Archag bent his head in assent. Never before had he seen death so near, and he was completely overcome.
The sun had disappeared behind the hills that outline the horizon; the sky had faded from brilliant red to pale yellow. Samouīl slept for a few moments, then he opened his eyes again and said:
“I have just seen the new Jerusalem, the city with streets of gold. Angels were holding out their arms to me, and I saw my mother among them; I don’t remember her face, for she died when I was only three years old, but I knew her at the first glance. It’s strange, isn’t it?”
THE HOSPITAL COURTYARD
His voice was altered, and in his great black eyes was reflected the mystery of the Beyond. Then he was seized with a choking fit, and Archag held a glass of lemonade to his lips. He drank a few drops, and thanked his friend with a smile.
“How beautiful my mother is! And she looked at me so lovingly! But—she—is—here—and——”
He could not go on; his features contracted in a spasm of pain, then they resumed their expression of peace and happiness.
Archag, terrified, sprang to the bell.
The nurse came running in.