Arabia alone has remained free and
faithful to the divine tradition. From its bosom we shall go forth and
sweep away the moulding remnants of the Tataric system; and then,
when the East has resumed its indigenous intelligence, when angels and
prophets again mingle with humanity, the sacred quarter of the globe
will recover its primeval and divine supremacy; it will act upon the
modern empires, and the faint-hearted faith of Europe, which is but
the shadow of a shade, will become as vigorous as befits men who are in
sustained communication with the Creator.'
'But suppose,' said Fakredeen, in a captious tone that was unusual with
him, 'suppose, when the Tataric system is swept away, Asia reverts to
those beautiful divinities that we beheld this morning?'
More than once, since they quitted the presence of Astarte, had
Fakredeen harped upon this idea. From that interview the companions
had returned moody and unusually silent. Strange to say, there seemed
a tacit understanding between them to converse little on that subject
which mainly engrossed their minds. Their mutual remarks on Astarte
were few and constrained; a little more diffused upon the visit to the
temple; but they chiefly kept up the conventional chat of companionship
by rather commonplace observations on Keferinis and other incidents and
persons comparatively of little interest and importance.
Pages:
597
598
599
600
601
602
603
604
605
606
607
608
609
610
611
612
613
614
615
616
617
618
619
620
621