evolution of the senses, and say that no man in the future can ever hear
or see further than men have in the past? How dare you, sir, with your
imperfect faculties and your perfunctory method of research, which can
only cover an infinitesimal period in the existence of this planet,
venture to limit the potentialities of those laws which have already
converted us from ascidians into men, and which may as easily evolve in
us the faculty of hearing tom-toms in the Himalayas while we are sitting
here, as of that articulate speech or intelligent reasoning which, owing
to their operation, we now possess?

_Germsell_. Pardon me, you do not possess them, Mr Fussle.

_Lady Fritterly_. Mr Fussle, might I ask you to take this cup of tea to
Mrs Allmash? Mr Germsell, it would be too kind of you to hand Mrs
Gloring the cake.

_Fussle_ [_savagely_]. We will continue this conversation at the
Minerva.

_Mrs Allmash_ [_apart to the_ Khoja]. Oh, Mr Allyside, I am so glad to
hear that you speak English so perfectly! I want you to tell me all
about your religion; perhaps it may help us, you know, to find the
religion of the future, which we are all longing for. And I am so
interested in oriental religions! there is something so charmingly
picturesque about them. I quite dote on those dear old Shastras, and
Vedas, and Puranas; they contain such a lot of beautiful things, you
know.

_Ali Seyyid_. I know as little, madam, of the Indian books you mention
as I do of the Bible, which I have always heard was a very good book, and