Leehallfae stroked aer chin and watched him with screwed-up eyes,
trying to comprehend what had happened. "Is your luck speaking to
you, Maskull, or what is the matter?"

"Listen. You are a being of antique experience, and ought to know,
if anyone does. What is Muspel?"

The phaen's face was blank. "I don't know the name."

"It is another world of some sort."

"That cannot be. There is only this one world--Faceny's."

Maskull came up to aer, linked arms, and began to talk. "I'm glad I
fell in with you, Leehallfae, for this valley and everything
connected with it need a lot of explaining. For example, in this
spot there are hardly any organic forms left--why have they all
disappeared? You call this brook a 'life stream,' yet the nearer its
source we get, the less life it produces. A mile or two lower down
we had those spontaneous plant-animals appearing out of nowhere,
while right down by the sea, plants and animals were tumbling over
one another. Now, if all this is connected in some mysterious way or
other with your Faceny, it seems to me he must have a most
paradoxical nature. His essence doesn't start creating shapes until
it has become thoroughly weakened and watered.... But perhaps both of
us are talking nonsense."

Leehallfae shook aer head. "Everything hangs together. The stream
is life, and it is throwing off sparks of life all the time. When