Somewhat heated by the fervor of his declamatory utterance, he passed his hand among his straight locks, whether to cool his forehead, or to show off the numerous jewelled rings on his fingers, it was difficult to say, and continued more calmly: "No, young sir!--the color of this river,--a color which, I willingly admit, resembles the tint of flowing human blood,--has naught to do with foolish omens and forecasts of evil,--'tis simply caused by the influx of some foreign alluvial matter, probably washed down by storm from, the sides of the distant mountains whence these waters have their rising,--see you not how the tide is thick and heavy with an unfloatable cargo of red sand? Some sudden disturbance of the soil,--or a volcanic movement underneath the ocean,--or even a distant earthquake, . . any of these may be the reason."...
"May be?--why not say MUST be," observed Theos half ironically, "since learning makes you sure!"
His companion pressed the tips of his fingers delicately together, as though blandly deprecating this observation.
"Nay, nay!--none of us, however wise, can say 'MUST BE'"--he argued suavely--"It is not,--strictly speaking,--possible in this world to pronounce an incontestable certainty."
"Not even that two and two are four?" suggested Theos, smiling.
"Not even that!"...replied the other with perfect gravity-- "Inasmuch as in the kingdom of Hypharus, whose borders touch ours, the inhabitants, also highly civilized, do count their quantities by a totally different method; and to them two and two are NOT four, the numbers two and four not being included in their system of figures. Thus,--a Professor from the Colleges of Hypharus could obstinately deny what to us seems the plainest fact known to common-sense,--yet, were I to argue against him I should never persuade him out of his theory,--nor could he move me one jot from mine. And viewed from our differing standpoints, therefore, the first simple multiplication of numbers could never be proved correct beyond all question!"
Theos glanced at him in wonder,--the man must be mad, he thought, since surely any one in his senses could see that two objects placed with other two must necessarily make four!
"I confess you surprise me greatly, sir!"--he said, and, in spite of himself, a little quiver of laughter shook his voice.. "What I asked was by way of jest,--and I never thought to hear so simple a subject treated with so much profound and almost doubting seriousness! See!"--and he picked up four small stones from the roadway--"Count these one by one, . . how many have you? Surely even a professor from Hypharus could find no more, and no less than four?"