ever been he whom it has been my greatest joy to have had with
me as the sharer of my aspirations."

"But I am nine years older than you are."

I again passed by the one year added to my age. There was nothing
now in so trifling an error. "But you still agree with me as to the
fundamental truth of our doctrine."

"I suppose so," said Crasweller.

"I suppose so!" repeated I. "Is that all that can be said for the
philosophy to which we have devoted ourselves, and in which nothing
false can be found?"

"It won't teach any one to think it better to live than to die while
he is fit to perform all the functions of life. It might be very well
if you could arrange that a man should be deposited as soon as he
becomes absolutely infirm."

"Some men are infirm at forty."

"Then deposit them," said Crasweller.

"Yes; but they will not own that they are infirm. If a man be weak
at that age, he thinks that with advancing years he will resume the
strength of his youth. There must, in fact, be a Fixed Period. We
have discussed that fifty times, and have always arrived at the same
conclusion."

He sat still, silent, unhappy, and confused. I saw that there was
something on his mind to which he hardly dared to give words. Wishing
to encourage him, I went on. "After all, you have a full twelve
months yet before the day shall have come."

"Two years," he said, doggedly.

"Exactly; two years before your departure, but twelve months before
deposition."

"Two years before deposition," said Crasweller.

At this I own I was astonished. Nothing was better known in the
empire than the ages of the two or three first inhabitants to be
deposited. I would have undertaken to declare that not a man or a
woman in Britannula was in doubt as to Mr Crasweller's exact age. It
had been written in the records, and upon the stones belonging to the
college. There was no doubt that within twelve months of the present
date he was due to be detained there as the first inhabitant. And now
I was astounded to hear him claim another year, which could not be
allowed him.

"That impudent fellow Grundle has been with me," he continued, "and
wishes to make me believe that he can get rid of me in one year. I
have, at any rate, two years left of my out-of-door existence, and I
do not mean to give up a day of it for Grundle or any one else."

It was something to see that he still recognised the law, though he
was so meanly anxious to evade it. There had b