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THE MAKROPOULOS SECRET Vitek. Everyone, everyone believes in everything. You—fools!

But, why, there are—higher values—ideals—

Yes, but only for you. How shall I tell you? Love there may be, but it is only in you. As soon as it is not, then there is no love—nowhere in the universe. And one cannot love for three hundred years. It does not last. Everything is irksome. It is tiresome to be bad and tiresome to be good. Heaven and earth tire one. And then you find out that there truly is none. Nothing exists—neither sin, nor pain, nor desire—absolutely nothing. Only that exists which has some feeling. And for you, everything has feeling. Oh, God, I was like you once. I was a girl; I had faith; I was happy. God in heaven!

What? What’s happened to you?

If you could only understand what Bombita said to me! We old ones know altogether too much. But you have more than we, you fools! Infinitely more! You have everything. Why, you couldn’t wish for anything more. You live, but in us life has stopped. And it cannot go on! God, what loneliness!