Francis William Lauderdale Adams

“ Death looses that which grips the gathered threads of our individualities: the threads fall away, going to other invisible work, just as the threads of the body which is left slowly fade into the earth and air, going for other visible work. What death or, to use what seems to me its proper name, solution may be, I cannot of course pretend to guess: but our grandchildren may be able to, and their grandchildren, perhaps, to know. ”

“ Nor must Starkie: he will have to hurry on to Brindisi; but I'm afraid Clarkson won't care to go on without me.... And he wishes to put it off, too. It is hard; after all these years!'
A pause.
'I have been speaking to him about you,' he went on, 'he knows all my wishes. He is one of my executors ... A brave man: rough and ready: will follow anywhere, but can't lead. Clarkson has all the brains of the party. You must have scientific observation to hand, or you can never do any real good. That is the mistake we have all of us made. ”

“ I never wanted to have all the vile diseases flesh is heir to pumped my system with bad lymph! See. I will sit down here, on the bed. I don't feel well: that's all—at present. Giddy. Go and tell Starkie. Then go and find a room for me somewhere. A nice room: and flowers. Mind you tell the people what it's for: a case of small-pox.' (He stopped and smiled.) 'Variola confluens, if they are particular. That means something like the certainty of a dead body in the house. You may add that: people like to know. Never mind what you have to pay. ”

“ I want to get there while I am sure of myself. We must think of other people as well as of ourselves.—Please go at once.'
I went to Starkie and sent him into my room: then ran downstairs; found out the maitre d'hotel, and tried to explain to him that I wanted to know where I should be able to find a house agent. Seeing that I only confused the man, I came up to the room again.
Mr. Starkie was sitting beside Mr. Brooke, speaking to him earnestly—trying, I think to persuade him that he was mistaken in his idea about the small-pox. ”

“ When I first began to think about these things, my mind was strongly prepossessed in favour of immortality, and consequently this instinct soon developed itself from its passive unconsciousness into active consciousness, and I held fast to the idea of immortality when everything else, save belief in a deity, had gone. It was not till after more than three years of thoughtfulness and study, that I learnt that my desire for immortality was only a synonym for my selfishness, and, having learnt this, I began to see, too, the complete needlessness, though as complete naturalness, of that desire. ”

“ And learn everything, everything! And then go down there for another year to learn the life. And you will pick up experience very quickly. I know you, Starkie says he will do it; he will not be too old: a brave fellow! ”

“ They don't recognise more than half they see. There has only been one naturalist in Africa yet—Klesmer, I mean. Think of that! And he, poor devil, came to grief on the ubiquitous reef of poverty. I have often regretted I didn't know of him in time. But it's the old, old story! When they had muscle, they hadn't brains: and when they had brains, they hadn't muscle. These explorers (especially the French) are a queer lot. Du Camp's gorillas are ... well, let's only say exaggerations. And as for Louis ... But there, there! Starkie knows all about it. ”

“ You must leave me to-night, Bertram—very soon.'
'Leave you? Here, with strangers?'
'I want no one but the Sisters. I have seen them at work before: have worked with them. They are all I want. With the small-pox, men die in delirium. loathsome to everyone. You could not stay.... I am thinking of going into an hospital instead of taking an apartment—if it can be managed as I want it. Starkie has gone to see. That was a foolish idea of mine: I am glad you came back. It is all right. Starkie knows all about it. ”

“ Mr. Starkie told me of a 'pension' in the Avenue de Fontenoi. I went there on the same evening that Mr. Brooke went to the hospital. The last thing Mr. Starkie said to me (we were sitting in the courtyard of the hotel: I was about to leave him for the 'pension') , was that he had very little doubt but that Clarkson would agree to give up the expedition, but still, if he wished to go on, there was nothing left but to go on with him: in which case I should hear at once, either by letter or from Mr. Starkie himself. As for my expenses at Paris, those would, of course, be defrayed by Mr. ”