“And why look for it in the heart of the heavens, in the depths of the sea––in the infinities of everything that is beautiful and terrible––in the breath of that little flower, in the song of the bulbul, in the whispers of your silken lashes, in––”
“Shut your eyes, Khalid; be more spiritual.”
“With my eyes open I see but one face; with my eyes closed I see a million faces: they are all yours. And they are loving, and sweet, and kind. But I am content with one, with the carnate symbol of them, with you, and though you be cold and cruel. The divine splendour is here, and here and here––”
“Why, your ardour is exhausting.”
But on their way back to the Hotel, Khalid gives her this from Swedenborg: “‘Do you love me’ means ‘do you see the same truth that I see?’”
There is no use. Khalid is impossible.