necessity," answered the elder man; "the denizens of Levachan enter
their houses wherever they please without experiencing the slightest
obstruction. Likewise light and air are not here confined to special
material and apertures for their admission. We are only just
beginning to discover some of the possibilities of matter upon our
plane of existence. Here these things are understood; for matter and
spirit are one, their apparent difference lying in us."

"Yes," said Paul, "and I perceive that the inhabitants move from
place to place through the upper atmosphere in defiance of all law!"

"Law, Mr. Henley, is the operation of man's will. Where man through
uncounted eons of time has believed himself the slave of matter, it
becomes his master. I mean that the belief enslaves him, and not
until he has worked his way out of the false belief, will he become
free."

They continued their walk through gardens of bewitching beauty, and
amid lights so far transcending any previous experience of Henley's
that he no longer even tried to comprehend Ah Ben's labored
explanations. At last his guide, turning, abruptly said:

"Come, let us return; the time is growing short!"

"Time!" said Henley, with an amused expression. "I thought you told
me that time was only a mental condition!"

"True, I did," said Ah Ben, with a return of the same inexpressibly
sad look; "but did I tell you that it had ceased to belong to me?"