“‘He told me so!’ I replied, shuddering.
“‘How old are you?’
“‘Eighty-six years.’
“‘Your arm, if you please.’
“I stretched it out to him; he felt my pulse.
“‘Just so,’ he said; ‘not only will you not die in three days, but I guarantee you at least five more years, before you need to be thinking of the other world. Farewell, Mademoiselle. To complete your tranquillity and peace of mind, I will look for, and send you at once the leaf of my father’s tablets on which you wrote your signature.’
“He kept his word. Before an hour had passed, I received the hateful red leaf, and my heart glowed with satisfaction.
“Here, my friend, in deepest confidence, you have the conclusion of my adventure with the devil—and of course I like it much better that way; but, alas! I see things now in a different light from those days.
“Adieu, my dear old friend. Reflect a little yourself, weigh the pros and cons of it all, and in that other world let us hope we shall not be separated.