outcome of God’s own personality—­the atmosphere surrounding the World in which He has His existence—­a World created by Love and for Love alone.  I cannot force this theory on public attention, which is at present claimed by various learned professors, who give ingenious explanations of “atoms” and “molecules;” yet, even regarding these same “atoms,” the mild question may be put:  Where did the first “atom” come from?  Some may answer:  “We call the first atom god.”  Surely it is as well to call Him a Spirit of pure Light as an atom?  However, the fact of one person’s being convinced of a truth will not, I am aware, go very far to convince others.  I have related my “experience” exactly as it happened at the time, and my readers can accept or deny the theories of Heliobas as they please.  Neither denial, acceptance, criticism, nor incredulity can affect me personally, inasmuch as I am not Heliobas, but simply the narrator of an episode connected with him; and as such, my task is finished.

Appendix.

[In publishing these selections from letters received concerning the “Romance,” I am in honour bound not to disclose the names of my correspondents, and this necessary reticence will no doubt induce the incredulous to declare that they are not genuine epistles, but mere inventions of my own.  I am quite prepared for such a possible aspersion, and in reply, I can but say that I hold the originals in my possession, and that some of them have been read by my friend Mr. George Bentley, under whose auspices this book has been successfully launched on the sea of public favour.  I may add that my correspondents are all strangers to me personally—­not one of them have I ever met.  A few have indeed asked me to accord them interviews, but this request I invariably deny, not wishing to set myself forward in any way as an exponent of high doctrine in which I am as yet but a beginner and student.—­Author.]

LETTER I.

“Dear madam,

“You must receive so many letters that I feel it is almost a shame to add to the number, but I cannot resist writing to tell you how very much your book, ‘The Romance of Two Worlds,’ has helped me.  My dear friend Miss F——­, who has written to you lately I believe, first read it to me, and I cannot tell you what a want in my life it seemed to fill up.  I have been always interested in the so-called Supernatural, feeling very conscious of depths in my own self and in others that are usually ignored. ...  I have been reading as many books as I could obtain upon Theosophy, but though thankful for the high thoughts I found in them, I still felt a great want—­that of combining this occult knowledge with my own firm belief in the Christian religion.  Your book seemed to give me just what I wanted—­ it has deepened and strengthened my belief in