She had an insatiable thirst for knowledge, and her curiosity extended to all of those great inventions which are the wonder of Christendom.

Locomotives and steamboats were described to her under the names of "horses of fire" and "ships of fire"; printing was "letters of power"; the electric telegraph, "messages of lightning"; the organ, "lute of giants," and so on.

Yet, in spite of the eagerness with which she made her inquiries, and the diligence with which she noted all down, I could see that there was in her mind something lying beneath it all--a far more earnest purpose, and a far more personal one, than the pursuit of useful knowledge.
Layelah was watchful of Almah; she seemed studying her to see how far this woman of another race differed from the Kosekin.

She would often turn from me and talk with Almah for a long time, questioning her about her people and their ways.

Almah's manner was somewhat reserved, and it was rendered somewhat more so from the fact that her mind was always full of the prospect of our impending doom.