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Updated: June 20, 2025
He is nothing but Beauty and Pleasantness. Even Krag won't have the effrontery to deny that." "It's very nice here," said Krag, looking around him malignantly. "One only wants a cushion and half a dozen houris to complete it." Maskull disengaged himself from Gangnet. "Last night, when I was struggling through the mud in the ghastly moonlight then I thought the world beautiful."
There were no insects to irritate them. The bright lake outside looked cool and poetic. Gangnet pressed Maskull's arm affectionately. "If the bringing of you from your world had fallen to me, Maskull, it is here I would have brought you, and not to the scarlet desert. Then you would have escaped the dark spots, and Tormance would have appeared beautiful to you." "And what then, Gangnet?
A clear brook rippled through the heart of it; they followed its bank. "It has occurred to me," said Maskull, addressing Gangnet, "that Alppain may be my death. Is that so?" "These trees don't fear Alppain, so why should you? Alppain is a wonderful, life-bringing sun."
"Change the subject.... The world's hard and cruel, and I am thankful to be leaving it." "On one point, though, you both agree," said Krag, smiling evilly. "Pleasure is good, and the cessation of pleasure is bad." Gangnet glanced at him coldly. "We know your peculiar theories, Krag. You are very fond of them, but they are unworkable. The world could not go on being, without pleasure."
The shadows of the three men cast by Alppain were not black, but were composed of white daylight. "Then nothing can hurt me," said Maskull with a peculiar smile. Gangnet smiled too. "How could it?" "I have lost my will; I feel as if some foul tumour had been scraped away, leaving me clean and free." "Do you now understand life, Maskull?"
He opened his eyes. The floating island was still faintly illuminated by Alppain. Krag was standing by his side, but Gangnet was no longer there. "What is this Ocean called?" asked Maskull, bringing out the words with difficulty. "Surtur's Ocean." Maskull nodded, and kept quiet for some time. He rested his face on his arm. "Where's Nightspore?" he asked suddenly.
It had lost its dark green colour, and was now of a perfect crystal transparency. "Are we already on the Ocean, Gangnet?" "Yes." "Then nothing remains except my death." "Don't think of death, but life." "It's growing brighter at the same time, more sombre, Krag seems to be fading away...." "There is Alppain!" said Gangnet, touching his arm.
"Why should you disguise yourself like a woman?" he asked with a harsh guffaw "Show Maskull your face. Perhaps he has seen it somewhere." Gangnet did remind Maskull of someone, but he could not say of whom. His dark hair curled down to his neck, his brow was wide, lofty, and noble, and there was an air of serious sweetness about the whole man that was strangely appealing to the feelings.
"Yes, here," answered Gangnet. "But how?" "One of those islands will serve. It only needs to move it into the stream." Maskull frowned. "Where will it carry us to?" "Come, get on, get on!" said Krag, laughing uncouthly. "The morning's wearing away, and you have to die before noon. We are going to the Ocean." "If you are omniscient, Krag, what is my death to be?" "Gangnet will murder you."
"If those were Crystalman's thoughts that you showed me before, Gangnet, these must be his feelings. I mean it literally. What I am feeling now, he must have felt before me." "He is all feeling, Maskull don't you understand that?" Maskull was feeding greedily on the spectacle before him; he did not reply. His face was set like a rock, but his eyes were dim with the beginning of tears.
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