y even as I was told to do."

"What did they tell you to do?" asked Gud.

"They told me to do what I did."

"What did you do?"

The nothing sighed, and then said faintly: "I gave my wealth to the
poor, my mind to my work, my heart to my wife, my life to my country and
my soul to my god."

Gud reached over and picked up the nothing which he had thought was the
echo of a voice. He picked it up by the ears, which were very thin, and
looked into its eyes, which were pale pink, and stroked its fur, which
was soft and white. Then Gud tied the nothing's ears together and hung
it over his staff, and proceeded on his way.

As Gud walked on along the Impossible Curve he saw himself approaching
to meet him. This made Gud very angry at himself because himself
insisted on walking in the opposite direction, which seemed to show Gud
that he had a dual nature and could go two ways at once. So Gud charged
ahead to meet himself, and as he approached himself he swung the staff,
which was over his shoulder, with a vicious blow at himself.

In his anger, Gud had forgotten the nothing which was hanging by its
ears on his staff. As he swung the staff, the Impossible Curve took a
sudden turn in an unknown direction so that Gud missed himself at which
he struck. But that which was hanging by the ears flew off the staff and
went hurtling through the deceitful mirror.

In this new excitement Gud forgot himself and peered through the
deceitful mirror to see what had become of nothing. Gud saw that nothing
was being chased by something, which Gud recognized as the reflection of
an Underdog.

The chase was exciting; the nothing ducked and the reflection of an
Underdog leaped over it. Then the nothing turned and started back toward
the deceitful mirror, through which Gud was peering. The reflection of
the Underdog turned also, and when the quarry reached the mirror it came
back through and its pursuer came after it.

Quickly Gud swung his staff again and broke the mirror into ten thousand
pieces. Then he turned about and saw, by the contented look on the face
of the Underdog, that nothing was no more. Gud was glad he had been
engaged in breaking the mirror and so had not seen the finale of the
chase, for thus he missed the suffering of the victim and yet could see
the satisfaction of the victor.

Gud now looked at the staff in his hand and saw that it had borne a
luscious fruit. He plucked the fruit and tasted it. At first it tasted
ver