"Do you not? Yet my meaning is scarcely obscure! If men were true to their immortal instincts and to the God that made them,--if they were generous, honest, fearless, faithful, reverent, unselfish, ... if women were pure, brave, tender and loving,--can you not imagine that in the strong force and fairness of such a world, 'Lucifer, son of the Morning' would be moved to love instead of hate?--that the closed doors of Paradise would be unbarred--and that he, lifted towards his Creator on the prayers of pure lives, would wear again his Angel's crown? Can you not realize this, even by way of a legendary story?" "Why yes, as a legendary story the idea is beautiful,"--I admitted--"And to me, as I told you once before, quite new. Still, as men are never likely to be honest or women pure, I'm afraid the poor devil stands a bad chance of ever getting redeemed!" "I fear so too!" and he eyed me with a curious derision--"I very much fear so! And his chances being so slight, I rather respect him for being the Arch-Enemy of such a worthless race!" He paused a moment, then added--"I wonder how we have managed to get on such an absurd subject of conversation? It is dull and uninteresting as all 'spiritual' themes invariably are. My object in bringing you out on this voyage is not to indulge in psychological argument, but to make you forget your troubles as much as possible, and enjoy the present while it lasts." There was a vibration of compassionate kindness in his voice which at once moved me to an acute sense of self-pity, the worst enervator of moral force that exists. I sighed heavily. "Truly I have suffered"--I said--"More than most men!" "More even than most millionaires deserve to suffer!" declared Lucio, with that inevitable touch of sarcasm which distinguished some of his friendliest remarks--"Money is supposed to make amends to a man for everything,--and even the wealthy wife of a certain Irish 'patriot' has not found it incompatible with affection to hold her moneybags close to herself while her husband has been declared a bankrupt. How she has 'idolized' him, let others say! Now, considering _your_ cash-abundance, it must be owned the fates have treated you somewhat unkindly!"