some idea or some cause that possesses them—or some person"
"Yes, if I only knew some one with a cause—some prophet or other"
"All prophets are very sensual. Look at Mahomet—Brigham Young"
"Oh, be quiet!"
"But it's true!" said Basil, kissing her hand and laughing. "So don't run off after the first prophet you see. There are lots of them. But all of them, and all the great poets and philosophers of the world"
"Yes, yes, I've heard all that. Spiritual life, intellectual life, is only another form of self-indulgence. I'm tired of you."
"You are tired, dearest. Go to bed, won't you?"
"No, I won't. … Sometimes I wish you had something of that in you, Basil. …"
"Something of what, dearest one?"
"Oh, something of—the mystic, the prophet! … You are all so clear, so defined, so—worldly. Not worldly in a small sense, but worldly all the same. But … if you were a prophet, I suppose you wouldn't be as nice to live with as you are now, perhaps."
"No—you're not ascetic, my girl! You wouldn't want to tread the thorny path of self-mortification, prophet or no prophet."
"Who knows?"
