Through ruined chambers and dark corridors, around black, yawning chasms, up and down great tottering stairways, now we passed, while I held in terror to the hand of my unmoved conductor. At length we stood in a city street. Remember, all was vague and indefinite to me, for it was but a vision or a dream. In the great surging mass of humanity I noted but two beings, a ragged woman and a little sleeping child which she was bearing in her arms. Plainly she was wandering in search of work. Behind her stood a black, misshapen something, gaunt and grisly, wearing a faint resemblance to the human form, and upon his gloomy forehead I thought I read the impress of this word, “Hunger.” In his hand he held a lash, and with it he even beat the shoulders of the woman, compelling her to quicken her weary steps; of escape she had no hope. Once she would have sank upon the pavement; the demon strode before with a starved and frightful laugh, and struck the child, which wakened with a moan. As if in answer to its call Love drew near, shining with a subdued but cheerful light. The tense lines upon the woman’s face relaxed; she arose and struggled on, but for a moment only. As the demon Hunger turned and beheld Love standing there he rushed upon her with a fearful cry, then turned and fled. Not an instant was the monster’s place unfilled. Another of his kind, with a still more awful countenance, upon which was written “Despair,” appeared and struck the woman to the ground; nor did he cease to rain upon her frightful blows, while she glared at him in fierce defiance. I hid my eyes, and when I looked again woman and child had vanished and in their places were two clods of earth. I fled in terror, for Love was nowhere to be seen; but at length I found her weeping bitterly. The sight of her, even in distress, renewed my courage to behold other things, dreadful though they might be. Yet what need to tell more? Hour after hour we wandered on, and always we found only such scenes of squalid misery or gilded hypocrisy as well might break the hearts of men though they meet them every day. At length Love lost the way, and she wandered through fearful ruins until, upon the brink of a fearful chasm just beneath the gloomy clouds, she sank to earth. Near by lay stores of all things necessary for life, yet it was a gruesome place. “Here we must perish,” moaned my guide, and from below I saw grisly Despair rising to drag us down. But even as Love spoke a rushing sound was heard above, and a great glory dissipated all the gloom. Before us stood another angel, bearing in his hands an anchor of jewelled gold. “Did you forget your wings, my sister?” she asked reproachfully. “How can you die, being immortal?” Before her gentleness and confidence doubt could not stand. Joyfully we grasped her anchor and rose with her above the clouds. And now I saw that the palace did not reach the skies, but that its topmost story was, oh! so near the earth.