‘Ah, death!’ said Lord Cadurcis, ’that is a botherer.  What can you make of death?  There are those poor fishermen now; there will be a white squall some day, and they will go down with those lateen sails of theirs, and be food for the very prey they were going to catch; and if you continue living here, you may eat one of your neighbours in the shape of a shoal of red mullets, when it is the season.  The great secret, we cannot penetrate that with all our philosophy, my dear Herbert.  “All that we know is, nothing can be known.”  Barren, barren, barren!  And yet what a grand world it is!  Look at this bay, these blue waters, the mountains, and these chestnuts, devilish fine!  The fact is, truth is veiled, but, like the Shekinah over the tabernacle, the veil is of dazzling light!’

‘Life is the great wonder,’ said Herbert, ’into which all that is strange and startling resolves itself.  The mist of familiarity obscures from us the miracle of our being.  Mankind are constantly starting at events which they consider extraordinary.  But a philosopher acknowledges only one miracle, and that is life.  Political revolutions, changes of empire, wrecks of dynasties and the opinions that support them, these are the marvels of the vulgar, but these are only transient modifications of life.  The origin of existence is, therefore, the first object which a true philosopher proposes to himself.  Unable to discover it, he accepts certain results from his unbiassed observation of its obvious nature, and on them he establishes certain principles to be our guides in all social relations, whether they take the shape of laws or customs.  Nevertheless, until the principle of life be discovered, all theories and all systems of conduct founded on theory must be considered provisional.’

‘And do you believe that there is a chance of its being discovered?’ inquired Cadurcis.

’I cannot, from any reason in my own intelligence, find why it should not,’ said Herbert.

‘You conceive it possible that a man may attain earthly immortality?’ inquired Cadurcis.

‘Undoubtedly.’

‘By Jove,’ said Cadurcis, ’if I only knew how, I would purchase an immense annuity directly.’

‘When I said undoubtedly,’ said Herbert, smiling, ’I meant only to express that I know no invincible reason to the contrary.  I see nothing inconsistent with the existence of a Supreme Creator in the annihilation of death.  It appears to me an achievement worthy of his omnipotence.  I believe in the possibility, but I believe in nothing more.  I anticipate the final result, but not by individual means.  It will, of course, be produced by some vast and silent and continuous operation of nature, gradually effecting some profound and comprehensive alteration in her order, a change of climate, for instance, the great enemy of life, so that the inhabitants of the earth may attain a patriarchal age.  This renovated breed may in turn produce a still more vigorous