Page:Doughty--Mirrikh or A woman from Mars.djvu/24

 don’t drag me into any discussion with your friend upstairs. Such thoughts as I unfolded to you a few moments ago belong to certain frames of mind in which I seldom indulge. If you transgress, don’t be surprised to find me roughly repudiating all I said. I’m in no mood to argue with a Buddhist adept to-day.”

“My lips are sealed,” I replied, “but first we have to ‘catch our hare,’ who knows that we may not find that my  singular friend has levitated to parts unknown. Then the laugh will be on your side, and that’s a fact.”

“We’ll see! We’ll see!” exclaimed Maurice, pushing on ahead of me. “If he is still there I’m as eager to interview him as you can be, for—hark! He is there!”

It was true.

We had reached the level of the next platform now, and there, leaning against a sculptured column with arms folded  across his breast, stood the object of our thoughts.

Involuntarily we paused and peered out through the doorway communicating with the platform.

As he stood gazing in deep meditation off upon the dense forest there was something grand and majestic in his very  attitude.

To Maurice the sight of that face must have been a marvel; to me it now seemed so much a part of the man that I could no longer regard it as hideous, nor even strange.

“What’s his name?” breathed Maurice in my ear. “You want to introduce a fellow, you know.”

I made no answer, for that same cold shudder had come over me again. What could it mean? Could it be that I, the confirmed agnostic was wavering in my agnosticism? For I found myself wondering if I was about to address a being  from another and unseen world.

Determined to divest myself of all such nonsense, I now strode forward with outstretched hand.

“Good morning!” I said boldly. “It strikes me we have had the pleasure of meeting before.”

He did not at first change his position—simply turned and surveyed me calmly. Then unfolding his arms he extended his hand and grasped mine just as I was about to  withdraw it, pressing it in that hearty fashion that I have  always made a point to adopt myself.

“Ah! my Panompin friend!” he exclaimed. “Positively this is a surprise and a pleasant one. How came you here?”