ask the reason why enough--not
by 'alf. Now if somebody did as you say, and started collectin'
policemen, what would be the reason?"

"Reason?" shouted the taxi-man. "Don't arsk me for a reason."

He turned to his taxi-cab and jerked the starting handle violently. The
clatter of the engine arose. He climbed into his seat, and pulled at his
gears savagely. In a few moments he had turned his cab, after wrenching
in fury at the steering-wheel, and was jolting down the road in the
morning brightness in search of breakfast.

CHAPTER XXVII

LEONORA'S VOICE

"My theory," said the policeman, "is that collectin'--and by that I mean
all sorts of collection, including that of money--comes from a craving
to 'ave something what other people 'aven't got. It comes from a kind o'
pride which is foolish. Take a man like Morgan, for instance. Now he
spent his life collecting dollars, and he never once stopped to ask
'imself why he was doin' it. I 'eard a friend of mine, a socialist he
was, saying as 'ow no one had wasted his life more than Morgan. At the
time it struck me as a silly kind of thing to say. But now I seem to see
it in a different light." He meditated for some minutes. "It's the
reason why--that's what we 'aven't thought of near enough."

I was about to reply when a motor-car stopped before us. It was a large
green limousine. It drew up suddenly, with a scraping of tyres, and a
woman got out of it. I recognized her at once. It was Leonora. She was
wearing a motoring-coat of russet-brown material, and her hat was tied
with a veil.

"Alexis!" she exclaimed.

Sarakoff roused himself. He stood up and bowed.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Leonora," he said, "I am so glad to see you. We are just taking the
air, and discussing a few matters of general interest." He patted her on
the shoulder. "I congratulate you, Leonora. You are an Immortal. It
suits you very well."

She was certainly one of the Immortals. The stain in her eyes was
wonderfully vivid, but it did not produce a displeasing effect, as I had
fancied it would. Indeed, her eyes had lost their hard restless look,
and in place of it was an expression of bewilderment.

"What has happened to me?" she exclaimed. "Alexis, what is this that you
have done to me?"

"What I told you about at the Pyramid Restaurant. You have got the germ
in you and now you are immortal. Sit down, Leonora. I find it warmer
when I am sitting. My friend and I had to