Page:Artabanzanus (Ferrar, 1896).djvu/257

Rh and ungrateful hearts. I earnestly beseech you, sir, to let him come with us; he is too honourable to make any attempt to escape from you by unfair means.'

'Escape from me!' said the Demon, 'impossible; he cannot escape from me; I defy him to outwit me, clever as he is. But he has duties to attend to here; he cannot be spared; he shall not come—I have said it.'

'My lord Demon,' pleaded poor Julius, who was nearly distracted with grief and terror at the prospect of being left behind, 'if you will graciously condescend to hear me, I hope to be able to convince your Majesty that my projected, and often promised, visit to the upper world will redound to your own glory, and the glory and power and dignity of your empire, to an extent most marvellous to behold, which you will yourself be the first to acknowledge when you come to behold it. You admit that I am clever. Perhaps the time is approaching when you will be forced to admit that I am more than clever—that I am a great Genius! I am in possession of important and dangerous secrets, which it would not benefit even you to know. You alone, sir, in all your wide dominions, can be my master. Can I think of leaving the service of so good a master? Give me only a six months' holiday on the outside world, and I will gain for you a million of new subjects, each one as valuable to you as I am myself. I will not go about among the poor and forsaken men of the world; no, I will fly at higher game. I will blind the eyes of the great and noble, the rich, the learned, and the wise. I will poison the minds of good, kind, charitable people, and confound the judgments of critics, and judges, and make the greatest lawyers, doctors, and professors of the most exalted philosophy, fall down at your feet. Beautiful, charming women shall not be wanting. Kings and Queens on their thrones will not be able to resist my power when I shall