Deep silence followed his invocation,—a silence he seemed to expect and be prepared for. Looking at a silver timepiece on a bracket above the couch, he mentally counted slowly a hundred beats,—then pressing the fragile wrist he held still more firmly between his fingers, he touched with his other hand the girl’s brow, just above her closed eyes. A faint quiver ran through the delicate body,—he quickly drew back and spoke1 again.
“Lilith! Where are you?”
The sweet lips parted, and a voice soft as whispered music responded—
“I am here!”
“Is all well with you?”
“All is well!”
And a smile irradiated the fair face with such a light as to suggest that the eyes must have opened,—but no!—they were fast shut.
El-Râmi resumed his strange interrogation.
“Lilith! What do you see?”
There was a moment’s pause,—then came the slow response—
“Many things,—things beautiful and wonderful. But you are not among them. I hear your voice and I obey it, but I cannot see you—I have never seen you.”
El-Râmi sighed, and pressed more closely the soft small hand within his own.
“Where have you been?”
“Where my pleasure led me”—came the answer in a sleepy yet joyous2 tone—“My pleasure and—your will.”
El-Râmi started, but immediately controlled himself, for Lilith stirred and threw her other arm indolently behind her head, leaving the great ruby3 on her breast flashingly exposed to view.
“Away, away, far, far away!” she said, and her accents sounded like subdued4 singing—“Beyond,—in those regions whither I was sent—beyond——” her voice stopped and trailed off into drowsy5 murmurings—“beyond—Sirius—I saw——”
She ceased, and smiled—some happy thought seemed to have rendered her mute.
El-Râmi waited a moment, then took up her broken speech.
“Far beyond Sirius you saw—what?”
“I saw a bright new world,”—she said, now speaking quite clearly and connectedly—“A royal world of worlds; an undiscovered Star. There were giant oceans in it,—the noise of many waters was heard throughout the land,—and there were great cities marvellously built upon the sea. I saw their pinnacles7 of white and gold—spires of coral, and gates that were studded with pearl,—flags waved and music sounded, and two great Suns gave double light from heaven. I saw many thousands of people—they were beautiful and happy—they sang and danced and gave thanks in the everlasting8 sunshine, and knelt in crowds upon their wide and fruitful fields to thank the Giver of life immortal9.”
“Life immortal!” repeated El-Râmi,—“Do not these people die, even as we?”
A pained look, as of wonder or regret, knitted the girl’s fair brows.
“There is no death—neither here nor there”—she said steadily—“I have told you this so often, yet you will not believe. Always you bid me seek for death,—I have looked, but cannot find it.”
She sighed, and El-Râmi echoed the sigh.
“I wish”—and her accents sounded plaintively—“I wish that I could see you! There is some cloud between us. I hear your voice and I obey it, but I cannot see who it is that calls me.”
El-Râmi paid no heed10 to these dove-like murmurings,—moreover, he seemed to have no eyes for the wondrous11 beauty of the creature who lay thus tranced and in his power,—set on his one object, the attainment12 of a supernatural knowledge, he looked as pitiless and impervious13 to all charm as any Grand Inquisitor of old Spain.
“Speak of yourself and not of me”—he said authoritatively14, “How can you say there is no death?”
“I speak truth. There is none.”
“Not even here?”
“Not anywhere.”
“O daughter of vision, where are the eyes of your spirit?” demanded El-Râmi angrily—“Search again and see! Why should all Nature arm itself against Death if there be no death?”
“You are harsh,”—said Lilith sorrowfully—“Should I tell you what is not true? If I would, I cannot. There is no death—there is only change. Beyond Sirius, they sleep.”
El-Râmi waited; but she had paused again.
“Go on”—he said—“They sleep—why and when?”
“When they are weary”—responded Lilith. “When all is done that they can do, and when they need rest, they sleep, and in their sleep they change;—the change is——”
She ceased.
“The change is death,” said El-Râmi positively,—“for death is everywhere.”
“Not so!” replied Lilith quickly, and in a ringing tone of clarion-like sweetness. “The change is life,—for Life is everywhere!”
There ensued a silence. The girl turned away, and, bringing her hand slowly down from behind her head, laid it again upon her breast over the burning ruby gem15. El-Râmi bent16 above her closely.
“You are dreaming, Lilith,”—he said as though he would force her to own something against her will. “You speak unwisely and at random17.”
Still silence.
“Lilith!—Lilith!” he called.
No answer;—only the lovely tints18 of her complexion19, the smile on her lips, and the tranquil20 heaving of her rounded bosom21 indicated that she lived.
