Gud looked ahead. "Yes, Fidu," he agreed, "you are right; and perhaps we shall meet him again, for he will not be a beggar now but a rich and prosperous novelist."
But alas! when they came up to the almshouse they found the same old beggar looking more disreputable than before.
Gud reached over and shook him, but he did not stir nor answer. Gud turned quickly away and called Fidu, and they passed on.
"Why did he not speak?" asked Fidu.
"Because," answered Gud, "the poor old fellow was dead, apparently of starvation."
"And you thought that he would be rich and prosperous."
"Yes, yes, so I did. I gave him the chance of his life, too, by making triangles with three sexes and therefore perfectly moral—it just goes to show how useless it is to attempt to salvage these mendicants."
Chapter XXVII
As Gud was knocking about among the stars he saw yet another world spinning idly on its axis as it floated aimlessly in the nebulous ether. Prompted by curiosity he drew nearer and observed that the ether was full of ghosts. Most of them seemed to be observing the conduct of the beings in the material world below, and Gud rightly judged them to be demised of that reality and amusing themselves by watching the doings of their descendants.