“All the same, El-Râmi—” persisted Kremlin, laying one hand on his friend’s arm—“Do not count on being able to escape the fate to which all humanity must succumb——”
“Death?” interposed El-Râmi lightly—“I have almost conquered that!”
“Ay, but you cannot conquer Love!” said Kremlin impressively—“Love is stronger than Death.”
El-Râmi made no answer,—and they went in to breakfast. They did full justice to the meal, much to Karl’s satisfaction, though he could not help stealing covert glances at his master’s changed countenance, which had become so much fresher and younger since the previous day. How such a change had been effected he could not imagine, but on the whole he was disposed to be content with the evident improvement.
“Even if he is the devil himself—” he considered, his thoughts reverting to El-Râmi—“I am bound to say that the devil is a kind-hearted fellow. There’s no doubt about that. I suppose I am an abandoned sinner only fit for the burning—but if God insists on making us old and sick and miserable, and the devil is able to make us young and strong and jolly, why let us be friends with the devil, say I! Oh, my poor mother!”
With such curious emotions as these in his mind, it was rather difficult to maintain a composed face, and wait upon the two gentlemen with that grave deportment which it is the duty of every well-trained attendant to assume,—however, he managed fairly well, and got accustomed at last to hand his master a cup of coffee without staring at him till his eyes almost projected out of his head.
El-Râmi took his departure soon after breakfast, with a few recommendations to his friend not to work too hard on the problems suggested by the disc.
“Ah, but I have now found a new clue,” said Kremlin triumphantly—“I found it in sleep. I shall work it out in the course of a few weeks, I daresay—and I will let you know if the result is successful. You see, thanks to you, my friend, I have time now,—there is no need to toil with feverish haste and anxiety—death, that seemed so near, is thrust back in the distance——”
“Even so!” said El-Râmi with a strange smile—“In the far, far distance,—baffled and kept at bay. Oddly enough, there are some who say there is no death——”
“But there is—there must be!—” exclaimed Kremlin quickly.