"Mr. Blank, the necessity has arisen."
"So you say—so you say—" began Mr. Blank.
"So I say," interrupted Cosmo sternly, "and I say further that this ark has been constructed to save those who are worthy of salvation, in order that all that is good and admirable in humanity may not perish from the earth."
"Exactly, exactly," responded the other, smiling, and rubbing his hands. "You are quite right to make a proper choice. If your flood is going to cause a general destruction of mankind, of course you are bound to select the best, the most advanced, those who have pushed to the front, those who have means, those with the strongest resources. The masses, who possess none of these qualifications and claims—"
Again Cosmo Versál interrupted him, more coldly than before:
"It costs nothing to be a passenger in this ark. Ten million dollars, a hundred millions, would not purchase a place in it! Did you ever hear the parable of the camel and the needle's eye? The price of a ticket here is an irreproachable record!"
With these astonishing words Cosmo turned his back upon his visitor and shut the door in his face.
The billionaire staggered back, rubbed his head, and then went off muttering:
"An idiot! A plain idiot! There will be no flood."