_The Rev. Dr. Opimian._ Assuredly, my dear. The word signifies 'beloved' in its purest sense. And in this sense it was used by Saint Paul in reference to some of his female co-religionists and fellow-labourers in the vineyard, in whose houses he occasionally dwelt. And in this sense it was applied to virgins and holy men, who dwelt under the same roof in spiritual love. _Mrs. Opimian._ Very likely, indeed. You are a holy man, doctor, but I think, if you were a bachelor, and I were a maid, I should not trust myself to be your aga--aga-- [Illustration: Should not trust myself to be your aga--aga. 076-44] _The Rev. Dr. Opimian._ Agapêtê. But I never pretended to this sort of spiritualism. I followed the advice of Saint Paul, who says it is better to marry. _Mrs. Opimian._ You need not finish the quotation. _The Rev. Dr. Opimian._ Agapêtê is often translated 'adoptive sister.' A very possible relation, I think, where there are vows of celibacy, and inward spiritual grace. _Mrs. Opimian._ Very possible, indeed: and equally possible where there are none. _The Rev. Dr. Opimian._ But more possible where there are seven adoptive sisters, than where there is only one. _Mrs. Opimian._ Perhaps. _The Rev. Dr. Opimian._ The manners, my dear, of these damsels towards their young master are infallible indications of the relations between them. Their respectful deference to him is a symptom in which I cannot be mistaken. _Mrs. Opimian._ I hope you are not. _The Rev. Dr. Opimian._ I am sure I am not. I would stake all my credit for observation and experience on the purity of the seven Vestals. I am not strictly accurate in calling them so: for in Rome the number of Vestals was only six. But there were seven Pleiads, till one disappeared. We may fancy she became a seventh Vestal. Or as the planets used to be seven, and are now more than fifty, we may pass a seventh Vestal in the name of modern progress. _Mrs. Opimian._ There used to be seven deadly sins. How many has modern progress added to them? _The Rev. Dr. Opimian._ None, I hope, my dear. But this will be due, not to its own tendencies, but to the comprehensiveness of the old definitions. _Mrs. Opimian._ I think I have heard something like your Greek word before. _The Rev. Dr. Opimian._ Agapêmonê, my dear. You may have heard the word Agapêmonê. _Mrs. Opimian._ That is it. And what may it signify? _The Rev. Dr. Opimian._ It signifies Abode of Love: spiritual love of course. _Mrs. Opimian._ Spiritual love, which rides in carriages and four, fares sumptuously, like Dives, and protects itself with a high wall from profane observation. _The Rev. Dr. Opimian._ Well, my dear, and there may be no harm in all that. _Mrs. Opimian._ Doctor, you are determined not to see harm in anything.