She came toward Gud with an arch smile. In fact, her smile was very
arch. Her brows were also arched. But her nose was as straight as the
road to Hell and her lashes were curved as the new-born moon. They were
also long and drooping. Her eyes were opalescent, her complexion
translucent, her forehead high, and her cheekbones low. She had a
cupid's bow mouth and her lips were very ruby. Her teeth were like
genuine pearls and her chin was dimpled and single.
When she spoke to Gud her voice was as musical as the song the silkworms
sing.
And when Gud spoke to her, she sighed in ecstasy of lavender-scented
flattery, and her eyelids drooped like languid draperies across a
seacoal fire.
"I have brought my book," she murmeled as she reached into her corsage
and drew forth a manuscript bound with skins of humming birds. "May I
read it to you? It's title is 'Art and Wealth and Anatomy Sesame.'"
She opened the book at random--which is the proper way to open any
non-fiction book written by a woman--and her voice warbled as she read:
"The lambent enoughness of atomless ultraness vegetateth for eons in
ultramarine slime and thence crawleth hencely, attaining esoteric power
by the sublimation of the egomania into splenetic colorature which by
chemic vortices electrifying plasmic erotifcanaticism ascends to organic
indefinability and multitudinous indefinity, and soareth toward the
inordinate fulfillment of superconscious metapsychoses."
She of the dimpled and single chin, laid aside her manuscript and stared
reproachfully at Gud. "Do you comprehend it?" she beseeched.
"Why, certainly. But what does it mean?" said Gud, who was always
willing to increase his knowledge if he could do so without interfering
with his previous beliefs.
"It is a new theory," replied the ruby lips, "of the conquest of
anatomy. This theory is based on the hypotheses that the organ called
the brain is nothing but an adventitous, radio-active tumor that yields
two secretions. The external secretion is what is called the mind and
the internal secretion is known as the soul. From this hypothesis there
follows the tetravalent truth:
"All life is anatomy.
"All anatomy is matter.
"All matter is nothing.
"Therefore nothing matters."
"Then why bother about it?" asked Gud.
But she did not answer, for her drooping eyes had again sought the open
book that lay on her dimpled knees, and her voice whippled and yodeled
as she read.
"The immortal soul is destroyed by the psychic spirit.
"The psychic spirit is destroyed by the mental psyche.
"The mental psyche is destroyed by the rational mind.
"The rational mind is destroyed by the common sense.
"The common sense is destroyed by the emotion.
"The emotion is destroyed by the instinct.
"The instinct is destroyed by the physiology.
"The physiology is destroyed by the anatomy.... How do you like my
eyes?"
"Very," said Gud, "for your pupils shine as unborn souls of May-green
stars floating in the nebulous nonentity."
After which her butler came to say that Messrs. Confucius and Buddha
were calling.