He began to pace up
and down the room.
"My God!" he said, vehemently, "what would Marr say to all this? What
does it mean? What can it mean?"
"Don't let us bother too much about it."
"Excellent advice," said Levillier, from the doorway.
Julian stood still.
"Doctor, I can understand your attitude," he said. "But what an amazing
being you are, Val. You are as calm and collected as if you had sat and
held converse with spirits all through your life. And yet something has
governed you, has temporarily deprived you of life. For you were to all
intents and purposes dead while you were in that trance."
"Death is simply nothing, and nothingness does not excite or terrify one.
I never felt better than I do at this moment."
"That's well," said Levillier, cheerfully.
Julian regarded Valentine's pure, beautiful face with astonishment.
"And you never looked better."
"I shall sleep exquisitely to-night, or rather this morning," Valentine
said.
As he spoke he drew away the heavy green curtain that hung across the
window. A very pale shaft of light stole in and lit up his white face.
It was the dawn, and, standing there, he looked like the spirit of the
dawn, painted against the dying night in such pale colours, white, blue,
and shadowy gold, a wonder of death and of life.
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