the pond, and waited. Immediately he became
aware of their presence, the man set down his other leg, and waded out
of the water toward them, picking up his trifork in doing so.

"This is not Maulger, but Catice," said Spadevil.

"Maulger is dead," said Catice, speaking the same tongue as Spadevil,
but with an even harsher accent, so that the tympanum of Maskull's ear
was affected painfully.

The latter saw before him a bowed, powerful individual, advanced in
years. He wore nothing but a scanty loincloth. His trunk was long
and heavy, but his legs were rather short. His face was beardless,
lemon-coloured, and anxious-looking. It was disfigured by a number of
longitudinal ruts, a quarter of an inch deep, the cavities of which
seemed clogged with ancient dirt. The hair of his head was black and
sparse. Instead of the twin membranous organs of Spadevil, he possessed
but one; and this was in the centre of his brow.

Spadevil's dark, solid person stood out from the rest like a reality
among dreams.

"Has the trifork passed to you?" he demanded.

"Yes. Why have you brought this woman to Sant?"

"I have brought another thing to Sant. I have brought the new faith."

Catice stood motionless, and looked troubled. "State it."

"Shall I speak with many words, or few words?"

"If you wish to say what is not, many words will not suffice. If you
wish to say what is, a few words will be enough."

Spadevil frowned.

"To hate pleasure brings pride with it. Pride is a pleasure. To kill
pleasure, we must attach ourselves to duty. While the mind is planning
right action, it has no time to think of pleasure."

"Is that the whole?" asked Catice.

"The truth is simple, even for the simplest man."

"Do you destroy Hator, and all his generations, with a single word?"

"I destroy nature, and set up law."

A long silence followed.

"My probe is double," said Spadevil. "Suffer me to double yours, and you
will see as I see."

"Come you here, you big man!" said Catice to Maskull. Maskull advanced a
step closer.

"Do you follow Spadevil in his new faith?"

"As far as death," exclaimed Maskull.

Catice picked up a flint. "With this stone I strike out one of your
two probes. When you have but one, you will see with me, and you will
recollect with Spadevil. Choose you then the superior faith, and I shall
obey your choice."

"Endure this little pain, Maskull, for the sake of future men," said
Spadevil.

"The pain is nothing