“What curious terminology: ‘mine.’ I never belonged⁠—” I faltered. It suddenly occurred to me: true, I belonged to no one before, but now⁠—Is it not clear that now I do not live any more in our rational world but in the ancient delirious world, in a world of square-root of minus one?

The curtains fell. There to my right my neighbor let his book drop at that moment from the table to the floor. And through the last narrow space between the curtain and the floor I saw a yellow hand pick up the book. Within I felt: “Only to seize that hand with all my power.”

“I thought⁠ ⁠… I wanted to meet you during the hour for the walk. I wanted⁠ ⁠… I must talk to you about so many things, so many.⁠ ⁠…”