The Count of Gabalis

( 16 )

—meanwhile, keep watch, pray, hope, and speak nothing."

With these words, he departed from my study. The original German "Cabinet" refers to a private room for reading, business, or contemplation. I accompanied him, complaining about his brief visit and how cruel it was to leave me so soon after giving me a mere foretaste of his knowledge. He kindly assured me that I would lose nothing by the delay, stepped into his carriage, and left me in an astonishment that I cannot describe. I could believe neither my own eyes nor my ears. "I am certain," I said, "that he is a man of high status; he enjoys an annual income of fifty thousand pounds and is perfectly refined. And could such follies be serious to him? He spoke of the Sylphs: Elemental spirits of the air, first popularized in the works of Paracelsus. as if their existence were an established fact. Could he truly be a sorcerer: In this context, a "Zauberer" refers to one who practices high magic or works with spirits., and was I mistaken in believing that such men no longer exist? But even if there are sorcerers, are they as God-fearing as this one seems to be?"

I understood none of this, yet I was determined to wait and see how it ended, although I