“Pain? Can that be of importance at such a moment?”

“Of the greatest. There are two sorts: those who kill themselves either from great sorrow or from spite, or being mad, or no matter what⁠ ⁠… they do it suddenly. They think little about the pain, but kill themselves suddenly. But some do it from reason⁠—they think a great deal.”

“Why, are there people who do it from reason?”

“Very many. If it were not for superstition there would be more, very many, all.”

“What, all?”

He did not answer.

“But aren’t there means of dying without pain?”

“Imagine”⁠—he stopped before me⁠—“imagine a stone as big as a great house; it hangs and you are under it; if it falls on you, on your head, will it hurt you?”