"The world, the flesh, or the devil—anything that would make you lift the curtain a little. For instance, what do you think of this society here now?"
"They all seem to be clever people with interests in life."
"Most people have interests in life. The candle would soon burn out otherwise. What are yours, if I may ask?"
"I am observing. I have not decided yet what interests me. I would like to travel, I think, and see the world."
"That is an easy matter at your age. But have you no other desires?"
"No, unless it would be to sleep very soundly and enjoy my food."
"What a little cynic! A gross little materialist! And you look the embodiment of etherealism."
"At fifty I have always understood creature comforts begin to matter more. Each age has its pleasures."
He laughed.
"Tell me something else about the emotions of the fifty-year-olds."