"Then a man comes forward to meet them. He wears a long robe, and his hair lies in smooth locks about his head. "'Ye souls that have passed through the school of earth,' says the man to them, 'can you say my Ten Commandments as they are said on earth to-day?' "I see the souls of the dead rejoicing that no harder question is asked than this. And all together answer: "'Thou shalt not worship false gods. "'Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. "'Thou shalt keep holy the Sabbath day. "'Thou shalt honour thy father and thy mother.' "I hear them say this, but haltingly, and with great difficulty. And they are wondering in their minds why it should be so hard to say the words. They do not know themselves what makes them stammer and speak so faintly. "'You have learned this in some manner, albeit with faults and errors,' says the teacher. 'Now say the rest!' "And then the souls of the dead speak out clearly and without difficulty: "'Thou shalt kill! "'Thou shalt commit adultery. "'Thou shalt steal. "'Thou shalt bear false witness. "'Thou shalt covet they neighbour's house. "'Thou shalt lay waste they neighbour's field, and his wife and his servant, his goods and all that is his.' "And when all this is said, I can see that the dead are glad to have passed the test so well. "But the teacher asks them: "'Who has taught you so to misread my law, that I had set to be a guard about the sacredness of human life?' "And they answer him: "'We are soldiers. We are the subjects and servants of Death.' "Then the teacher cries to them: "'Wake up, ye dead, and see who is this that ye honour, and who is your master!' "And I see them waken up out of the error of earthly life as from a long dream. And they see then with dread that they are immortal souls, whose place is in heaven, and they begin to sorrow for all that they have done on earth, and to fear for the punishment to come. "But then the teacher speaks to them again: "'I am he that is Lord of Death and of Life. "'And I sent Death upon earth to be the servant of Life. "'I let the withered leaves fall to the ground, that new fresh leaves may grow again next year. "'I let the stars in the firmament burn out and die that new stars may arise in their stead. "'I let the bodies of those who have lived their life be laid in the grave, that new life may bloom upon earth. "'But since Death has made himself master instead of servant, I will pursue him. "'For it is not my will that the harvest should be reaped before its time, nor the young fowl bird be taken by the fowler before it has built its nest and brought forth its young. "'And I will set a boundary and a landmark between the time that is now and the time that is to come; in a few years I will mark it. And this time shall be called the time of darkness.