ng this
further, send for me, and I promise, on my honor as a gentleman, to show
you the devil, so that you cannot doubt. I will do this on one
condition."

The Abbe felt almost faint; for apart from the wildness of the words
thus abruptly and unexpectedly addressed to him, the hand of the Prince
which lay upon his own, as if to keep him still, seemed to be pouring
fire and madness into him. He tried to withdraw it, but the other
grasped the fingers tight.

"On one condition," repeated Pomerantseff in a lower tone.

"What condition?" murmured the poor Abbe.

"That you trust yourself entirely to me until we reach the place of
meeting."

"Prince, let go my hand! You are hurting me! I will promise to do as you
say when I want to go to your infernal meeting."

He wrenched his hand away, pulled down the carriage window and let the
cold night air in.

"Pomerantseff, you are a madman; you are dangerous. Why the devil did
you grasp my hand in that way? My arm is numb."

The Prince laughed.

"It is only electricity. I was determined, since you doubted the
existence of the devil, to make you promise to come and see him."

"I never promised!" exclaimed the Abbe. "I only promised to trust myself
to you if the horrible desire should ever seize me to investigate your
mad words further. But you need not be afraid of that. God forbid I
should indulge in such folly!"

The Prince smiled.

"God has nothing to do with this," he remarked simply. "You will come."

The carriage had now turned up the street in which the Abbe lived, and
they were but a few doors from his house.

"My dear Prince," said Gerard earnestly, "let me say a few words to you
at parting. You know I am not a bigot, so that your words--which many
might think blasphemous--I care nothing about; but remember we are in
the Paris of the nineteenth century, not in the Paris of Cazotte, and
that we are eminently practical nowadays. Had you asked me to go with
you to see some curious atrocity, no matter how horrible, I might, were
it interesting, have accepted; but when you invite me to go with you to
see the devil you really must excuse me; it is too absurd."

"Very well," replied Prince Pomerantseff. "Of course I know you will
come; but think the matter over well. Remember, I promise to show the
devil to you so that you can never doubt of his personality again. This
is not one of the wonders of electro-biology, but simply a fact: _the
devil exists, and you sh