As to this story your husband has told you, I am bound to say that it has happened before in the world's history many times that men have seen, or thought they saw, a man rise into the air.

In my opinion it is not the indication of a sound mind when men see such things, and I feel sure that such a phenomenon, fact or delusion, whatever it may be, cannot bear any relation to the religious life.

My advice to you is--ah, Susannah, I can say it truly in the sight of God and of my own conscience--my advice to you is to be quit of such men and such scenes, but I dare not keep back from you the truth that this one story, so far from lessening my confidence in your husband's probity or in Smith's, has rather increased it; for, being very ignorant men, they could not have heard of these stories that I have told you, for I have read them only in rare books; that they have reproduced the same incident seems rather to prove that they have by accident stumbled upon the same fact--whether a dizziness of the eyes, or an affection of the brain, or an actual counteraction of gravity, I cannot tell." She listened, drinking in each slow word.

After all, then, to-day was just like yesterday, and that which she had to decide was as to the reasonableness of the whole new doctrine, as to her willingness to live among such scenes and such men.
There had been no sudden madness or deceit to give her reason for sudden revolt (perhaps her heart said excuse instead of reason).
Ephraim had grown very pale.

After he had watched her for a while, he said with a sad smile, "You will not come home with me to-day, Susannah ?" "I must think over all this again, Ephraim.