"You could not interest me more," said Mrs. Markland. "I am listening with the deepest attention." "Have you ever thought much of the relation between your soul and body; or, as I would say, between your spiritual body and your natural body?" asked Mrs. Willet. "Often; but with a vagueness that left the mind wearied and dissatisfied." "I had a long talk with Mr. Allison on that subject," said Fanny. "Ah!" Mrs. Willet looked toward Fanny with a brightening face. "And what did he say?" "Oh! a great deal--more than I can remember." "You can recollect something?" "Oh yes. He said that our spiritual bodies were as perfectly organized as our material bodies, and that they could see, and hear, and feel." "He said truly. That our spirits have vision every one admits, when he uses the words, on presenting some idea or principle to another--'Can't you see it?' The architect sees the palace or temple before he embodies it in marble, and thus makes it visible to natural eyes. So does the painter see his picture; and the sculptor his statue in the unhewn stone. You see the form of your absent father with a distinctness of vision that makes every feature visible; but not with the eyes of your body." "No, not with my bodily eyes," said Fanny. "I have thought a great deal about this since I talked with Mr. Allison; and the more I think of it, the more clearly do I perceive that we have spiritual bodies as well as natural bodies." "And the inevitable conclusion is, that the spiritual body must live, breathe, and act in a world above or within the natural world, where all things are adapted to its functions and quality." "In this world are the spiritual flowers we were speaking about?" said Mrs. Markland, smiling. "Yes, ma'am; in this world of _causes_, where originate all _effects_ seen in the world of nature," answered Mrs. Willet;--"the world from which flowers as well as men are born." "I am bewildered," said Mrs. Markland, "by these suggestions. That a volume of truth lies hidden from common eyes in this direction, I can well believe. As yet my vision is too feeble to penetrate the vail." "If you look steadily in this direction, your eyes will, in time, get accustomed to the light, and gradually see clearer and clearer," said Mrs. Willet. CHAPTER XXV. SOME incidents interrupted the conversation at this point, and when it flowed on again, it was in a slightly varied channel, and gradually changed from the abstract into matters of more personal interest. "What a mystery is life!" exclaimed Mrs. Markland, the words following an observation that fell from the lips of Mr. Willet. "Is it a mystery to you?" was asked, with something of surprise in the questioner's tone.