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MEDA:

and passing through another door, we entered a little room which he said was his private study. He placed his hand on an ivory button in a kind of writing desk that stood in the middle of the room. This immediately opened from the centre, the portions of the top folding back, apparently without any assistance, exposing a tray on which was placed bread, fruit, and two glasses of water. He invited me to partake of the bread and fruit, while he sipped the water. I began to eat, although I did not feel the least hungry, and I also sipped a little water. I did not like the idea of eating alone, and asked my friend why he did not keep me company. He said,—"You see I am a modern man, and have no need of food; I simply take a little water to moisten my lips and maintain the moisture of the body, but, otherwise, all mankind now live by breathing a pure and nourishing atmosphere." Placing his hands on his stomach, or where it should be, he continued, "I did not speak quite correctly, when I said I have no