Drawn  together  by  the  principle  of  mutual  affinity,
Seraphael  and  Seraphita  thought  but  of  each  other  and  with-
drew themselves  from  among  the  other  angels  in  Heaven.
With  greater  lavishness  than  this  world  can  conceive
had  God  endowed  them  with  spiritual  graces,  and  in  silent
and  perfect  adoration  each  had  acknowledged  his  debt  and
his  happiness  until  they  met  each  other.  Even  then,  by  their
almost  infinite  strength  and  wisdom  they  had  refrained  from
all  selfishness,  and  without  consciousness  of  refraining,  for
what  would  be,  if  measured  by  the  measure  bound  in  the
mind  of  man,  thousands  upon  thousands  of  cycles,  and  for
many  more  cycles,  innumerable  cycles,  they  had  fought
selfishness.
There  came  a  time  when  they  conquered  the  shadow  of
evil  which  hung  over  them,  and  then  rang  intensely  through
all  Heaven's  souls  the  reverberations  of  renewed  love  for  the
great  Source  of  Love.
105


A    VOICE    FROM    THE    SILENCE


At  this  time  Seraphael  and  Seraphita  might  have  been
relieved  from  all  danger  of  again  committing  the  same  error,
but  they  did  not  choose  to  accept  such  freedom.  They  were
stronger  now,  they  were  wiser  now,  they  were  purer  than  they
had  been.
But  once  more  the  self  in  each  sought  the  other  too
strongly,  once  more  the  joy  they  derived  from  each  other
blinded  them  to  the  presence  of  the  Supreme  Source  of
Joy.  They  forgot  that  the  light  they  so  adored  in  each  other
was  bestowed  on  them  by  the  Essence  of  Light,  when  He
called  them  forth  from  the  Infinite  and  gave  them  names,
and  lo!  they  were!

Surrounded  by  the  Light  Himself,  they  were  yet  in
darkness  unless  near  each  other.
Then  God  spake.
When  they  heard  His  voice  they  were  afraid.  They
turned  themselves  to  listen.
