“She’d have made some respectable man a good—­mistress,” he said.  “Here is a most excellent mistress, spoiled, to make a common-place nurse! . . . Gaude!  Maria Virgo; gaudent proenomine molles auriculoe. . . .  Gratis poenitet esse probum.  Burgess!”

“Sir?”

“What the devil are you scratching for outside my door?”

“A letter, sir.”

“Shove it under, and let me alone.”

The letter appeared, cautiously inserted under the door, and lay there very white on the floor.  He eyed it, scowling, without curiosity, turned over, and presently became absorbed in the book he had been reading: 

“Zarathustra asked Ahura-Mazda:  ’Heavenly, Holiest, Pure, when a pure man dies where does his soul dwell during that night?’

“Then answered Ahura-Mazda:  ’Near his head it sits itself down.  On this night his soul sees as much joy as the living world possesses.’

“And Zarathustra asked:  ’Where dwells the soul throughout the second night after the body’s death?’

“Then answered Ahura-Mazda:  ‘Near to his head it sits itself down.’

“Zarathustra spake:  ’Where stays the soul of a pure roan throughout the third night, O Heavenly, Holiest, Pure?’

“And thus answered Ahura-Mazda, Purest, Heavenly:  ’When the Third Night turns Itself to Light, the soul arises and goes forward; and a wind blows to meet it; a sweet-scented one, more sweet-scented than other winds.’

“And in that wind there cometh to meet him His Own Law in the body of a maid, one beautiful, shining, with shining arms; one powerful, well-grown, slender, with praiseworthy body; one noble, with brilliant face, as fair in body as the loveliest.

“And to her speaks the soul of the pure man, questioning her who she might truly be.  And thus replies to him His Own Law, shining, dove-eyed, loveliest:  ’I am thy thoughts and works; I am thine own Law of thine own Self.  Thou art like me, and I am like thee in goodness, in beauty, in all that I appear to thee.  Beloved, come!’

“And the soul of the pure man takes one step and is in the First Paradise, Humata; and takes a second step, and is in the Second Paradise, Hukhta; and takes a third step, and is in the Third Paradise, Hvarsta.

“And takes one last step into the Eternal Lights for ever.”

His haggard eyes were still fixed vacantly on the printed page, but he saw nothing now.  Something in the still air of the room had arrested his attention—­something faintly fresh—­an evanescent hint of perfume.

Suddenly the blood surged up in his face; he half rose, turned where he lay and looked back at the letter on the floor.  “Damn it,” he said.  And rising heavily, he went to it, picked it up, and broke the scented seal.

“Will you misunderstand me, Mr. Berkley?  They say that the pages of friendship are covered with records of misunderstandings.