He spoke these words just as if he had said, "the lowest, meanest, poorest, and most infamous." It sounded like fresh mockery, and I could not believe but that he was amusing himself at my expense. "This is cruel," said I. "You are mocking me." "Cruel?--cruel?" said he; "what is cruel? You mean that such a fate would be cruel for me." "No, no," said I; "but alas! I see we cannot understand one another." "No," said the Kohen, musingly, as he looked at me. "No, it seems not; but tell me, Atam-or, is it possible that you really fear death--that you really love life?" "Fear death!--love life!" I cried. "Who does not? Who can help it? Why do you ask me that?" The Kohen clasped his hands in amazement. "If you really fear death," said he, "what possible thing is there left to love or to hope for? What, then, do you think the highest blessing of man?" "Long life," said I, "and riches and requited love." At this the Kohen started back, and stared at me as though I were a raving madman. "Oh, holy shades of night!" he exclaimed. "What is that you say? What do you mean?" "We can never understand one another, I fear," said I. "The love of life must necessarily be the strongest passion of man. We are so made. We give up everything for life. A long life is everywhere considered as the highest blessing; and there is no one who is willing to die, no matter what his suffering may be. Riches also are desired by all, for poverty is the direst curse that can embitter life; and as to requited love, surely that is the sweetest, purest, and most divine joy that the human heart may know." At this the Kohen burst forth in a strain of high excitement: "Oh, sacred cavern gloom! Oh, divine darkness! Oh, impenetrable abysses of night! What, oh, what is this! Oh, Atam-or, are you mad? Alas! it must be so. Joy has turned your brain; you are quite demented. You call good evil, and evil good; our light is your darkness, and our darkness your light. Yet surely you cannot be altogether insane. Come, come, let us look further. How is it! Try now to recall your reason. A long life--a life, and a long one! Surely there can be no human being in a healthy state of nature who wishes to prolong his life; and as to riches, it is possible that anyone exists who really and honestly desires riches? Impossible! And requited love! Oh, Atam-or, you are mad to-day! You are always strange, but now you have quite taken leave of your senses. I cannot but love you, and yet I can never understand you. Tell me, and tell me truly, what is it that you consider evils, if these things that you have mentioned are not the very worst?" He seemed deeply in earnest and much moved. I could not understand him, but could only answer his questions with simple conciseness. "Poverty, sickness, and death," said I, "are evils; but the worst of all evils is unrequited love." At these words the Kohen made a gesture of despair.