“It’s the only thing to do, anyway,” explained Karlsen, “as things are now. There’s been some talk about you having my place when I moved up. But I don’t know what they’ll say to that now....”
“Me! Evangelist!” Egholm turned stiff all over.
“Yes,” said Karlsen quietly.
“I’ve never heard a word about it before.”
“Well, the Elders have gathered together.... But it was to be a surprise, you understand?”
“Yes, yes,” murmured Egholm faintly. Again it overwhelmed him for the moment, but he recovered himself, and said, with a laugh:
“Who knows, they might make me Angel now.”
“Almost sure to, I should say,” opined the dark Evangelist.
Egholm felt calm and strong now, no longer dizzy as he had been during the morning. And Karlsen was really a jolly sort, after all. Here he was, actually gloating over the face his respected father, the Angel, would set up when the bombshell burst.
The upshot of it was that they worked out a plan together.