he ego says, "I am I," and earns eternity.

Then am I not immortal, since though dead, I may speak the
charmed words?

No! For Christianity preaches annihilation to beast, and
immortality for Man only. Man, the only animal that murders.
Shall I be proof that Christianity contains a flaw?

Yet view it as you may, here I am, dead, yet not annihilated.

I say here I am, yet where am I?

How is it that I, stupid mongrel that I was, though true and
loving friend, as all dogs are; how is it that I, who but
slowly caught my master's meaning from his words, now
understand his thoughts although he does not speak?

At last I comprehend. I know now where I am. I am within his
mind. His eagerness to bury my poor carcass is but born of
the desire to drive me thence.

But is not mind an attribute of the human soul, and
conscience too? And are not both immortal?

Thus then the problem of my future do I solve. Let this good
Christian man hide under ground my carcass; evidence of his
foul crime. And being buried, let it rot. What care I though
it should be annihilated?

I am here, within this man's immortal mind, and here I shall
abide forever more, and prick his conscience for my pastime.

Thus do I win immortality, and cheat the Christian's creed.

Having read to the end, Dr. Medjora nodded approvingly to Leon and
said:

"For a first composition, you may well rest satisfied with this. It is
very subtile. Indeed I am surprised at the originality and thought
which you have displayed here. I should like to discuss with you some
of the points. May I?"

"With pleasure," Leon replied with ardor, delighted to find his little
story so well received.

"The first thought that occurs to me is, that there is a certain
amount of inspiration about your essay. I say essay because it is that
rather than a story. From this, I deduce a fact discouraging to your
ambition, for inspirations are rare, and it is probable that were you
to succeed in selling this to some magazine, you would find it
difficult to produce anything else as good."

"Why, Doctor," said Leon, anxious to prove his ability, "I wrote that
in a few minutes."

"By which statement you mean that with time for thought, you might do
better. But your argument is in favor of my theory. The more rapidly
you wrote this, the more difficult will it be for you to w