“Very simple. Herr Naphta is, of course, first of all a Jesuit. He is that always, and before everything else. But he is also a man of intellect⁠—or I should not be seeking his society⁠—and as such he is always searching for new combinations, new associations and adaptations, new shades of meaning proper to the time. You saw how he surprised even me by his theories. He had never gone so far with me before. I made use of the very evident stimulus of your presence to stir him up to the point of saying his last word on a certain subject. It sounded ridiculous enough, monstrous enough⁠—”

“Yes, yes; but tell me, why did he never become a Father? He was old enough, wasn’t he?”

“I did tell you⁠—it was his illness prevented him.”

“Well, but don’t you think⁠—if he is first a Jesuit and second a man of intellect, always making new combinations⁠—don’t you think this second, added characteristic has to do with his illness?”

“What do you mean by that?”