 puzzled me a little, so I drew him on: -
    »Then you command life; you are a god, I suppose?« He smiled with an
ineffably benign superiority.
    »Oh no! Far be it from me to arrogate to myself the attributes of the Deity.
I am not even concerned in His especially spiritual doings. If I may state my
intellectual position I am, so far as concerns things purely terrestrial,
somewhat in the position which Enoch occupied spiritually!« This was a poser to
me. I could not at the moment recall Enoch's appositeness; so I had to ask a
simple question, though I felt that by doing so I was lowering myself in the
eyes of the lunatic: -
    »And why Enoch?«
    »Because he walked with God.« I could not see the analogy, but did not like
to admit it; so I harked back to what he had denied: -
    »So you don't care about life and you don't want souls. Why not?« I put my
question quickly and somewhat sternly, on purpose to disconcert him. The effort
succeeded; for an instant he unconsciously relapsed into his old servile manner,
bent low before me, and actually fawned upon me as he replied: -
    »I don't want any souls, indeed, indeed! I don't. I couldn't use them if I
had them! they would be no manner of use to me. I couldn't eat them or -« He
suddenly stopped and the old cunning look spread over his face, like a
wind-sweep on the surface of the water. »And, Doctor, as to life, what is it
after all? When you've got all you require, and you know that you will never
want, that is all. I have friends - good friends - like you, Doctor Seward,« he
said with a leer of inexpressible cunning; »I know that I shall never lack the
means of life!«
    I think that through the cloudiness of his insanity he saw some antagonism
in me, for he at once fell back on the last refuge of such as he - a dogged
silence. After a short time I saw that for the present it was useless to speak
to him. He was sulky, and so I came away.
    Later in the day he sent for me. Ordinarily I would not have come without
special reason, but just at present I am so interested in him that I would
gladly make an effort. Besides, I am glad to