“Gone!” and El-Râmi’s brow clouded; he laid back the little hand he held in its former position and looked at the girl long and steadily—“And so firm in her assertion!—as foolish an assertion as any of the fancies of Féraz. No death? Nay—as well say no life. She has not fathomed23 the secret of our passing hence; no, not though her flight has outreached the realm of Sirius.
The undiscovered country from whose bourne
No traveller returns, puzzles the will.’
Ay, puzzles the will and confounds it! But must I be baffled then?—or is it my own fault that I cannot believe? Is it truly her spirit that speaks to me?—or is it my own brain acting25 upon hers in a state of trance? If it be the latter, why should she declare things that I never dream of, and which my reason does not accept as possible? And if it is indeed her Soul, or the ethereal Essence of her that thus soars at periodic intervals26 of liberty into the Unseen, how is it that she never comprehends Death or Pain? Is her vision limited only to behold28 harmonious29 systems moving to a sound of joy?”
And, seized by a sudden resolution, he caught both the hands of the tranced girl and held them in his own, the while he fixed30 his eyes upon her quiet face with a glance that seemed to shoot forth31 flame.
“Lilith! Lilith! By the force of my will and mastery over thy life, I bid thee return to me! O flitting spirit, ever bent on errands of pleasure, reveal to me the secrets of pain! Come back, Lilith! I call thee—come!”
A violent shudder32 shook the beautiful reposeful33 figure,—the smile faded from her lips, and she heaved a profound sigh.
“I am here!”
“Listen to my bidding!” said El-Râmi, in measured accents that sounded almost cruel. “As you have soared to heights ineffable34, even so descend35 to lowest depths of desolation! Understand and seek out sorrow,—pierce to the root of suffering, explain the cause of unavailing agony! These things exist. Here in this planet of which you know nothing save my voice,—here, if nowhere else in the wide Universe, we gain our bread with bitterness and drink our wine with tears. Solve me the mystery of pain,—of injustice,—of an innocent child’s anguish36 on its death-bed,—ay! though you tell me there is no death!—of a good man’s ruin,—of an evil woman’s triumph,—of despair,—of self-slaughter,—of all the horrors upon horrors piled, which make up this world’s present life. Listen, O too ecstatic and believing Spirit!—we have a legend here that a God lives—a wise all-loving God,—and He, this wise and loving one, has out of His great bounty37 invented for the torture of His creatures,—Hell! Find out this Hell, Lilith!—Prove it!—bring the plan of its existence back to me. Go,—bring me news of devils,—and suffer, if spirits can suffer, in the unmitigated sufferings of others! Take my command and go hence, find out God’s Hell!—so shall we afterwards know the worth of Heaven!”
He spoke rapidly,—impetuously,—passionately;—and now he allowed the girl’s hands to fall suddenly from his clasp. She moaned a little,—and, instead of folding them one over the other as before, raised them palm to palm in an attitude of prayer. The colour faded entirely38 from her face,—but an expression of the calmest, grandest wisdom, serenity39, and compassion40 came over her features as of a saint prepared for martyrdom. Her breathing grew fainter and fainter till it was scarcely perceptible,—and her lips parted in a short sobbing41 sigh,—then they moved and whispered something. El-Râmi stooped over her more closely.
“What is it?” he asked eagerly—“what did you say?”
“Nothing, ... only ... farewell!” and the faint tone stirred the silence like the last sad echo of a song—“And yet ... once more ... farewell!”
He drew back, and observed her intently. She now looked like a recumbent statue, with those upraised hands of hers so white and small and delicate,—and El-Râmi remembered that he must keep the machine of the Body living, if he desired to receive through its medium the messages of the Spirit. Taking a small phial from his breast, together with the necessary surgeon’s instrument used for such purposes, he pricked42 the rounded arm nearest to him, and carefully injected into the veins43 a small quantity of a strange sparkling fluid which gave out a curiously44 sweet and pungent45 odour;—as he did this, the lifted hands fell gently into their original position, crossed over the ruby star. The breathing grew steadier and lighter,—the lips took fresh colour,—and El-Râmi watched the effect with absorbed interest and attention.
“One might surely preserve her body so for ever,” he mused46 half aloud. “The tissues renewed,—the blood reorganised,—the whole system completely nourished with absolute purity; and not a morsel47 of what is considered food, which contains so much organic mischief48, allowed to enter that exquisitely49 beautiful mechanism50, which exhales51 all waste upon the air through the pores of the skin as naturally as a flower exhales perfume through its leaves. A wonderful discovery!—if all men knew it, would not they deem themselves truly immortal, even here? But the trial is not over yet,—the experiment is not perfect. Six years has she lived thus, but who can say whether indeed Death has no power over her? In those six years she has changed,—she has grown from childhood to womanhood,—does not change imply age?—and age suggest death, in spite of all science? O inexorable Death!—I will pluck its secret out if I die in the effort!”
