely, while attempting to shout his words. "Life, itself, is everlasting!" rang out the voice once more. "The body dies when the soul takes flight--it is no more in being." "Yes, go on, my loved one! Tell me----" "Life is a common fund--endless--vast as the heavens--encompassing all space. Life is universal--it permeates, and through constant vibration animates all living things, from the blade of grass to the human soul--but the body dies, and returns to earth." "And of the soul, my Winifred? Tell me all that I should know, that I----" "Within the last moment of your life, when your soul prepares to take its flight, all shall be revealed to you. Your soul is the mentor of your brain, and the master of your conscience. By virtue of its quality will its destiny be governed.... So live, my Drury, that when your body dies your soul shall take the flight which leads to everlasting life." "And we shall meet again, Winifred?--and know each other----" "The test lies with you. I'll be waiting, Drury--waiting----" The voice ceased, and Villard, startled by the unfinished sentence, heard a faint sound as if a silken kerchief had fluttered forth upon the breezes. At once the air seemingly regained its usual warmth, the chilling blast following along in the wake of the departing spirit.