that it was often the lot of honest and noble-minded men to humble themselves to solicit favours from the narrowest and meanest of their fellow-creatures; and even to stoop to dissimulation, and pretend to be what they are not. But surely he could not be capable of treachery to me which would involve me in eternal destruction? Ah! what did I know?—how could I tell? No encyclopaedia in the world could tell me whether he would be true or false.
'My lord Demon, and friend Ubertus,' said he, 'this contract must not be entered into hastily, without due consideration. Do I understand you to mean, sir, that if by any mischance, accident, or second death, or through evil design, treachery, or falsehood, or intervention of a Superior Power, or convulsions of Nature, I fail to return with you, the condition of your consent is that Ubertus shall return in my place?'
The Demon answered in the affirmative.
'Then,' said the Doctor sadly, 'I will not go. It only remains for us, Ubertus, to say farewell to each other.'
The tears rolled down our cheeks as we clasped our right hands together in momentary silence.
Then I calmly spoke to the following effect:
'Mr. Demon, you have signified your willingness to accept me as security for Doctor Julius, and I repeat that I am willing to become his security on these conditions. I have the fullest confidence in his truth and honour, and on the ground of truth and honour I will be his security; but you will see for yourself, sir, if you will be so good, that it would be manifestly unjust to hold me responsible for his second death, or for any accident or mischance which might overtake him, through the bursting of the balloon, or any convulsion of Nature, or on account of anything which might occur to yourself, to him, or to me, for which nobody in the universe can be held responsible, in a legal point of view,