He turned away from the couch,—then seemed struck by a new idea.
“If I die, did I say? But can I die? Is her Spirit right? Is my reasoning wrong? Is there no pause anywhere?—no cessation of thought?—no end to the insatiability of ambition? Must we plan and work and live—For Ever?”
A shudder ran through him,—the notion of his own perpetuity appalled52 him. Passing a long mirror framed in antique silver, he caught sight of himself in it,—his dark handsome face, rendered darker by the contrasting whiteness of his hair,—his full black eyes,—his fine but disdainful mouth,—all looked back at him with the scornful reflex of his own scornful regard.
He laughed a little bitterly.
“There you are, El-Râmi-Zarânos!” he murmured half aloud. “Scoffer and scientist,—master of a few common magnetic secrets such as the priests of ancient Egypt made sport of, though in these modern days of ‘culture’ they are sufficient to make most men your tools! What now? Is there no rest for the inner calculations of your mind? Plan and work and live for ever? Well, why not? Could I fathom22 the secrets of thousand universes, would that suffice me? No! I should seek for the solving of a thousand more!”
He gave a parting glance round the room,—at the fair tranced form on the couch, at the placid53 Zaroba slumbering54 in a corner, at the whole effect of the sumptuous55 apartment, with its purple and gold, its roses, its crystal and ivory adornments,—then he passed out, drawing to the velvet56 curtains noiselessly behind him. In the small ante-room, he took up the slate57 and wrote upon it—
“I shall not return hither for forty-eight hours. During this interval27 admit as much full daylight as possible. Observe the strictest silence, and do not touch her.
“El-Râmi.”
Having thus set down his instructions he descended58 the stairs to his own room, where, extinguishing the electric light, he threw himself on his hard camp-bedstead and was soon sound asleep.
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1
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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2
joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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3
ruby
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| n.红宝石，红宝石色 | |
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4
subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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5
drowsy
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| adj.昏昏欲睡的，令人发困的 | |
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6
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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7
pinnacles
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| 顶峰( pinnacle的名词复数 )； 顶点； 尖顶； 小尖塔 | |
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8
everlasting
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| adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的 | |
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9
immortal
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| adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的 | |
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10
heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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11
wondrous
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| adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地 | |
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12
attainment
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| n.达到，到达；［常pl.］成就，造诣 | |
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13
impervious
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| adj.不能渗透的，不能穿过的，不易伤害的 | |
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14
authoritatively
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| 命令式地，有权威地，可信地 | |
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15
gem
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| n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel | |
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16
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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17
random
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| adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动 | |
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18
tints
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| 色彩( tint的名词复数 )； 带白的颜色； （淡色）染发剂； 痕迹 | |
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19
complexion
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| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 | |
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20
tranquil
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| adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的 | |
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21
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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22
fathom
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| v.领悟，彻底了解 | |
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23
fathomed
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| 理解…的真意( fathom的过去式和过去分词 )； 彻底了解； 弄清真相 | |
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24
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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25
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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26
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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27
interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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28
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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29
harmonious
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| adj.和睦的，调和的，和谐的，协调的 | |
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30
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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31
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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32
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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33
reposeful
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| adj.平稳的，沉着的 | |
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34
ineffable
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| adj.无法表达的，不可言喻的 | |
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35
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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36
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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37
bounty
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| n.慷慨的赠予物，奖金；慷慨，大方；施与 | |
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38
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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39
serenity
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| n.宁静，沉着，晴朗 | |
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40
compassion
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| n.同情，怜悯 | |
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41
sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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42
pricked
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| 刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛 | |
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43
veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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44
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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45
pungent
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| adj.（气味、味道）刺激性的，辛辣的；尖锐的 | |
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46
mused
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| v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事） | |
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47
morsel
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| n.一口，一点点 | |
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48
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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49
exquisitely
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| adv.精致地；强烈地；剧烈地；异常地 | |
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50
mechanism
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| n.机械装置；机构，结构 | |
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51
exhales
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| v.呼出，发散出( exhale的第三人称单数 )；吐出（肺中的空气、烟等），呼气 | |
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52
appalled
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| v.使惊骇，使充满恐惧( appall的过去式和过去分词)adj.惊骇的；丧胆的 | |
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53
placid
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| adj.安静的，平和的 | |
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54
slumbering
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| 微睡，睡眠（slumber的现在分词形式） | |
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55
sumptuous
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| adj.豪华的，奢侈的，华丽的 | |
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56
velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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57
slate
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| n.板岩，石板，石片，石板色，候选人名单；adj.暗蓝灰色的，含板岩的；vt.用石板覆盖，痛打，提名，预订 | |
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58
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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