He spent the hours of exile in a constant effort to commune with the Father; in humble prayer and supplication for strength to resist the power of sin.  For he feared the Evil which lurked in the land.  He examined the springs of his own actions, analyzed his motives, and tortured himself lest any of the evils denounced in the Book should lurk in the folds of his own soul.  In contemplating the awful justice of the Father, he sometimes forgot that He is Love.  He feared close commune with the children of the earth, for Evil dwelt among them; he looked not into the winecup, nor danced with the maidens under the caressing tendrils of the vine or the luxuriant branches of the myrtle—­nay, the rose cheek of the maiden was a terror to him, for lo!  Evil might lurk under its brilliant bloom.  The Dread of Evil sapped the Joy of Life!

He turned from all the lovely Present, to catch faint traces of the dim Past, to picture the unseen Future, about which it is vain to disquiet ourselves, since, like everything else, it rests upon the heart of God!  His life was holy, innocent, and self-sacrificing.  He sought to serve his fellow men, yet feared to give them his heart, lest he should rob the Father of His just due.  He knew not from his own experience that Love is infinite, and grows on what it gives.  He bore religious consolation to the afflicted, aid to the needy, sympathy to the suffering.  He was universally esteemed, but the spirit of his brethren broke not into joy at his approach, for the trusting heart of genial humanity throbbed not in his sad breast.  He was no Pharisee, but he dined not with the Publican, and the precious ointment of the Magdalen never bathed his weary head.  His language was:  ’All is fleeting and evil, save Thee, O my Father; in Thee alone can rest be found!’

Solace for human anguish can only be found upon the heart of love.  ’Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind:  and thy neighbor as thyself!’ Blessed Son of Mary!  Thou alone hast fully kept these two commandments!

‘For wisdom is justified of her children!’

* * * * *

Angelo, Zophiel, and Jemschid also resolved to avoid the Evil spoken of in the Book of Life.  But the far country into which the Father had sent them was lovely in their eyes, and they were charmed with the Beauty with which He had surrounded them.  They dreamed by the shady fountains, with their silver flow and gentle ripples; roamed by the darker rivers as they hurry on to plunge themselves into the sea; gazed on the restless ocean breakers when the dying sun fringes their crest with rainbow hues, and the flushing sky, to cool her burning blushes, flings herself into the heart of the restless waters.  They loved to breathe the ‘difficult air’ of mountain tops, so softly pillowed and curtained by the fleecy vapors, which they win again from heaven in limpid streams, leading them in wild leaps through